It was rather fitting that on the weekend that events were being held to mark the 50^th anniversary of the first man walking on the moon, the teams involved in the Law Society’s #InnovateLaw2019 were making their own giant leaps for legal innovation.

170 Phillip Street was abuzz this past weekend as more than 130 participants in this year’s annual hackathon, #InnovateLaw2019, run in partnership with The Legal Forecast, bunkered down to solve one of two unique challenges set by the Law Society and the Supreme Court of NSW.

Watching the teams of university students, supported and mentored by members of the legal profession, legal techs and business and marketing professionals, present their final pitches to the judges on Sunday evening was an exciting moment. Each team’s ability to grasp the issues and innovate solutions in such a short time frame was simply inspirational. The commitment and generosity of time from everyone involved in this hugely successful event was incredible and I thank all for giving up their weekend to participate and contribute. I look forward to bringing you details of the winning teams, which will be announced at this Thursday’s FLIP Innovation Dinner at the Hilton, Sydney.

On another issue, members may have seen the article in The Australian today regarding reports that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has had to closely review its financial position following the amalgamation of the Justice department into the Communities and Justice Department in the 2019-2020 state budget. As outlined in the article, the ODPP, like all departments, is being asked to find efficiency dividends for this and the next three years. 

The NSW legal profession, whilst not consulted prior to the announcement of the significant changed cluster arrangement, rightly expects that all justice agencies will be adequately resourced and funded.  Our civil society relies on the effective operations and integrity of the courts and justice agencies. We believe that a properly funded and resourced NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is essential for it to perform its important independent functions.

Elizabeth Espinosa, Law Society President

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