President's Message

18/05/2020

Personal Appearances in the District Court of NSW

The District Court of NSW has today made an announcement regarding personal appearances in that Court. The announcement relates to both civil and criminal proceedings in that Court.

It also provides that the Court will ensure strict adherence to government endorsed social distancing restrictions currently in operation and it sets as a general rule a maximum limit of no more than ten persons in a courtroom (including the judge, associate and court staff).

The Association will continue to prioritise the health and safety of court users including the profession and will maintain communication with the Court regarding the practical application of these measures. Members will be kept informed of developments in this regard, and in the meantime can I remind members of the Association’s Protocol for In-Person Hearings while Social Distancing and Protocol for Remote Hearings, which can be found here.

COVID-19: Information for Attending Court

The New South Wales Bar Association’s consolidated guide to COVID-19-related court arrangements has today again been updated in terms of recent developments, including the District Court announcement referred to above.

Members are advised in this regard that, although the Bar Association is regularly updating the COVID-19 page of its website as information comes to hand, please refer to the latest court resources directly as developments are changing quickly at this time. Do not make any assumptions regarding your case without first doing so. Links to the various court and tribunal pages are provided in the body of the guide.