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Deputy Chiefs engaging the regional profession
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE | 23 March 2026


Tomorrow morning I’ll be at Penrith Panthers for the first of the Law Society’s four major regional visits this year, with this event being hosted by the Nepean Hawkesbury Regional Law Society.

Alongside a full CPD program offering six self-allocated units, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from, and ask questions of, two District Court judges, about the issues affecting regional practitioners in their local courts.

Penrith’s List Judge, Graham Turnbull SC, will deliver an update from the Court, joined by Deputy Chief Judge Stephen Hanley SC, who’ll be on hand for most of the day. Visits from Judge Hanley, or his fellow Deputy Chief Judge Christopher O’Brien AM, will be repeated across the remaining major regional visits to the following regions:

  • Southern Tablelands (Bowral, 1 May);
  • Orana (Dubbo, 21 July); and
  • Mid-North Coast (Port Macquarie, 28 August).

In addition, Judge O’Brien will meet with the Presidents of all the Regional Law Societies, in Orange in mid-June, and Judge Hanley will address the Law Society’s Rural Issues Conference in Sydney on 23 October.

The Chief Judge of the District Court, the Hon. Justice Sarah Huggett, has asked her Deputies to undertake these visits to ensure that regional solicitors who practice in their local courts know that their views on how the District Court is working are valued, and heard.

While practitioners in rural, regional, and remote areas enjoy generally positive working relationships with local judicial officers, a program of judicial engagement with the profession at this level of seniority is, to my knowledge, unprecedented.

On behalf of the Law Society of NSW and regional practitioners across the state, I express our gratitude and I’m thrilled that their Honours will be able to hear directly from practitioners on the ground about what is working in the District Court and what improvements could be made.

This initiative aligns closely with my President’s Priorities for the year, particularly our advocacy for improved physical and digital court infrastructure, and to empower solicitors to uphold and advocate for the rule of law.

Beyond these regional events, I will continue visiting Regional Law Societies across the state, throughout the year. If you’re attending any of those visits, feel free to discuss with me your concerns about how the courts are running and I’ll be only too pleased to share that feedback with the appropriate heads of jurisdiction.

Ronan MacSweeney, President, The Law Society of NSW