President

Ronan MacSweeney

Ronan MacSweeney is the President of the Law Society of NSW. 

With more than 25 years’ experience across private practice, government, and the not-for-profit sector, Ronan began his legal career at leading law firms in Ireland and Australia. He has held senior legal roles including Deputy General Counsel at Transport for NSW and General Counsel at BaptistCare. 

Ronan is also a non-executive director of LegalSuper, the industry superannuation fund for the Australian legal profession.

He holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Law and in Economics and English from the University of Galway, along with a Master’s Degree (First Class) in Law from the University of Edinburgh. Ronan also studied human rights and criminology at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands as part of an EU-sponsored program.

A Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Ronan is a strong advocate for using legal and governance frameworks to drive accountability, protect human rights, and create lasting social impact.

Requests for media interviews

Requests for media interviews with the President should be directed to the Law Society of NSW Media Adviser on: 0417 788 947 or damien.smith@lawsociety.com.au 

The Law Society of New South Wales President's Medal

President's Medal

The Law Society of New South Wales President's Medal is an annual award that recognises a NSW solicitor and Law Society member who has made a significant personal and professional contribution to the improvement of law and justice in the community. 

Nominations for the 2023 President's Medal will open in August 2023.

You can see the list of past President's Medal winners here.

A person may be nominated for the Law Society’s President’s Medal if the following criteria are satisfied:

  1. The person must be a current or former NSW solicitor and a member of The Law Society of New South Wales.  Currently serving Law Society Councillors are excluded from nomination.
  2. The person is of high standing in the NSW legal profession.
  3. The person has made a personal and professional contribution which demonstrates achievements in one of more of the following areas:
  • improvement in community access to justice
  • improvement in NSW or national legal policy or legislation which delivers significant benefits to the NSW community
  • significant service or support to NSW solicitors
  • promotion or defence of the rule of law
  • improvements in the administration of justice in NSW.

Persons may self nominate or be nominated by someone else via the President's Medal nomination portal. Currently serving Law Society Councillors are excluded from nomination. Each nomination must be accompanied by documentation which:

  • outlines relevant current and previous professional positions held by the nominee
  • explicitly addresses each of the three eligibility criteria
  • provides the names and contact details of at least two referees who may be asked to attest to the achievements on which the nomination is based.
  • Completed nominations must be received by the due date.

If you would like more information please email councilsupportunit@lawsociety.com.au.

Nominations are assessed and the successful candidate determined by a selection panel comprising three people. It is chaired by the President of the Law Society.

The selection panel receives written applications and may elect to undertake interviews with candidates or to seek further information from those nominating the person. Cross checks are also made with Professional Standards to ensure that those being considered are fit and proper persons.