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NSW lawyers need ID cards for court
Security clearances and identification cards should be trialled in NSW in order to address delays to court proceedings, says the president of the NSW Bar Association.
Jerome Doraisamy
Speaking to Lawyers Weekly, Arthur Moses SC has called on Attorney-General Mark Speakman to introduce a pilot scheme whereby barristers and solicitors would be given security clearance and an identity card, which would allow them to enter a courthouse without going through standard security inspections.
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“Lawyers in Queensland and South Australia have one, as do advocates in Scotland. Now, there is a test scheme being rolled out for solicitors and barristers in England and Wales,” he explained.
“It’s time to bring NSW courts into line with large government institutions and companies around the country, with security clearance and identification given to those who work there day in, day out.”
Practicing lawyers in NSW are officers of the court, he stressed, and courthouses are their workplace.
“It is, therefore, impractical to treat them as strangers in their own office by diverting them into standard security checks designed to screen visiting members of the public,” he argued.
“Practitioners are experiencing considerable delays each day, particularly at the Downing Centre and John Maddison Tower in Sydney. This can delay court proceedings, which in turn costs the public time and money.”
Mr Moses’ comments follow news in the UK that barristers and solicitors would be given electronic ID cards to allow them to “bypass onerous security measures in place at courts around the country”, according to the UK Law Society.
Society president Christina Blacklaws tweeted: “It is clear that improved access for regular court users could lead to efficiency improvements and this will benefit the court service, and lawyers, alike.”
In response to this news, Mr Moses himself tweeted: “NSW should provide ID cards to lawyers so they can enter court buildings quickly, serve their clients and not keep judges waiting.”
