Highlights of NLAF Meeting held on 29 August 2007Meeting Community NeedRural Regional and Remote (RRR) Geoff Dunlevy, President Law Society of NSW, addressed NLAF about the issues of recruitment and retention of lawyers in RRR areas of NSW. The Law Society recognises that there will be a significant supply problem in RRR areas in the next 5–10 years. Other NLAF members also raised issues of retaining lawyers, particularly in remote areas. The forum agreed that this is an issue affecting all members on a state and national level, and a strategic approach is required. NLAF and the Law Society will liaise to raise the profile of the issue and move it forward. Legal Services to Aboriginal People The Working Group on Aboriginal Clients is focusing on improving access to civil law services. The group is undertaking an evaluation of the Guide to Legal Services for Aboriginal People in NSW/ACT. Group members will continue to work on strategies to improve access to pro bono services for Aboriginal people and Aboriginal organisations. The working group will also be implementing a civil law resource project with one community in NSW. This model project aims to determine civil law needs in a consultative way, and develop a response to address those needs. Working Group on Mental Illness and Access to Justice The working group developed a project proposal to respond to unmet legal need for people with mental illness in NSW. The project involves both direct service delivery and training and capacity building in other legal assistance providers. Legal Aid NSW has granted 2 year funding to the project, which will be auspiced by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC). The group will progress its work on mental capacity by conducting a half day seminar on the topic later in the year. Working Group on Interpreter Services Members of the working group held meetings with the Community Relations Commission (CRC) to move forward issues relating to training (both for interpreters in the legal setting, and for service providers in using interpreters), and interpreter fee exemptions for community legal centres. Courts 2010 The Director of Court Services, Craig Smith, gave an update on the Courts 2010 program. Pilot outreaches have commenced providing registry services in conjunction with the Homeless Persons Legal Service, and with the Aboriginal Legal Service in Walgett, Condoblin and Bourke. Fairfield Local Court Registry has been refurbished to be more efficient and user friendly and will serve as a template for registry redesign around the state. The meeting discussed the changes to Chamber Registrar services, specifically the Director’s Instruction No. 3 Assisting Self-Represented Clients in Family Law Matters. The need for clear referral options for family law assistance was highlighted as an area of need. Policy / Law reformWorking Group on Conflict of Interest The working group is in dialogue with the Law Society of NSW regarding the NLAF submission which seeks a change in the Solicitors’ Rules. Co-ordination of legal assistanceLegal Information and Referral Forum (LIRF) LIRF’s legal service promotion work with general practitioners (GPs) has led to a marked improvement in referrals from GPs to LawAccess NSW. LIRF members will continue this work by placing civil law case studies in GP newsletters and addressing a GPs conference. LIRF continues to monitor and provide feedback regarding the usefulness of Service Link as a referral tool. Emerging IssuesHub Courts AVL Forum members discussed the possible impact of the Hub Courts AVL roll out which commenced in September. In particular, concerns were expressed that the initiative may lead to disjointed representation. The need for a formal evaluation of the impact was also raised. Long Way to Equal Janet Loughman, Principal Solicitor Womens Legal Services NSW will be attending the November NLAF meeting to discuss the findings and recommendations contained in A Long Way to Equal (An update of Quarter Way to Equal: A Report on Barriers to Access to Legal Services for Migrant Women).
|