by Ganesh Sahathevan

NSW Chief Justice Tom Bathurst says he is "still enjoying the job". Wolter Peeters,AFRChief Justice Bathurst told the AFR's Michael Pelly was his "present intention" to serve until the end of February, 2022. However, he noted that he can continue to preside until March 17, 2023 (when he turns 75).

In granting Zhu Minshen his license to issue law degrees NSW Legal Profession Admission Board chairman Tom Bathurst accepted relaxed entry requirements, and a shortened period of training. One industry observer commented how she was "surprised that anyone in their right mind would think that an additional law school in NSW is a good idea”.

It should be noted that in granting and renewing Zhu's license to issue law degrees and build his Top law school, or formally, the Sydney City School Of Law, Bathurst and the NSW LPAB ignored the standards set by the Australian Law Schools Standards Committee (ALSSC) .

That decision has created a two-tiered system of legal qualification in Australia, which will ultimately harm confidence in Australian legal expertise, here and in this region.

Readers should note that in assessing Australian legal qualifications and Australian legal expertise, foreign professional bodies are concerned with the standards set by the Council Of Law Deans, not Australian admitting authorities like the NSW LPAB. The Indian Bar Council is a case in point.

It should be noted that this two-tiered system was formalised by The Law Admissions Consultative Committee's (LACC's) who complained that the Council Of Law Deans standards were not "sufficiently precise" and hindered "innovation.

TO BE READ WITH

Law Admissions Consultative Committee (LACC)

The Law Admissions Consultative Committee's (LACC's) main role is to forge consensus on admission and admission-related matters nationally, between the bodies represented by its members.

LACC comprises a Chair, the Hon Acting Justice Arthur Emmett AO, and 11 members who represent the law admitting authority of each of the eight Australian jurisdictions, the Australasian Professional Legal Education Council (APLEC), the Committee of Australian Law Deans (CALD) and the Law Council of Australia (LCA). It is generally responsible to the Council of Chief Justices of Australia and New Zealand (CCJ), which appoints the Chair. LACC is not a committee of the CCJ or of the LSC. The LSC provides secretariat services to LACC.

https://www.legalservicescouncil.org.au/Documents/accreditation-standards-for-australian-law-courses.pdf