Ahead of the society’s Opening of Law Term Dinner this evening (Thursday, 6 February), Ball discussed her four “president priorities” that will guide her focus throughout her tenure as president, with the theme of service being overarching in all the priorities she has delineated.

These priorities include honouring solicitors’ service to their communities, helping practices navigate new regulatory hurdles, delivering quality support for solicitors’ career success, and building solicitors’ mental health and wellbeing.

Honouring solicitors’ service to their communities

One of Ball’s priorities is to address society’s prevalent perception that lawyers are “not interested in looking after vulnerable people … and they’re only interested in making money”.

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In contrast, Ball is dedicated to illustrating the substantial value and contributions that solicitors make to their communities, in addition to the obligation they fulfil in their daily professional lives.

“Solicitors’ support is enormous in servicing the communities on top of their day-to-day work, and there are so many of them who provide free or low-cost legal help to vulnerable people,” she said.

In particular, Ball spoke about her commitment to highlighting the significant contributions made by the legal community in NSW, particularly through pro bono initiatives and its engagement with publicly funded legal services.

“But I really want to shine more light on that service that the profession gives back through pro bono work through working in publicly funded places like Aboriginal legal service [and] Legal Aid.

“It’s critical to looking after people who are vulnerable, and so it’s worth shining a light on and being positive about how much the profession gives back to the community,” she said.

Specifically, she revealed that “in the last financial year, Australian lawyers performed almost 800,000 pro bono hours, and that is just shy of 20,000 working weeks”.

Ball articulated her intention to enhance public awareness of this essential work by showcasing the contributions of these lawyers through the Law Society’s various communications channels.

“We will be advocating on behalf of those pro bono lawyers and putting stories out in the LSJ, the Monday briefs that we do, and really advocating out there and shining a light on all that enormous work that the large firms do on top of their day-to-day work,” she said.

Helping practice navigate new regulatory hurdles

Another priority that Ball has identified that she will focus on is assisting solicitors in navigating the increasingly complex regulatory landscape that has developed in recent years.

Ball is particularly focused on helping solicitors navigate the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regulations, noting concern that the compliance costs associated with these regulations may pose significant challenges for smaller and rural legal practices.

“Compliance costs related to the new AML/CTF scheme will be a significant challenge for many small practices, potentially creating an access to justice problem, especially in regional communities,” she said.

In response, Ball explained that the society plans to work “closely with the regulator AUSTRAC” to ensure the regulations are as clear and fair as possible.

She added: “We want to do what we can to support our solicitors [by] ensuring that they’ve got guidance and can get on top of the AML and its rules by making sure that we have plenty of services here that they can dial in for.”

Delivering quality support for solicitors’ career success

Ball also indicated that a priority she will focus on during her presidency is ensuring that the society provides support to practitioners throughout their professional journeys “from as early as law school, through to life after the law”.

She expressed her commitment to providing opportunities for professional development and skill-building at every stage, believing that this approach is essential to “ensure that solicitors are equipped not only for their own success but also for their clients”.

“This principle applies not just across all career stages but also all practice sectors. Whether practising as a suburban sole solicitor, at a practice on a country town main street, a community legal centre, government department, or on the top floor of a national firm, every solicitor deserves the learning opportunities to help them function at their best,” she said.

With the rapid advancement of technology in the legal profession, Ball has also highlighted the necessity for “innovative ongoing training”, particularly in domains such as generative AI.

She asserts that offering these services, specifically to early-career lawyers, equips them with essential tools “to give them the best possible start to their life of service to the law and community, and to equip them with the skills and understanding to serve their clients well”.

Building solicitors’ mental health and wellbeing

With a legal career spanning three decades, Ball has expressed a profound awareness of the challenges that legal professionals encounter regarding mental health and aims to continue addressing this critical issue in the legal field.

“I am the fourth successive president of the Law Society to identify the need to help lawyers address mental health issues, as they work in one of the most stressful occupations in the community.

“I’m honoured to continue this ongoing work, which delivers regular workshops led by mental health experts and free 24/7 crisis counselling to all solicitors in NSW,” she said.

Ball emphasised the various services currently available to legal practitioners, which they may utilise to address their mental health concerns.

“We still have the Law Society solicitors outreach service that provides 24/7 crisis counselling. Unbeknown to some, we do have psychologists for every solicitor in New South Wales to take advantage of if they feel that they need to, and it’s up to three free sessions per financial year with a psychologist.

“We have Staying Well In The Law, and it’s very popular with the profession, as is our mental health first aid course as well,” she said.

“The beauty of all these services that are provided by the Law Society is that it’s something that it’s independent, it’s outside the workplace for a solicitor that they can come to and they can feel that it’s confidential”.

Her legacy

In her reflections on her presidency and the legacy she seeks to establish, Ball expressed her desire for her tenure to be characterised by a strong emphasis on service, support, and the overall wellbeing of individuals.

“I would really like to, at the end of my term, be able to say that I have served the profession in the best way that I possibly can, helping them navigate the regulatory hurdles that are coming like a freight train, and show that I have been committed to developing resources for practices to navigate the new scheme,” she said.

“But also to honour the service that the profession does provide to the community, and shine a light on all that extra work that the profession does give back to the community, and that’s really what I think is the most important part.”