When I began my term as President of the Law Society of NSW, I shared that an aspect of the role I was looking forward to most was meeting solicitors where they live and work across the state. In my first two months, I’ve already visited Albury and Dubbo, and I have booked in many more opportunities to engage with regional solicitors to listen to their concerns, throughout my term.

Rural, regional and remote (RRR) communities are among the areas of greatest legal need, and I’m keenly aware that one of the most common topics of discussion will be recruitment and retention of solicitors and support staff. We’re told that the work is there, but the staff are not.

In October last year, my predecessor, Jennifer Ball, launched the Careers in the Country regional jobs board to help respond to this challenge.

Careers in the Country is a free platform for Law Society members practicing in RRR communities to post vacancies, and for solicitors and legal support staff to look for opportunities to make a move to country NSW. The site hosts listings of country jobs currently available, including vacancies in local law firms, as well as at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT, and Legal Aid NSW.

Advocacy about RRR careers received a welcome boost from District Court Judge Troy Anderson in January, with this glowing article on LSJ Online about his Honour’s experience presiding on the Dubbo bench last year.

Judge Anderson found the mix of a fulfilling community life and stimulating career growth made working in the regions far from a ‘hardship posting’, encouraging ‘anyone thinking about regional living’, to ‘do it’! Advice I’m only too willing to echo.

A Young Lawyers’ tradition returns in style
After a COVID enforced cancellation all the way back in 2020, early career solicitors will again don masks, this time in the glamorous theme of a Venetian Masquerade. The NSW Young Lawyers Charity Ball returns on Friday, 8 May, in the Ballroom of the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, in the heart of the CBD.

There’ll be live entertainment, a three-course dinner, prizes and, of course, the best aspect of the event, an exciting evening networking where social distancing will be just a distant memory.

Proceeds from the evening will support the NSW Young Lawyers charity for 2026, the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring all children have access to healthcare, whenever and wherever they need it. But a ticket or table here.

Ronan MacSweeney, President, The Law Society of NSW