New collaborative spaces for legal and support services plus we welcome new appointees to the Bench

Last week I attended the official opening of the $10.6 million refurbished Downing Centre in Sydney, which now boasts four new state of the art courtrooms, an additional six interview rooms, three additional remote witness rooms and a new safe room.  

I was particularly pleased to see that the Downing Centre refurbishment includes new spaces for the wraparound legal and support services that collaborate in the Drug Court, including Legal Aid, NSW Police, NSW Health, Community Corrections and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Law Society has been a long-time supporter of the Drug Court, which began as a pilot program at Parramatta in 1999 before later expanding to Sydney and Toronto.

I also welcomed the Attorney General’s announcement that Michael Ong, Kasey Pearce, Gareth Christofi and Rebecca Hosking have been appointed as Magistrates of the Local Court of NSW. It’s fantastic the Attorney General has recognised four people who each have considerable experience as a solicitor as suitable appointees to the Bench.

Mr Ong, Ms Pearce, Mr Christofi and Ms Hosking will each bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Local Court and I warmly congratulate them on their appointments. While I welcome the four appointments that replace retiring magistrates, I will continue to advocate for additional magistrates to ease the pressure on the state’s Local Courts.

On another note, I am heading to Orange in the state’s Central West this week for our second FLIP Roadshow event on Friday 28 May 2021. The half-day FLIP Roadshow Program has been designed to provide our members with low-cost, innovative and sustainable solutions to improve their practice. Registrations are still open for all practitioners – regardless of where you live or practise – something worth considering given it is such a beautiful time of the year to be in the Central West and there’s always the option to extend your stay and enjoy a weekend away.

Finally, huge congratulations to Olivia Irvine, from Hazelbrook Legal, the winner of the 2021 Young Lawyers Golden Gavel with her witty take on “We were on a break. Returning to the office in 2021”. Congratulations also to Oliver Moore, from Legal Aid NSW, who upon learning he was both the Runner Up and People’s Choice Winner, quipped “Wow, I have actually won two consolation prizes today!”

Juliana Warner, President, the Law Society of NSW

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