In order to better support members across the state during COVID-19, the New South Wales Law Society has reduced membership fees for the coming year by more than 90 per cent.
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, Law Society of NSW president Richard Harvey said the state-based legal member association was “acutely aware” of the impact that coronavirus is having on the livelihood and wellbeing of lawyers.
The pandemic has “fundamentally disrupted our social and economic order”, Mr Harvey noted, to the extent that a $410 membership fee for one’s law society “seems like a lot of money”.
“We believe we have a responsibility to respond to the developing crisis in a timely way for the benefit of our members, their staff, and their families – and, ultimately, the communities they serve,” Mr Harvey wrote.
“This is why the [law society] is reducing membership fees for practising solicitors to $10 per practitioner (plus GST) for the 2020/21 practising year. This practical one-off measure will allow you to direct this $400 saving to areas of more pressing need during the COVID-19 crisis.
“It will also ensure you can remain part of a strong and vibrant legal community in the weeks and months ahead.”
One of the major and practical benefits of law society membership, Mr Harvey continued, is having a community.
“In a world where social distancing has become the new normal, staying connected and maintaining a sense of community for our legal profession [have] never been more crucial,” he mused.
“Our priority is to support our members, now and in the future. There has never been a greater need, in recent memory, for a strong, united and independent legal profession.
“If we continue to work as a unified profession, we will get through this.”Big Law
