For almost a year, the Local Court’s Bail Division has determined first instance bail applications from across New South Wales via AVL, from a virtual Court, over which a Local Court Judge presides.

The Bail Division, among other Local Court practice changes, was established following the tragic domestic violence related death of a young woman from regional NSW.

When announcing the establishment of the Bail Division on 23 June 2025, the Chief Judge of the Local Court, Judge Michael Allen, said:

The Bail Division consists of Judicial Officers with extensive experience in the criminal law, both in legal practice and on the Bench. Each of these [Local Court Judges] have experience of living and working in regional communities including those in the Far West, Northern Rivers, Western NSW and South-western NSW.

The Division is overseen by Local Court Judge David Covington, whose service has included time as the permanent Local Court Judge for the Far West Circuit, covering Broken Hill, Wilcannia and Wentworth. Before his appointment to the Bench, Judge Covington practised exclusively in criminal law for 14 years as a Legal Aid solicitor.

I’m pleased that the Law Society of NSW will present a CPD live webinar featuring Judge Covington on various aspects of the Bail Division.

The session will cover the following topics:

• Overview of the Bail Division and the future expansion of the Bail Division
• The Practice Note, and what practitioners need to know before appearing in the Bail Division
• How practitioners can prepare for a matter in the Bail Division
• Advice for practitioners appearing before the Bail Division, from the perspective of the Court.

In the upcoming months, the Bail Division will be expanded to cover all first instance bail applications across the entire state.

The Law Society is grateful to the Court for its insight and guidance towards better practice and outcomes in the Bail Division.

This session, to be broadcast at 4.30pm on Monday, 1 June, will be one not to be missed by any criminal law practitioner who appears in bail hearings. It is free for members of the Law Society, and you can register via LawInform here.

Ronan MacSweeney, President, The Law Society of NSW