The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW has given a nod to the "extraordinary crop" of legal practitioners the Hunter has historically produced, as he welcomed a new cohort into the profession during a speech in Newcastle on Friday morning.
Chief Justice Andrew Bell spoke at the admission ceremony for new lawyers - the first in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic - at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.
During his address, he paid tribute to renowned judges and lawyers from the Hunter, including High Court judge Michael McHugh AC KC and Justice Stephen Gageler AC, former Federal Court Justice Kevin Lindgren, and NSW Court of Appeal president Justice Julie Ward.
"Justice Lindgren was at the forefront of the establishment of a permanent law school within the University of Newcastle, which has over time become one of the most highly regarded and innovative law schools in the country," he said.
"I was honoured to deliver an address in September last year to mark its 30th anniversary."
Justice Bell said the continuity of the rule of law was more important than ever in a world of global uncertainty and insecurity.
"It is the opposite of the arbitrary abuse of power and the rule of autocratic dictators and populists," he said.
Justice Bell also touched on changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the legal profession, saying "the rapid technological shift brought about by the pandemic has had profound implications for the way in which our legal system interacts with members of the community, and has delivered greater workplace flexibility for practitioners, particularly those with family responsibilities and in regional and remote communities".
"While the increased use of technology offers a number of advantages, the practice of the law has human nature and human interaction at its core," he said.
"An essential part of being a good lawyer is understanding people, how others react to different situations, perform under pressure and deal with each other."
The Supreme Court first admitted lawyers in 1824.
