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19 Torrens St Braddon
ACT 1612 || GPO Box 1989
Canberra ACT 2601
Telephone +61 2 6246 3788
Facsimilie +61 2 6248 0639
18 September 2009
Legal Profession Well Equipped to Handle
Challenging Times
The Australian legal profession is
healthy and robust enough to address the
many challenges it currently faces, Law Council President John Corcoran has
told a legal conference in Perth.
In his State of the Profession Speech to the 36th
Australian Legal Convention,
which opened today, Mr Corcoran said the global economic crisis, lack of
funding for the legal assistance sector and issues facing country lawyers all
presented significant challenges for legal practitioners.
“Many in the profession encountered some very difficult economic times at the
start of the year,” Mr Corcoran said. “However, the Australian profession has
handled the crisis better than
in
many other nations,
and economic conditions
have improved.”
Mr Corcoran also used the speech to highlight challenges facing the nation’s
legal assistance sector.
“Australian lawyers who rely on funding from the legal assistance sector are
doing it tough.” He said it was absolutely critical that the Australian Government
makes funding for the legal assistance sector a priority.
“There are also worrying signs for the state of the legal profession in country
Australia. Problems in recruiting and retaining lawyers in rural, regional
and
remote
areas are negatively impacting on the ability of people living in these
communities to access legal services,” he said.
On a positive note, Mr Corcoran said the Law Council was doing a great deal to
strengthen the legal profession and secure its future.
National legal profession reforms, he said, will benefit all lawyers, creating a
functional and efficient Australian legal services market.
With international legal practice the largest growth opportunity for Australian
lawyers, the Law Council’s efforts to open up overseas markets will also benefit
much of the profession.
“The Australian legal profession, despite all the challenges it is facing, is in a
very healthy state. But it needs to stay healthy, robust and above all,
independent. A strong, unified, national voice is essential to achieve this,”
Mr Corcoran concluded.
Media Contact:
Elenore Eriksson, Director Public Affairs
P. 02 6246 3716 || M. 0419 269 855
NEWS 
