“Shortages of lawyers in RRR areas have resulted in residents being denied legal representation at critical moments in their lives. This could vary from something as simple as seeking legal advice, needing help with a will, through to requiring representation in a family, civil, or criminal matter.”
By Kate Allman -
A new program will seek to boost the number of city lawyers making a treechange to regional, rural and remote areas across Australia.
The “Digital Treechange” initiative, launched by the Law Council of Australia in September, offers city lawyers a chance to work remotely for a regional firm on a trial basis. Candidates will log in from their usual homes in cities or suburban areas and undertake work with a regional firm for a trial period, before both the firm and candidate decide whether to continue the working relationship.
The idea is to attract more lawyers to regional areas which are proportionately lacking in solicitor numbers compared to city areas.
“Access to justice is an inalienable right for all Australians, yet availability of legal services varies across the country. Where someone lives, our postcode, may impact on a person’s ability to access justice,” said President of the Law Council Jacoba Brasch.
Jacoba Brasch, President of the Law Council
“Twenty-nine per cent of our population live outside major cities, but only about 10 per cent of solicitors are practising in a country or rural area. That’s around 8,300 lawyers for seven million people.
“Shortages of lawyers in RRR areas have resulted in residents being denied legal representation at critical moments in their lives. This could vary from something as simple as seeking legal advice, needing help with a will, through to requiring representation in a family, civil, or criminal matter.”
Brasch said the Law Council had identified this lack of legal representation in regional areas as an issue and last year developed and released the Rural, Regional and Remote (RRR) Lawyers and Communities National Strategic Plan to combat the problem.
The Digital Treechange program is one initiative inspired by the RRR plan. It encourages candidates to undertake one on-location visit to a regional firm during the trial, then work remotely for the firm during a probation period. This allows them to see whether they enjoy the work, fit with the team and could see themselves as part of the local community, before committing to packing up their lives to move somewhere new for the job.
“We hope the security blanket created by this initiative encourages more lawyers to apply for jobs outside our cities and stay in RRR communities,” said Brasch.
A spokesperson from the Law Council of Australia said since the program’s official launch in September, the organisation was now “meeting with employers across the country who have expressed interest in participating, universities and Colleges of Law”.
Any NSW solicitor or firm who would like to take part can learn more at the RRR Law webpage or contact the program organisers on [email protected]
