Highlights of NLAF Meeting held on 28 November 2007

Meeting Community Need

Court reforms

Michael Talbot (Assistant Director General, Courts and Tribunal Services, Attorney General's Department NSW) gave the meeting an overview of areas of reform for Courts. He emphasised that the reforms are part of a broader program of engaging the community, improving access for communities who have difficulties with the justice system, and making services "simpler, easier, faster".

Courts 2010

Remote outreaches have begun with the Registrar attending the Enngonia community to do callovers. The aim is to reduce the number of warrants being issued for failure to appear.

NLAF members were invited to participate in the independent evaluation of the court redesign at Fairfield local court which will inform court redesign around the state.

Culturally and linguistically diverse

Janet Loughman, Principal Solicitor Women's Legal Services NSW, addressed NLAF regarding the recently launched A Long Way to Equal - a report on barriers to access to legal services for migrant women. The report is an update of research undertaken in the early 1990s which led to Quarter Way to Equal (1994). Both reports are at www.womenslegalnsw.asn.au/publications-womens-legal-services-nsw.htm

The new research involved a series of focus groups with migrant and refugee women from different ethnic backgrounds living in greater Sydney, and consultations with migrant and legal service providers.

The report makes 19 recommendations, with the overarching theme being the need for a more coordinated approach. Each NLAF agency will consider and formulate its own response to the report. Responses will be tabled at the February 2008 NLAF meeting, when NLAF's role in implementing recommendations will be decided.

The Interpreter Services Working Group held its final meeting in November. Information collected by the group on policies and guidelines, training resources, courses and research has been compiled into a webpage on the NLAF website as a resource for the legal sector - www.nlaf.org.au/wg_intrepreter_services.html.

NLAF will establish a working group to promote CALD clients access to legal services.

Rural Regional and Remote (RRR)

The Legal Aid Regional Solicitor Program provides a salary subsidy for firms employing an additional staff member to undertake a proportionate amount of legal aid work (civil, crime and family) in 10 areas in NSW. Legal Aid is hopeful of expanding the program to 4 new locations next year.

CLCs are hoping to conduct a scoping study of research regarding the nature and causes of the problem of recruitment and retention of lawyers in RRR areas.

Civil Law Services to Aboriginal People

The Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council (AJAC) is assisting the Working Group with the evaluation of the Guide to Legal Services for Aboriginal People in NSW/ACT.

The Group hopes to implement a civil law access project in 2008 in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. This will involve working closely with one Aboriginal community in that region to ascertain and respond to their priority civil law needs.

Mental Illness and Access to Justice

The new Mental Health Legal Services Project (auspiced by PIAC) will commence in early 2008, with staff currently being recruited. The Steering Committee for the project has representatives from a number of NLAF organisations and will provide reports to NLAF. The forum may refer issues to the committee for consideration.

Given the commencement of this project, the Working Group will not continue to meet.

Policy / Law reform

Conflict of Interest

Members of the Working Group will meet with representatives of the Ethics Committee of the NSW Law Society to follow up on the NLAF submission on conflict of interest.

Co-ordination

Legal Information and Referral Forum (LIRF)

LIRF is working to implement some of the recommendations of A Long Way to Equal, particularly around building relationships with Migrant Resource Centres, and promoting services to CALD communities.

LIRF's focus in 2008 will continue to be on non-legal services as a pathway to the justice system, particularly for CALD communities and older people.

Legal Services Training Reference Group (TRG)

A representative from the Learning and Development Unit of the Attorney General's Department now attends TRG meetings which has provided a valuable opportunity to share information and provide joint access to training.

The Group resolved that agencies should develop and provide their own cultural awareness training (rather than attempting to develop a generic model), but members will continue to share information and ideas.

Emerging Issues

Solicitor's Practice Course

NLAF was approached by the CCLCG Practice and Insurance Committee to ascertain interest in developing a modified Legal Practice Management Course more suited to the needs of public legal assistance agency solicitors. NLAF will support this initiative and affected agencies will meet to take the idea further.

Chair and Deputy Chair

Due to his resignation from the position of CEO Legal Aid NSW, Bill Grant stepped down as Chair of NLAF. Bill will be sadly missed as one of the founding members of the forum, and as having a pivotal role to play in ensuring that NLAF is effective in meeting its aims.

We welcome Geoff Mulherin as the new NLAF Chair with Polly Porteous as the new Deputy Chair.

The next meeting of NLAF will be on Wednesday 27 February 2008.