Supporting the legal profession, with a particular focus on regional NSW, and ensuring access to justice for all, as we continue to live with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be major priorities in 2022 for the new President of the Law Society of NSW, Joanne van der Plaat.
\nWhile this week marks the traditional Opening of Law Term in NSW, many official events, religious services and ceremonies, including the Law Society\u2019s annual Opening of Law Term Dinner, have been postponed due to the current Omicron outbreak.
\nMs van der Plaat will now deliver her Opening of Law Term Presidential Address at the 2022 Law Term Dinner on Monday 28 March 2022.
\nIn the meantime, Ms van der Plaat, a regional solicitor from Cooma in the state\u2019s Snowy Mountains region, has outlined her five main priorities for 2022:
\nsupporting the legal profession\u2019s health and wellbeing
\nfinding ways to better support the profession, courts and clients in rural and regional NSW
\nhuman rights in NSW
\nresponding to the impacts of COVID on the justice system
\njudicial resourcing.
\nMs van der Plaat said that, as the state continues to adjust to living with the pandemic, she will work hard to actively champion a legal profession of more than 37,000 NSW solicitors, to government and the wider community.
\n\u201cMy experience, starting out as a legal secretary in a small Sydney firm, to working as a paralegal and licensed conveyancer in a large international firm, to the last 13 years as a lawyer in rural NSW, has given me an invaluable insight into the joys, challenges and opportunities we each face in the profession,” Ms van der Plaat said.
\n\u201cWe have learned some valuable lessons during COVID-19 and there are more lessons to be learned and opportunities to be taken.
\n\u201cI want to ensure all solicitors continue to have access to practical, applicable information and services that will help them run their practices or move forward in their careers \u2013 as has been the Law Society\u2019s mission since its inception 180 years ago.
\n\u201cI am looking forward to engaging with the legal profession, the government and the courts in navigating the ongoing challenges of COVID to ensure we continue to thrive and succeed in our professional and personal lives and provide the best service possible to our clients,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cThis includes advocating for ongoing investment in the justice system (as is regularly seen in the health, education and transport sectors), which will provide long term economic benefit for our state and ensure the rights of civil society are met.
\n\u201cThrough the Law Society\u2019s Thought Leadership program, I want to explore a number of issues relating to human rights in NSW.
\n\u201cAs our profession grapples with a fast changing legal landscape, we have an opportunity to participate in a meaningful debate about the role that human rights can play in a modern society, and the impact that the pandemic has had on human rights awareness and expectations.
\n\u201cI also believe there is an appetite to look positively towards our future and for the Law Society to lead the profession in supporting mental health and wellbeing.
\n\u201cOur individual and collective wellbeing, in terms of what brings us joy, keeps us connected and allows us to remain engaged and thrive professionally and personally is something we now talk about in the workplace.
\n\u201cThe three values that guide me each day are being kind, being humble, and having a sense of humour.
\n\u201cHaving that direction and motivation keeps me feeling positive and purposeful,\u201d she said.
\nImproving awareness and perceptions of legal career opportunities in regional NSW is another priority Ms van der Plaat\u2019s plans to focus on this year.
\n\u201cAs a country lawyer, I am keen to promote and raise awareness of rural practice, not as an alternative career, but as a challenging and rewarding career,\u201d she said.
\nMs van der Plaat nominated President\u2019s Charity for 2022 is Sober in the Country, a grassroots rural charity leading social impact and change across rural Australia.
\n\u201cLike many Australians, I have witnessed the devastating impact excessive consumption of alcohol has on individuals and their relationships with family and work,\u201d Ms van der Plaat said.
\n\u201cIt can be difficult to reach out for assistance with everyone knowing who you are, more so in the country.
\n\u201cI hope to use my time as President to raise awareness for the incredible support Sober in the Country provides and raise vital funds for them to continue their work.\u201d
\nMs van der Plaat said she is humbled to be representing the state\u2019s solicitors as President in 2022.
\n\u201cI look forward to leading, supporting and growing a legal profession which has given so much to me over the years,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Supporting the legal profession, with a particular focus on regional NSW, and ensuring access to justice for all, as we continue to live with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be major priorities in 2022 for the new President of the Law Society of NSW, Joanne van der Plaat. While this week marks the … Continue reading “LAW SOCIETY OF NSW PRESIDENT OUTLINES HER 2022 PRIORITIES”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14672\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}