The standing and credibility afforded to the profession by these features distinguishes the legal profession from other professions and occupations. We need to ensure that we work together to maximise the opportunities and discharge the obligations that characterise our profession. This year with your help and enthusiasm, the Law Society will be at the forefront of change. These are all issues on which we can play a strong and successful lobbying role. Access to justice is about cost, fairness and effectiveness.
Information technology offers a way to make court processes more cost effective.
It is frustrating to attend court on any sitting day and see groups of solicitors waiting in the wings for a basic court mention and wasting taxpayers' and clients' dollars. The Attorney General's Department is working on a number of strategies to improve service delivery by moving from existing manual processes to electronic service delivery. In 2000, the Law Society worked with the Department to pilot secure electronic lodgement of documents in the Land and Environment Court and on 'Lawzone' which is a project to develop an internet search engine which allows targeted searches for secondary legal resources. This year the Law Society will continue to work with the Department on implementing electronic callovers and looks forward to working with the Attorney and his Department on this and other IT initiatives in 2001. Another issue that deserves the profession's attention is the potential for the profession to provide programs through which people with disabilities can be employed.