Report to NLAF
The first meeting of the group was held on 27 March 2009.
Terms of Reference
- Better identify/define the nature of the problem in NSW. For example, in which RRR regions of NSW are there problems in terms of gaps in lawyer availability, gaps in availability of lawyers practicing specific types of law, gaps in take-up of legal aid work, etc, and to assess these in the context of other data and regional specific circumstances.
- Develop a proposal for further research as a project for which NLAF might seek funding from the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department.
- Determine how the issues should be progressed taking into account the roles that can be played by Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department, Australian Legal Assistance Forum, the Law Council of Australia and parallel submissions from other state LAFs.
- Communicate with and monitor the other state programs, in particular the Western Australian Country Lawyers Program.
- Liaise with the RRR Working Group of the Law Council of Australia in the development of subsequent TOR, but generally to avoid duplication of effort ensure the NLAF work complements that of the Law Council.
- At an appropriate stage, prepare draft Terms of Reference for an NLAF RRR Working Group.
Members of Working Group
Joe Catanzariti (Chair), Maryanne Plastiras – The Law Society of NSW
Geoff Mulherin – Law and Justice Foundation of NSW
John McKenzie - Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT)
Alastair McEwin – Combined Community Legal Centres Group
Annmarie Lumsden, Jenny Lovric – Legal Aid NSW
Activities/Outcomes
- The Group submitted a funding proposal to the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department on 1 May 2009. The aim of this research is to better inform strategies to improve access to lawyers for disadvantaged people in rural and regional areas by:
– identifying which areas of NSW are most affected by difficulties in recruiting and retaining lawyers practicing in the public sector (CLC, ALS, Legal Aid, Private solicitors practicing legal aid)
– exploring differences between areas of high and low lawyer retention in terms of potentially relevant characteristics of these areas.
– identifying likely reasons for success or otherwise in recruitment and retention of lawyers in those areas. If approved, the research project will be managed by the Law and Justice Foundation and will form the basis of future work by the Working Group. - The Group, through the Law Society of NSW, is piloting the advertisement of public legal assistance vacancies in RRR areas on the Law Society website and in Monday Briefs. This will be accompanied by a series of articles in the Law Society Journal on RRR issues, commencing with a feature on the Aboriginal Legal Service
- The Group prepared a submission to the House of Representatives Inquiry into the impact of the global financial crisis on regional areas which was submitted on 6 May.
