From the President Time flies when you’re... ?

EMMA FARNELL

PRESIDENT | LAW SOCIETY NT

president@lawsocietynt.asn.au

Time flies when you’re... ?

Content for Balance edition 3/2021 is due Wednesday 18 August.

SSince the start of the COVID-19 pandemic it seems that we, as a community, are more focused on and aware of data: we consume articles with updates on the daily infections; numbers of vaccinations administered and the number of repatriated Australians arriving through Darwin. Thankfully we have not been impacted to the same extent as our family, friends and colleagues interstate, particularly in relation to restrictions on our day-to-day life.

But I thought it would be appropriate to tap-into that desire for data by providing some points of reference:

● Council has met 7 times over the year to undertake the business of the Society including regulatory matters;

● the Law Week Great Debate has been held since about 2007 and after being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, the 2021 event was a huge success;1

● there are 22 days until the end of the financial year (at the time of writing this column);2

● there are 28 weeks until Christmas;3 ● there are only 7 remaining public holidays in the Northern Territory (including show-days and Christmas holidays);

● the Northern Territory’s courts, tribunals and commissions have published 66 decisions online;4 and

● ABS statistics show that we are working more hours in our jobs compared to the hours we were working last year (nationally, an increase of 31 million hours in April 2021 compared to March 2020).

Its clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is going to continue to be a factor over the coming months and that it is an added stressor to an already challenging year. The Society has, for a long period of time, recognised that lawyers often work under enormous pressure and this pressure is likely to be increased due to the ongoing pandemic. It has been a priority of the Society to make a LawCare counselling program available to members and details can be found on the Society’s website here: https://lawsocietynt.asn. au/profession/mental-health-and-wellbeing.html

I also try, in these columns, to reflect on the history of the Northern Territory profession including the significant efforts of volunteers

in providing legal advice and legal services to the community. In an early edition of Balance in 1991 it was reported that the Darwin Community Legal Service would be opening that year noting there were challenges in locating appropriate premises.5 At the time it was noted that:

The success of the DCLS will depend largely on the support of the Darwin legal profession, mainly in the form of practitioners offering their time and expertise to the service, either as volunteers or by participating in community education projects.

It can only be a credit to both DCLS and the profession that the service has continued and grown over the last 30 years. In the 2019/20 financial year DCLS has a number of specialist lawyers and over 60 volunteers.

Additionally—almost this time 30 years ago— Dean Mildren QC was appointed as a judge to the Northern Territory Supreme Court. On the 28 June 1991 the then Attorney-General Daryl Manzie noted that “I have no doubt that in the coming years we can expect to see Your Honour’s distinctive style making itself felt on this honourable court”. As a profession, and a community, we have had the benefit of that distinctive style for over 30 years as Justice Mildren has been an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court since February 2013.

As always, I welcome any comments or feedback from members about any issues of importance to members and our local profession. I can be contacted at president@lawsocietynt.asn.au.

1 I would like to thank the NT Young Lawyers for, once again, putting on an excellent event at the Supreme

Court on 17 May 2021 and providing a show-case debate which illustrated that the profession is in safe hands. (See photos on pages 19–21).

2 When, for private lawyers, budgets are reset and when funding grants commence from.

However generally work continues as if it is any other Wednesday. 3 Please accept my apologies if this sparks any fear into the hearts of parents.

4 Noting that this does not include the significant number of decisions handed down which are not published.

5 Link here: http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/

BalJlNTLawSoc/1991/64.html

Are you finding it hard to keep it together?

LawCare: Caring for the legal profession in the Northern Territory

The Law Society Northern Territory funds a professional, confidential and free counselling service for our members and their immediate family, provided through Employee Assistance Service Australia (EASA).

If you are experiencing workplace, personal or emotional issues which are affecting your work or personal life, please call LawCare via the EASA Program 24-hour support line or visit their website at www.easa.org.au.

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