Law Society of New South Wales

The Law Society of New South Wales is a professional association which represents over 29,000 solicitors in Australia.[1][2] The Law Society has statutory powers and regulates the practice of law in New South Wales.[3]

"LSNSW" redirects here. For the natural history organisation, see Linnean Society of New South Wales.

Law Society of New South Wales
Formation1842 (formally 1884)
Location
Official language
English
Key people
Sonja Stewart, CEO
Websitewww.lawsociety.com.au

The Law Society of NSW encourages debate and actively drives law reform issues through policy submissions[4] and open dialogue with governments, parliamentary bodies, the courts and the New South Wales Department of Justice. It ensures the general public has appropriate access to justice and can be easily connected to members of the profession when they require legal advice.

Along with the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner, the Law Society sets and enforces professional standards,[5] licenses solicitors to practise, investigates complaints and administers discipline to ensure both the community and the profession are properly served by ethical and responsible solicitors.

A shield of arms showing four 8 pointed stars on a cross along with a scroll, quill pens and an inkwell
The coat of arms of the Law Society of NSW

History

The Law Society was informally started in 1842.[6] In 1884, the society was formalized as "The Incorporated Law Institute of New South Wales", and had its first annual meeting the following year.

In 1960, the institute was renamed to "The Law Society of New South Wales". In 1963, the Society started publishing The Law Society Journal. The society also established the College of Law in 1973, the Legal Practitioners Act 1987 (NSW), Law Industry Superannuation Trust (LIST) and LawCare in 1989, and the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner in 1992. Vis-a-vis the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC), alternatively, according to a 1994 leaflet from the OLSC, the OLSC was set up by the NSW government not the Law Society, and in July 1994 not 1992, by way of an amendment to the Legal Profession Act 1987, in particular Part 10. The 1987 Act was repealed in 2005 and replaced with the Legal Profession Act 2004 - in particular see Part 7.3.

The origins of the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner

List of presidents
Year Name Employer
1884–1891 John Williams[7] NSW Crown Solicitor
1892–1908 William Pigott[8]
1909–11 F Curtiss
1912–14 EA Smith
1915–17 HCE Rich
1918–20 AM Hemsley[9]
1921–23 AC Stephen
1924–26 DW Roxburgh
1927–29 MAH Fitzhardinge
1930–32 AN Littlejohn
1933–35 JE Gosling
1936 APN Dalrymple
1937–39 WG Forsyth
1940 JW Stevenson
1941–43 WJ Baldock
1944–45 JG Crowther
1946 D Barron
1947–49 Arthur E. Abbott Parner, Garland Seaborn & Abbott
1950 GA Yuill
1951–52 RZ de Ferranti
1953–54 WER Francis
1955–56 LW Taylor
1957–58 TGD Marshall
1959 NL Cowper
1960–61 John Watling Partner, Sly & Russell
1962–63 K Smithers
1964–65 BJ McDonald
1966–67 WRD Stevenson
1968–69 CH Dunlop
1970–71 JK Bowen
1972–73 JR Broadbent
1974–75 Alan Loxton
1976–77 MM Hooke
1978 DG Barr
1979 DG Mackay
1980 AJ Mitchell
1981 MJ Gill
1982 Mahla Pearlman
1983 DE McLachlan
1984 Rod McGeoch
1985 F Herron
1986 Kim A Garling
1987 KH Dufty
1988 WV Windeyer
1989 BE Thornton
1990 GM Roberson
1991 DA de Carvalho
1992 John R Marsden Founding Partner, Marsdens
1993 John Nelson Partner, Gadens
1994 DG Fairlie
1995 DM Stack
1996 ND Lyall
1997 PV Fair
1998 RK Heinrich
1999 Margaret C Hole
2000 John FS North
2001 Nick K Meagher
2002 Kim Cull
2003 Robert JC Benjamin
2004 Gordon A Salier
2005 John E McIntyre
2006 June McPhie
2007 Geoff J Dunlevy[10] Partner, Rhodes Kildea
2008 Hugh I Macken
2009 Joseph J Catanzariti[11] Partner, Clayton Utz
2010 Mary J Macken
2011 Stuart D Westgarth[12] Partner, HWL Ebsworth
2012 Justin J Dowd[13] Partner, Watts McCray
2013 John C Dobson[14]
2014 Ros E Everett[15] Partner, Everett Evans
2015 John F Eades[16] Partner, Noyce, Salmon & D'Aquino
2016 Gary S Ulman[17] Partner, Minter Ellison
2017 Pauline Wright Partner, PJ Donnellan & Co
2018 Doug Humphreys[18]
2019 Elizabeth Espinosa[19]
2020 Richard Harvey[20]
2021 Juliana Warner[20] Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
2022 Joanne van der Plaat Blaxland Mawson & Rose
2023 Cassandra Banks

Structure and organisation

The Law Society is governed by an internal Council, the Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW) and the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). The Council meets monthly and has 21 elected members who sit for 3 year terms and one appointed member who sits for 1 year. The Council has 2 country lawyer councillors, 2 suburban lawyer councillors, 2 city lawyer councillors, 2 corporate lawyer councillors, 2 government lawyer councillors, 2 large firm lawyer councillors, 1 NSW Young Lawyers councillor (appointed), and 8 general councillors.[21] Law Society Councillors sit on the boards of LawCover (legal insurer), the NSW Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund, the Legal Profession Admissions Board, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (among others).

The Law Society has 23 committees devoted to different aspects of law.

Pro-bono work

The society started a voluntary "Pro Bono Scheme" in 1992.[22]

See also

References
  1. "The Law Society of New South Wales Homepage". The Law Society of New South Wales. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  2. "Professional Standards Council Home". New South Wales Professional Standards Council. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  3. http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/psc/ll_psc.nsf/vwFiles/Scheme_LawSociety_Summary_nsw_20062011.pdf/$file/Scheme_LawSociety_Summary_nsw_20062011.pdf retrieved 2010-10-27 Archived 30 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Policy Submissions 2018 | the Law Society of NSW". www.lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  5. "Practising law in NSW | the Law Society of NSW". www.lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  6. "Law Society of NSW – History". Lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  7. "THE LAW INSTITUTE". Australian Star. 29 September 1888. p. 7 – via Trove.
  8. "Death of Hon. W. H. Piggot". The Evening News. 15 March 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 21 May 2021 – via Trove.
  9. "SYDNEY LEGAL FIGURE". West Australian. 13 July 1937. p. 16 – via Trove.
  10. http://justinianarchive.com/828-article ; http://justinianarchive.com/833-article
  11. "President | the Law Society of NSW". Archived from the original on 12 November 2009.
  12. "President | the Law Society of NSW". Archived from the original on 19 February 2011.
  13. "President | the Law Society of NSW". Archived from the original on 14 May 2012.
  14. "President | the Law Society of NSW". Archived from the original on 11 August 2013.
  15. "President | the Law Society of NSW". Archived from the original on 13 February 2014.
  16. "President | the Law Society of NSW". Archived from the original on 20 March 2015.
  17. "President | the Law Society of NSW". Archived from the original on 18 April 2016.
  18. "President's message - 29 October 2018 | The Law Society of NSW". www.lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  19. "Former Law Society President appointed as Land and Environment Court Commissioner | The Law Society of NSW". www.lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  20. "Law Society of NSW announces 2021 President | The Law Society of NSW". www.lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  21. "Law Society of NSW – Council". Lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  22. "Law Society of NSW – Pro Bono Scheme". Lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
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