RogueAcademic
Member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2007
- Messages
- 859
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- HSC
- N/A
Canberra considers plan to attract lawyers to the bush
Nicola Berkovic | January 30, 2009
Article from: The Australian
THE Rudd Government is considering a plan to slash university debts for law students who agree to work in country towns.
The Government is hoping the plan will ease chronic shortages of lawyers in the bush.
In a budget submission last Friday, the Law Council of Australia called for urgent measures to entice young lawyers to regional areas, with up to a third of country lawyers set to retire in the next 10 to 15 years.
The incentives sought include payment of HECS debt, tax breaks and monetary allowances or subsidised housing for graduates or lawyers who move to regional areas.
New Law Council president John Corcoran told The Australian young lawyers were needed to boost the ageing and over-stretched legal workforce.
"We see this as a fundamental access to justice issue," Mr Corcoran said. "There is a shortage of lawyers in many parts of regional Australia; it's an ageing group of lawyers and we really need to come up with solutions to get young lawyers into these areas."
Mr Corcoran, who took up the role of president this month, said there was a 25 per cent shortfall of lawyers in certain areas.
The shortage meant some clients were forced to travel to regional centres or capital cities to access family, criminal and commercial law services, which increased costs and compromised service. "For there to be good access to justice you need to be able to get those services close to where you live," he said.
The Law Council has urged the federal Government to provide scholarships for country students and increase opportunities for law students to complete their practical training in regional areas.
The council has not put a price tag for the proposal, but intends to submit a detailed report to the Government in March, following a national survey of rural, regional and remote lawyers.
A spokesman for Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the Rudd Government understood the importance of ensuring access to justice in the country.
"The Government welcomes the suggestions put forward by the Law Council and will consider them in the budget process," he said.
Former Tasmanian Law Society president Leanne Topfer, who is a partner of a small practice in the northern town of Burnie, said there was a serious shortage of lawyers with mid-tier experience in her area. "We have a smattering of one to two-year out lawyers. Then there's a huge gap and there's a lot of lawyers who are verging on retirement," she said. "In five years time, I think there's going to be a huge problem," she said.
Ms Topfer, who moved to Burnie with her husband more than 20 years ago intending to stay for two years, said young lawyers stayed for one or two years and then tended to leave.
"It becomes very frustrating for us because we put a lot of energy and money and time into training them," she said.
She said the key was encouraging them to stay long enough to find a partner and build ties with the community.
In June last year, Mr McClelland announced $5.8 million to boost legal services in the bush. The money was provided through legal aid commissions in NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania and community legal centres. Rosemarie Coxon, who runs Legal Aid Queensland's Regional Solicitor Program, said it was a battle to find enough young lawyers willing to move to the bush.
The program places graduates in private law firms and covers 75 per cent of their wage. In return, they spend three-quarters of their time on legal aid work.
It has placed 34 lawyers in 15 Queensland towns in four years, but Ms Coxon said incentives such as rental assistance and help with moving costs would go a long way to attracting more young lawyers into the program.
Elvina Ogil is one young lawyer who has bucked the trend of lawyers fleeing regional areas. The 28-year-old had barely heard of the central Queensland town of Emerald when she moved there last year with the help of the Regional Solicitor Program. Now she is planning to stay there permanently.
But she said the Government could help with rental subsidies, as the rent in mining districts was "exorbitant" compared to the city, while legal salaries were lower.
Nicola Berkovic | January 30, 2009
Article from: The Australian
THE Rudd Government is considering a plan to slash university debts for law students who agree to work in country towns.
The Government is hoping the plan will ease chronic shortages of lawyers in the bush.
In a budget submission last Friday, the Law Council of Australia called for urgent measures to entice young lawyers to regional areas, with up to a third of country lawyers set to retire in the next 10 to 15 years.
The incentives sought include payment of HECS debt, tax breaks and monetary allowances or subsidised housing for graduates or lawyers who move to regional areas.
New Law Council president John Corcoran told The Australian young lawyers were needed to boost the ageing and over-stretched legal workforce.
"We see this as a fundamental access to justice issue," Mr Corcoran said. "There is a shortage of lawyers in many parts of regional Australia; it's an ageing group of lawyers and we really need to come up with solutions to get young lawyers into these areas."
Mr Corcoran, who took up the role of president this month, said there was a 25 per cent shortfall of lawyers in certain areas.
The shortage meant some clients were forced to travel to regional centres or capital cities to access family, criminal and commercial law services, which increased costs and compromised service. "For there to be good access to justice you need to be able to get those services close to where you live," he said.
The Law Council has urged the federal Government to provide scholarships for country students and increase opportunities for law students to complete their practical training in regional areas.
The council has not put a price tag for the proposal, but intends to submit a detailed report to the Government in March, following a national survey of rural, regional and remote lawyers.
A spokesman for Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the Rudd Government understood the importance of ensuring access to justice in the country.
"The Government welcomes the suggestions put forward by the Law Council and will consider them in the budget process," he said.
Former Tasmanian Law Society president Leanne Topfer, who is a partner of a small practice in the northern town of Burnie, said there was a serious shortage of lawyers with mid-tier experience in her area. "We have a smattering of one to two-year out lawyers. Then there's a huge gap and there's a lot of lawyers who are verging on retirement," she said. "In five years time, I think there's going to be a huge problem," she said.
Ms Topfer, who moved to Burnie with her husband more than 20 years ago intending to stay for two years, said young lawyers stayed for one or two years and then tended to leave.
"It becomes very frustrating for us because we put a lot of energy and money and time into training them," she said.
She said the key was encouraging them to stay long enough to find a partner and build ties with the community.
In June last year, Mr McClelland announced $5.8 million to boost legal services in the bush. The money was provided through legal aid commissions in NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania and community legal centres. Rosemarie Coxon, who runs Legal Aid Queensland's Regional Solicitor Program, said it was a battle to find enough young lawyers willing to move to the bush.
The program places graduates in private law firms and covers 75 per cent of their wage. In return, they spend three-quarters of their time on legal aid work.
It has placed 34 lawyers in 15 Queensland towns in four years, but Ms Coxon said incentives such as rental assistance and help with moving costs would go a long way to attracting more young lawyers into the program.
Elvina Ogil is one young lawyer who has bucked the trend of lawyers fleeing regional areas. The 28-year-old had barely heard of the central Queensland town of Emerald when she moved there last year with the help of the Regional Solicitor Program. Now she is planning to stay there permanently.
But she said the Government could help with rental subsidies, as the rent in mining districts was "exorbitant" compared to the city, while legal salaries were lower.
