Authorised Worker list expanded

Following representations made by the Law Society (on behalf of our members) to the Attorney-General, the NSW Government has now added “critical legal services” to the list of authorised activities that enable people who live in the relevant Local Government Areas of concern to leave that LGA for work, if the business is allowed to be open. If you are living in an LGA of concern please have regard to the information on the NSW Health website. We are grateful to the Attorney-General for responding to the needs of our members who are providing critical legal services to clients.

Specialist Accreditation Conference

You might say that hosting a major event online, with more than 60 speakers across six live streams with more than 330 attendees - in the middle of a major lockdown - was just asking for trouble – but I am happy to say that all went very smoothly and last week’s 2021 annual Specialist Accreditation Conference was a resounding success. My thanks to our exceptional speakers, including our keynote Dr Jacoba Brasch SC, Law Council of Australia President, and the fantastic Law Society team that worked behind the scenes to deliver this stellar event. This conference just gets better every year. 

It's a crucial component of our Specialist Accreditation program, but you don’t have to be an accredited specialist to find value in the sessions – they will all be available to purchase via LawInform over the coming weeks.

Online session with Chief Justice Alstergren on the new Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia

With the new Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCA) set to commence from 1 September 2021, it’s clear that practitioners are keen to get across all the details of changes to the Court’s operations. The session on the merger of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, in last week’s Specialist Accreditation Conference, presented by the Honourable Deputy Chief Justice Robert McClelland and Senior Registrar Brett McGrath, was particularly well received. 

In addition, tomorrow at 5pm we will be hosting another online session on the new FCFCA featuring the Honourable Justice William Alstergren, Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia and Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.  His Honour will provide an overview of the imminent merger, procedural aspects and considerations for family law practitioners and participate in a Q&A session. This has generated a huge amount of interest and you can register for the webcast here. 

In the meantime, stay safe and well. 

Juliana Warner, President, the Law Society of NSW

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