While Australia has done remarkably well in its response to COVID-19 to date, the rapid rate of community transmission in Victoria in the past week has been a timely reminder of just how contagious this virus is and how quickly the situation can escalate if we become complacent about physical distancing.

In our home state, we have been told to remain on high alert with the Premier warning it could be several weeks before it’s known if there will be a resurgence of COVID-19 in NSW.

For the legal profession, it’s apparent that remote and flexible working, court attendance by video conference, the electronic witnessing of documents, online CPD, webinar events and Zoom and Teams meetings will remain for the immediate future.

So, just as we have done for the past four months, the Law Society will continue to ensure that the services and support we provide to our members remain relevant and accessible for the current circumstances.

Tomorrow, expert trainers from Priority Management will deliver the first of our online Working with Microsoft sessions, which we hope will have you working smarter, not harder – regardless of whether you are working from home or in the office.

Following on from the successful launch of our new Solicitor Outreach Service, the Law Society will deliver a two-part Mindfulness Series, on 28 July and 4 August, designed to help you cope with the various challenges faced in the office or when working remotely. The sessions will be run by Michael Bunting, a trusted authority on leadership development and mindfulness.

Beginning on 7 September, the Law Society will host Government Solicitors Week, being five days of virtually-delivered webinars, panel events and bonus content on topics relevant to government solicitors. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch sessions live online or on-demand.

We have also transformed our highly anticipated annual Rural Issues Conference. On Friday, 23 October we will be live streaming Rural Issues Day, which will feature a full program of seminars that are uniquely relevant to regional and rural practitioners.

And in the spirit of the times, the Law Society is hosting a Specialist Accreditation Week in late November. Each day will be dedicated to a different area of specialist accreditation and attendees will be able to watch the full-day programs via livestream or on-demand.

Richard Harvey, President, Law Society of NSW

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