Following last Friday’s National Cabinet meeting and the weekend announcement by Premier Gladys Berejiklian, we have, for the first time in many weeks, been given an idea of what the path out of the COVID-19 crisis will look like.

While we will see an easing of restrictions in NSW from this Friday 15 May, the Premier has stopped short of adopting all the measures outlined in step one of the national three-step roadmap to recovery. With a population of some eight million people in NSW, our health authorities are warning that we cannot afford to be complacent about the risk of COVID-19 infection rates increasing as restrictions lift.

So, as we have done since Australia first went into full lockdown six weeks ago, the Law Society will continue to take its cues from the appropriate government authorities in determining our own roadmap beyond COVID-19.

As our legal profession takes its own ‘baby steps’ on the road to recovery, we will continue to work hard to keep our members informed and supported via our dedicated COVID-19 portal and “Daily Update” e-newsletter. As always, our priority will be to keep the lines of communication open, keep our profession informed and connected, and ensure information and support is only a click or phone call away.

As the Law Society has adapted and responded to the changing landscape, it has been gratifying to see you, our members, take these changes in your stride.

In recent developments, our online Practising Certificate and Membership Renewals is progressing extremely well. We have more than 500 practitioners registered for tomorrow’s FLIP “Design Thinking” webinar, and our new online Future Lawyers Program is underway in 61 schools around the state.

While the long term economic and social impacts of the crisis are yet to play out, it’s my view that if the legal profession continues to adapt and unite, we will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever.

Richard Harvey, President, Law Society of NSW

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