A week can be an eternity during a pandemic

There’s an old saying (first attributed to former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson) that “a week is a long time in politics” but in a COVID-19 pandemic, a week can be an eternity.

The COVID-19 situation in Sydney has certainly changed dramatically in the past seven days and continues to change. People in the Greater Sydney Region, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, are now subject to stay-at-home orders until midnight, Friday 9 July.  Regional NSW is also subject to new restrictions for the next two weeks. I am also mindful these restrictions will impact many families with school aged children who have had their travel plans upended or are now working from home while their children are on school holidays.

We have now closed the Law Society premises at 170 Phillip Street and the majority of the Law Society’s staff are working remotely. Upcoming Law Society events, including Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities, will be delivered online.  Our aim is to ensure the lockdown has minimal impact on our support and services, but we do ask for your patience as we adjust to these new circumstances.

We have increased our COVID-19 updates to ensure members are kept in the loop about the restrictions, health alerts, the operation of courts and tribunals and other key developments to help you make informed decisions about your legal practice and staff.

I would like to remind members about the range of mental health and wellbeing resources available for the legal profession, which can be accessed via the Law Society website, including our Solicitor Outreach Service (SOS) for NSW solicitors.  

I think it’s important to be optimistic in the face of setbacks. Hopefully, by Friday week, the restrictions will have had the desired effect, the stay at home and other health orders will have lifted and life will have returned to some kind of normal.

In the meantime, the Law Society will continue to monitor and act in accordance with NSW Government advice, and further updates will be provided as needed.

Until then, stay well and stay safe.

Juliana Warner, President, the Law Society of NSW

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