PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

The 2022 Law Society Council and our new Constitution

Law Society Council elections

I am pleased to announce the seven candidates who have been successfully elected to serve on the 2022 Law Society Council.

I would like to extend my congratulations to Councillors Cassandra Banks and Brett McGrath, who have been re-elected, and congratulate and welcome the new members of the Council: Danielle Captain-Webb, Jacqueline Dawson, Sylvia Fernandez, Rebekah Hunter and Mary Macken. An eighth vacancy was filled by the appointment of the Young Lawyers Councillor, James Skelton.

I would also like to thank retiring Councillors, Catherine James, Zora Kekeff, Ronan MacSweeney, Mark Warton, and Young Lawyers Councillor, Simon Bruck, for the considerable time and expertise they provided during their time as Councillors. The Councillor’s role is a demanding one, involving a substantial commitment of time and effort, and the Society and its membership is indebted to them for their involvement. Thank you also to all those members who served on Law Society Committees, Working Groups and the Specialist Accreditation Board and its committees during 2021.

Adoption of Law Society Constitution

This year, the Law Society embarked upon a governance program, which has at its centre a review of our key governing document – the Memorandum and Articles of Association. The focus of this review of the Memorandum and Articles was not to make substantive changes, but rather to develop a Law Society Constitution, drafted in plain English, that aligns with the Corporations Act and reflects good practice in relation to a member-based company limited by guarantee. Members were given the opportunity to provide comments and questions on the draft Constitution during a member-consultation period in July this year. The Law Society team is grateful for the contributions made to the draft Constitution via this process.

I am happy to report that the new Constitution was formally adopted at last week’s virtual Annual General Meeting. This is a very positive step for the Law Society and represents the culmination of significant work by the Law Society’s in-house legal team and Councillors. It is an important first stage in modernising the Law Society’s governing rules and documents.

Now that we have a new Constitution in place, Council can move forward with considering other aspects of our governance review, including consideration of the size and composition of the Council. Council has determined that this review will occur in 2022.

Annual Members Dinner

I am happy to advise that the Annual Members Dinner will be held on Monday 6 December 2021 at Sydney’s Fullerton Hotel. Our guest speaker is Ben Crowe: leadership mentor, life coach and adviser. We will also announce the recipient of the 2021 President’s Medal. The evening promises to be an enjoyable occasion for all our guests and an excellent opportunity to catch up with friends. I hope you can join us in bringing a very challenging year to a close on a positive note.

Juliana Warner, President, Law Society of NSW