I have served on Council for six years and it is one of the most important things that I do.

"The Law Society of NSW exists to serve those who serve".

I believe the legal profession is built on service – and how we serve matters immensely. Service to the Court, our clients, our communities, and importantly each other. Never has it been more important to practice law with integrity, to safeguard the rule of law, and to continue to evolve the way we practice to meet the challenges before us. Your Law Society is just that – yours – and in my time on Council we have undertaken some incredibly important work, but with each piece of work we undertake our members are front of mind.

On the day I was admitted, I had the good fortune to meet the then Regional President of the North Metropolitan Regional Law Society – in many ways this meeting set the trajectory for my career. I joined the North Met executive that year and I haven’t looked back – I’m now one of the Co-Regional Presidents. This also introduced me to NSW Young Lawyers where I was heavily involved for over 10 years and became a leader in that space. This path gave me the unique perspective of growing with each role and I’m able to provide insight into crucial perspectives on membership. I thrive on problem solving, analytics, strategy and engagement – skills that I bring to Council.

Becoming involved in my regional law society taught me two things: that you will never truly be able to measure the value that you can gain and that you can give by joining your regional law society, and that investment in rural and regional practice will always be beneficial. Whilst not a rural practitioner myself, I consistently show that I value practitioners in every corner of NSW and that as Councillors we must support practitioners at each level of their career and wherever they are in NSW. I’m a regular visitor of as many regional law societies as I can every single year: delivering CPD sessions to share knowledge, having the privilege of meeting practitioners and hearing about the issues they face on the ground, and seeing some of the best our profession has to offer in action. These are amongst my favourite parts of being a Councillor.

In 2026 the demands on practitioners are only increasing (AML/CTF, AI and the increased overhead costs for running a law firm are examples), and it is vital that your Law Society works hard to support you in this ever-changing environment. From the very beginning of my career, I have sat on committees every year. The policy and regulatory work that Law Society committees do is unmatched. Currently I co-chair the Elder Law, Capacity and Succession Committee and I am the NSW representative on the National Elder Law & Succession Committee (Law Council of Australia). I am the chair of Licensing, the deputy chair of the Fidelity Fund Management Committee and a member of the Scheme Administration Committee. I attend meetings prepared to contribute meaningfully on each occasion. These positions are voluntary – which tells you two things about me: I genuinely want to give back to the profession that has given me so much, and I am invested in the future of our profession.

Legal education, and access to it, is incredibly important to me. As an individual I continually upskill, both in my practice area and in leadership and governance. I’m an Australian Institute of Company Directors graduate, and earlier this year undertook the Directors Update course. I obtain more CPD every year because being up to date is essential to good legal practice, and I present to whichever professional or community group ask. In a broader sense I am committed to continual improvement in education offerings – I am part of the working group designing new post admission practical legal training.

It is vitally important that the senior members of our profession provide adequate supervision and training, and that the Law Society guides and facilitates this. That’s why I mentor each year – both formally and informally. I have benefitted from all the best parts of NSWYL – friendship, growth, support, mentoring, education – and continue to champion the role of early career lawyers in our profession. I developed and expanded a young lawyer group in my regional law society which is thriving more than a decade on and provides numerous opportunities for local early career lawyers and students.

Good governance is essential – I bring the skills I have developed being part of governance reform in several organisations and workplaces.

I am a passionate succession law and elder law lawyer – people are at the heart of what I do, and I love that. Access to justice and accessibility of legal services are critical to what professional success looks like for me.

Hard work, collaboration and diversity are key. We need to share our views and then work together with a common purpose – to provide value to members, to impact internal and external policy deliberately and with insight, to respect our key stakeholder relationships and to fulfil our co-regulatory function with integrity.

It's a responsibility and privilege to serve on Council. To ensure we have the skills and diverse experience we need, I’m seeking election alongside two other lawyers who share my values while bringing different expertise.

To find out more about us, please visit our website at https://www.lawsocelections.com.au and please connect with us on LinkedIn. We’re everyday lawyers just like you, and Councillors should be approachable so feel free to reach out.

When you receive the invitation to vote by email or physical ballot in the post, please take a moment to vote for:

• Lauren Absalom
• Moira Saville
• Michael Seton

Our profession is vibrant – it’s been an honour to serve and I hope to continue. The profession is stronger together, so thank you for all you do to strengthen our profession, and to support each other and your local community!

https://www.lawsocelections.com.au
contact@lawsocelections.com.au / lauren.absalom@melaw.au