By Claire Chaffey -
Art, theatre and music have been life-long fixtures alongside a busy legal career for new Law Society President Pauline Wright. As she takes the reins in 2017, her script centres on the erosion of civil liberties, the treatment of asylum seekers, and worrying trends in Indigenous incarceration. She speaks to CLAIRE CHAFFEY
Whether she’s belting out French jazz tunes or treading the boards as Frida Kahlo, Pauline Wright knows how to command an audience. A life-long performer and artist, Wright, a partner at boutique firm PJ Donnellan & Co on the Central Coast and this year’s Law Society President, is planning on doing just that as she gears up for her most important performance to date.
Taking the reins from 2016 President Gary Ulman, Wright, a solicitor since 1985 and a Law Society councillor almost continuously since 1997, is focused on making her voice heard on a range of pressing issues. First among those issues is what she sees as a worrying erosion of civil liberties.
“Since 9/11, we have seen an erosion of civil liberties in Australia, and in NSW in particular,” says Wright, who has been active in the Council of Civil Liberties since 1988.
