Face-to-face criminal jury trials will resume in the Supreme Court from this Monday 29 June 2020 but will require at least two courtrooms each to accommodate social distancing requirements. Some civil hearings, with limited parties, witnesses and legal representatives resumed on 1 June 2020. More here. The Court has released an updated protocol for COVID-19 court operations to ensure the health and safety of all courts users remains the paramount consideration.  

Further information on the arrangements in place for all NSW courts and tribunals can be accessed here. 

Following an update to the Face-to-face In Court Protocol , the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia have issued an update regarding the work of Registrars and Child Dispute Services, and an updated protocol for interviews with Family Consultants which are to occur at the registry.  

The Federal Court of Australia will begin hearing some matters in-person from next week. The Hon James Allsop AO, Chief Justice, Federal Court of Australia, has issued Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update 24, detailing the changes to court operations. Read more. 

Six new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed between 8pm on 24 June and 8pm on 25 June, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 3,168. One case is a 12-year-old Camden High School student. The case is under investigation, and all close contacts are being contacted and isolated. The school is closed today for a deep clean. Five other new cases are those of returned travellers in hotel quarantine. More here. 

A multimedia campaign launched today will target hate and xenophobia including online abuse and in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. More here. 

Changes to the NSW fines system will support vulnerable people experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19. More here. 

National Cabinet met today to further discuss Australia's current COVID-19 response, easing restrictions in the coming months, helping Australians prepare to go back to work in a COVID-safe environment and getting the economy moving again. More here.

With many solicitors working remotely during COVID-19, the Law Society is providing two online training sessions - WorkingSm@rt with Microsoft Outlook Essentials and WorkingSm@rt with Microsoft Teams Essentials. The sessions will be held in July are complimentary for members. Registration is essential.  More here.  

A phone line support service is now available for members of the Law Society experiencing IT issues whilst working remotely during the pandemic. A third-party IT engineer will be available for resolution or support for technical or cyber security issues. 24-hour call back will also be available. The service will operate from 8:30am – 5pm AEST. The number is 1800 996 613. More info on our COVID-19 resources page. 

Thousands of jobs across Australia’s arts industry will be backed with a new $250 million targeted package to help restart the creative economy and get the entertainment, arts and screen sectors back to work, as they rebuild from the impacts of COVID-19. More here. 

The Dining Room Delivers bookings portal is now open to secure your hamper for next week. Dining Room Delivers is a new service that brings restaurant-quality meal hampers to your door every Friday. Order by 8am Tuesday for delivery by 5pm Friday. All profits go directly to Foodbank. View the menu and order here.