From the President

At the time of publication, it will be just over two months since my election as President. It has been a busy start to the role, including attending the Conference of Law Societies meeting in Canberra on 5 December, and participation in the Justice Forum on 16 December. I am also making an effort to attend a meeting of each of the Committees of the Law Society, and so far have met with the Wellbeing Committee and the Pro Bono Committee.

Opening of the Legal Year
Thank you to those who responded to the recent survey published by the Society on this topic. The results have been collated and will be discussed at the next Council meeting in January. Arrangements for the 2026 event were made well in advance of the survey taking place and there will be no changes to next year’s program, however the feedback which has provided will be taken on board and shared with the relevant stakeholders including the Supreme Court in determining the arrangements for 2027 and beyond.

I hope as many of you as possible will be able to join us for the 2026 Opening of the Legal Year Dinner on Friday 30 January. The Dinner provides a social opportunity to engage with colleagues and other members of the profession you may not ordinarily cross paths with before the year becomes too busy, as it inevitably always does.

President’s Charity – The Smith Family
Each year, the President of the Law Society nominates a charity to support. My chosen charity is the Smith Family. The Smith Family’s mission is to overcome educational inequality caused by poverty.

Many of us working in the legal profession, particularly in areas such as family law and criminal law, see first-hand the impacts of intergenerational poverty on our communities. Lack of access to education in childhood typically leads to poorer social and economic outcomes in adulthood, such as criminal offending, job instability, homelessness and a variety of other vulnerabilities. By providing support to children and their families to access education, the Smith Family assists young people to ensure that their socio-economic background does not impact on their ability to reach their potential. I see a clear nexus between the work of the Smith Family and the challenges we see our clients experiencing, and am proud to have chosen them as the President’s Charity for 2026. I hope you will join me in supporting the Smith Family over the coming 12 months and hope to announce some specific activities and initiatives for this purpose in the New Year.

End of 2025
Legal practise is challenging and demanding. Add to that the cycle of saddening and maddening news from across the country and around the world means we, as lawyers, constantly deal with stress. Taking the opportunity reflect on the past year, relax, and re-set for the year ahead is important. I hope that Society members have time to enjoy a well-deserved break over the Christmas closure period, if not slightly longer!

December 2025
Amelia Higgs
President