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The Law Society of NSW Reconciliation Action Plan

The Law Society of NSW has served the legal profession and the community of New South Wales for over 125 years. The Society is dedicated to working for a just and fair legal system.

The Society acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands across New South Wales. The Law Society particularly acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, traditional owners of the land on which the Law Society is built. The Law Society pays its respects to Elders past and present.

Click on the following for more information:

Our commitment to reconciliation
What will the Law Society’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2012-2014 cover?
Key commitments for 2012-2014 

How did the Law Society develop its Reconciliation Action Plan?
Contact us 

Our commitment to reconciliation

The Society acknowledges that there is an unacceptable gap in life expectancy between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia and other Australians. We believe that closing the gap is of critical importance both for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and for the well-being of our nation. We also acknowledge that reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians is both necessary for closing the gap and for the well-being of Australia as a nation.

Having regard to our mission and vision, we have developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Our RAP is a two year program, and is a product of extensive and in-depth consultation with Reconciliation Australia and key Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders. We are grateful to the many people who have generously shared their time and expertise with us throughout this process.

Our RAP makes a strong commitment to building respect and relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. We have also committed to improving the opportunities available to Indigenous peoples. The Law Society's RAP will be a living document that evolves with our experiences and understanding.

What will the Law Society’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2012-2014 cover?

The Law Society’s RAP constitutes a formal program to develop policy, and to create and implement programs within our sphere of influence.

Our focus will include:

• supporting Indigenous lawyers and improving the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lawyers in the legal profession;
• protecting and promoting the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in NSW;
• addressing the legal needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in NSW by supporting those who provide legal services to Indigenous clients and by engaging with relevant law reform issues;
• developing partnerships and initiatives to address needs identified where appropriate;
• raising awareness of the complexity and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture; and
• countering existing misunderstandings and misinformation.

Key commitments for 2012-2014

Providing financial and in-kind support to Ngalaya Aboriginal Corporation, the NSW Indigenous Lawyers and Law Students Association. The Society recognises the depth of expertise that Ngalaya’s membership represents and decided to provide support to Ngalaya to improve its operational functionality so that it can take advantage of its existing skills and expertise. The Law Society has already started providing office space and other in-kind support at the Law Society for Ngalaya.

Establishing an Indigenous Issues standing policy Committee. This committee would deal with Indigenous legal issues that affect the profession and community in NSW. This would allow the Society to engage more deeply with law and policy advocacy and reform.

Establishing an Indigenous Solicitors Trust as a tangible symbol of the Society’s commitment to reconciliation that will allow our members to show their support. Indigenous law students and young lawyers will be able to apply to the trust to assist the advancement of their studies and careers.

Developing the capacity of Indigenous support staff. The Society aims to address the need for alternative pathways into the legal profession together with providing diversion for at-risk Aboriginal youth by leveraging off and expanding its current Legal Support Training Program.

A copy of the Society’s 2012-2014 RAP can be found here.

How did the Law Society develop its Reconciliation Action Plan?

We established a working group of staff volunteers, managed by the Policy Lawyer for the Society’s Human Rights Committee and a RAP Coordinator. As our commitment was to developing a RAP that is guided and consented to by the Aboriginal peoples of NSW, extensive consultations were carried out over a period of five months. We consulted on a small group face-to-face basis, as well as holding a large public consultation. The draft RAP evolved on an iterative basis as the consultations progressed, and the 2012-2014 RAP is a product of all of these discussions.

We intend that our reconciliation dialogue will be an ongoing one, and will expand our consultation to regional NSW as our RAP matures.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments about the Law Society’s RAP, please contact Vicky Kuek on 9926 0354 or victoria.kuek@lawsociety.com.au.