Law Society

Council Election 2023

Law Society Council election results

The following members were declared elected as Councillors of The Law Society of New South Wales by the Company Secretary, each for a three-year term at the Annual General Meeting on 26 October 2023.

The Law Society Council

Following the 2022 review of the composition and governance of the Law Society Council, members adopted an amended Law Society Constitution at the 2022 Annual General Meeting. The amended Constitution requires that the Council includes 1 City Councillor, 1 Suburban Councillor, 1 Country Councillor, 1 Corporate Councillor, 1 Government Councillor, 1 Large Firm Councillor, 1 Young Lawyer Councillor and 8 unreserved Councillors and, in accordance with clause 12.1.1, any Senior Office Bearer whose elected term of office has expired.

Up until the 2022 amendments, the Constitution required that the Council included 2 Councillors from each of the City, Suburban, Country, Corporate, Government and Large Firm segments. To give effect to the transition, clause 3.2 of the amended Constitution provides that the first of each two Reserved Positions to become vacant will be permanently removed (Transitional Provisions). For more information about the Council, click here.

The work required of Law Society Councillors is demanding and involves a substantial commitment of time and effort. Members of the Council, other than Office Bearers, might expect to commit, on an average, the equivalent of at least one half-day a week to Law Society business, excluding reading and preparation times.

The Council currently meets around eight times a year. Additional special Council meetings are called when required. The usual commencement time for monthly meetings is 4.00 pm and Council may sit for three hours or longer. In addition, Councillors are required to serve on committees involving Law Society representational and regulatory activities and attend a considerable number of functions arranged by the Law Society from time to time.

2023 Council Vacancies

The Notice of Forthcoming Election has been sent to Members (see Notice).

The following six Councillors are due to retire as Councillors at the Annual General Meeting of The Law Society of New South Wales which will be held at 4.00pm on Thursday 26 October 2023:

City Councillor

HUGH MACKEN

Government Councillor

JENNIFER WONG

Large Firm Councillor

JENNIFER WINDSOR

Councillors (2)

LAUREN ABSALOM
ADRIANA CARE

Young Lawyer Councillor

LEAH SERAFIM

All of the retiring Councillors are eligible to stand for re-election.

The following two Councillors resigned from the Council during 2023:

Suburban Councillor

DANNY BRICKNELL

Councillor (1)

MICHELLE MEARES


Had these two Councillors not resigned, they also would have been due for retirement at the 2023 Annual General Meeting.

Taking into consideration the Transitional Provisions, in 2023 THREE of the vacancies created by the above retirees/resignations are to be filled by a process of election of 3 x unreserved Councillors. Each of these positions is for a 3-year term. The fourth vacancy is to be filled by the appointment of the Young Lawyer Councillor for a 1-year term in accordance with clause 12.1.2 of the Law Society’s Constitution.

Why should you nominate

All Solicitor Members are eligible to stand for election. Please consider nominating for Council.

In nominating for the 2023 Council election, you can play a critical role in ensuring the profession benefits from leadership that understands and adapts to the changing demands of practice. This is your opportunity to make a difference in your profession and your community.

Law Society Councillors gain a unique insight into the workings of the legal profession. Councillors lead the profession and are ideally placed to consider the issues, pressures and opportunities that members face in daily practice. Electing trusted leaders strengthens the future of the profession.

NOMINATE NOW - You can make a difference

To request a Nomination Kit, contact secretary@lawsociety.com.au or phone (02)9926 0213.

Nomination requirements

  1. Ensure you are a Solicitor Member of the Law Society.
  1. Note the list of vacancies to be filled at the 2023 Law Society Council election.
  1. Complete and sign the 2023 Council election nomination form, ensuring that signatures of at least seven Solicitor Members have been obtained in support of your nomination. If you are unable to arrange for seven Solicitor Members to sign the original nomination form, the form that you have signed can be copied and separately forwarded to individual nominating Members for signature. These signed forms can be returned to the Law Society as separate documents (via email or post.) Your nomination will be declared valid provided at least seven Solicitor Members have signed and forwarded nomination forms supporting your nomination, and your signature, as candidate, also appears on these forms.
  1. Send your completed nomination form to the Company Secretary at the Law Society, by email to secretary@lawsociety.com.au, or by mail or hand delivery to 170 Phillip Street, Sydney 2000. Your completed nomination must be received at the Law Society prior to 4.00pm on Monday, 18 September 2023.
  1. Prior to 4.00pm on Monday, 18 September 2023, please also provide to the Law Society a 100-word biographical note and a recent portrait photograph for inclusion in the official election documents. The information and photo will be published on the Law Society website in relation to the Council election and in the Voting Instructions and Candidate Information election materials.

Candidate canvassing

This election, the Law Society intends to make available to members a webpage for candidate canvassing materials. Relevant information will be available throughout the election period in one central place for all candidates. Nominees should complete the Candidate Information Form and provide this via email to secretary@lawsociety.com.au so that their relevant information (including an image of them) is able to be included on the central webpage.

Online voting - external host provider

The 2023 Law Society election will again be hosted by BigPulse, a web-based online service provider. BigPulse has conducted online elections for the Law Society for the past eight years. 

An email with an “Invitation to Vote” will be forwarded to Solicitor Members with a unique email address during the last week in September.

We encourage Members to consider voting online to ensure your vote is received before the ballot closes at 2.00pm on Monday 23 October 2023.

Paper ballots

Solicitor Members can also choose to vote by completing the printed ballot paper which will be sent by post to Members who have opted in to receiving hard copies.

Members are encouraged to vote online.

Please remember - you can only vote once.

Important dates

Tuesday 22 August 2023 – Notification of Election

Notice of Forthcoming Election is sent to Solicitor Members with email addresses by email (and via the Law Society’s Monday Briefs on Monday 28 August 2023). A printed copy of the Notice will be sent to Solicitor Members who have not provided an email address.


Tuesday 22 August 2023 to 4.00 pm Monday 18 September 2023 - Nominations

Requirements:

  1. Nominees must submit a Nomination Form, signed by not less than seven other Solicitor Members of the Law Society and by the Nominee.
  2. Nominations are to be received by the Company Secretary prior to 4.00pm Monday 18 September 2023 by email secretary@lawsociety.com.au, or by post or hand delivery to Level 3,170 Phillip Street, Sydney 2000.
  3. The following additional materials must be received by the Company Secretary at the Law Society by 4.00pm Monday 18 September 2023 in order to be included in the voting/online materials:
  4. a. A brief biographical note (limit 100 words).
    b. A recent high resolution portrait photograph (not more than 12 months old).

Tuesday 26 September 2023 - Monday 23 October 2023 - Voting

For the 2023 election, Members with email addresses will again have an opportunity to vote electronically.

Online: The 2023 Council election is again hosted by BigPulse, the Law Society’s nominated external service provider. If you are a Solicitor Member and have an email address, you will receive an email, “Invitation to Vote” for the 2023 Council election, with instructions on how to link to the electronic voting paper. If you have not received an email inviting you to vote, please first check your “Junk Email” folder and then contact your IT Department to confirm that the email has not been blocked by your organisation’s firewall or spam filter.

Printed Ballot: Solicitor Members who have elected to receive hard copies by 31 August 2023 will receive voting instructions, a printed ballot paper and two return envelopes (inner and outer envelopes). You can vote for up to, but not more than, the number of candidates required to be elected to fill available vacancies. If you are voting using a printed ballot paper, please complete and return the ballot paper as soon as possible to ensure receipt by the Law Society prior to close of ballot at 2.00pm on Monday 23 October 2023.


Monday 23 October 2023 – Ballot closes at 2.00pm

Ballots cannot be accepted after this time.


Thursday 26 October 2023 – Annual General Meeting – 4.00pm

At the Annual General Meeting, successful candidates are announced and will hold office effective from 26 October 2023.