NSW Court Backlogs A Priority For New Law Society President

The Law Society of NSW marked the opening of the law term with some strong words from their new president, Doug Humphreys.

Sydney, Australia - February 3, 2018 /PressCable/ —

Humphreys made it clear this his priority as president of the Law Society of NSW would be to lobby for more resources for Legal Aid and reducing extensive delays in the judicial systems as his highest priorities.

“Delays in the trial courts as well as the Family Court because of a backlog in matters and the increasing workloads of the judiciary are symptomatic of a justice system that is struggling to keep up with the needs of the community,” Mr Humphreys said.

As part of his recent speech at NSW Parliament, Mr Humphrey’s also noted that he would be working alongside Legal Aid to investigate further “alternatives to imprisonment” stating that there was still much work to be done.

Mr Humphreys has a legal career that expands over 35 years and has been a part of the Law Society since 2009. He was previously a director of criminal law at Legal Aid NSW and provides legal services to the Australian Army Legal Corps.

Sydney based family lawyer, Mr Hayder Shkara, believes that the court delays are having an immense impact on those who go through the process.

“The delays in the Federal Circuit & Family Court have become intolerable. There are ‘urgent’ matters being listed weeks in advance and it’s simply not good enough for the children and parties involved. Family law disputes can be emotionally draining and litigants want their matters finalised so they can move on with their lives,” Mr Shkara said.

Mr Shkara believes that the solution is in the hands of the Federal Government, and said “Sydney has the longest delays in the Family & Federal Circuit Court, with a 2 or 3-year wait for a final hearing. The stats in the rest of Australia aren’t particularly impressive, with 2-year wait in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide.”

Trials can drag on for several years meaning that children caught in custody disputes can grow into adults before a judge makes a ruling. Litigants may then wait for a further, lengthy period for a judgment and final orders to be delivered.

Numbers from parliamentary sources confirm that the number of new applications filed in the Federal Circuit Court exceeds the number of applications completed every successive year.

This has led to a current backlog in excess of 1,500 matters, and this is only expected to grow.

Contact Info:
Name: Mr Hayder Shkara
Organization: Justice Family Lawyers
Address: Level 21 133 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Phone: +61-2-8089-3148

For more information, please visit https://justicefamilylawyers.com.au

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 295803