PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Welcome back and Happy New Year. I am looking forward to my term as President and engaging with our profession this year.

In wishing you all the best for 2020, I am well aware that rather than celebrating the new year, many people in NSW and around Australia were being evacuated from their homes, stranded on holidays, fighting to protect their homes and/or property, or dealing with the damage and destruction caused by the bushfires. As we know, the bushfire season is far from over.

I am incredibly proud, but not surprised, by the way our profession and the wider community has responded to the bushfire disaster.

Thank you to all the solicitors and firms who responded to our call out and have offered to provide legal assistance to those impacted by these horrendous bushfires. It will ensure that meaningful and targeted legal assistance is provided to those individuals and communities requiring immediate and ongoing help.

The process for coordinating the pro bono response has been finalised and is being implemented as a matter of priority. My sincere thanks to the NSW Attorney General, Legal Aid NSW, Justice Connect, community legal centres, the NSW Bar Association and everyone else involved in coordinating this response.

Members of the community impacted by the bushfires who need legal assistance should be directed to Disaster Response Legal Service NSW in the first instance.

The helpline number is 1800 801 529.

Information is also available on our website for those members of the profession who have been impacted personally by the bushfires or whose practice has been damaged or destroyed.

While the road to recovery from these bushfires will be long and challenging, it’s heartening to know that it will be with the support of both our profession and the Australian community.

Richard Harvey, Law Society President

< Go back