CJ NSW Andrew Bell should not be overly concerned with the AUD 2 Million paid College Of Law's senior managers, but with the AUD 45 Million paid in employee benefits , and amounts hidden away in ever increasing "Other Expenses"

by Ganesh Sahathevan 

Michaele Whitbourn of the SMH reports: 



NSW’s top judge has fired a fresh round in a row over legal training by writing to thousands of lawyers raising concerns about the “considerable cost” and kicking off a reform campaign.

Chief Justice Andrew Bell sent ripples through the profession last week when he delivered a speech taking aim at the College of Law, a not-for-profit body providing practical legal training (PLT) to aspiring lawyers nationwide, and expressing “profound concern” over “extremely high fees”.


The imbroglio over legal training comes at a time of instability for the college as its long-serving chief executive Neville Carter prepares to retire in the first half of the year after almost 30 years.
Bell expressed alarm in his speech that PLT fees last year “were between $11,000 and $12,000 … to obtain the graduate diploma [of legal practice], which is, of course, a prerequisite for admission to practice”. He said the fees “may well present a significant barrier to entry”.

Bell examined the College of Law’s financial statements and expressed “surprise, to put the matter mildly” in his speech that the not-for-profit “has been generating an average ‘surplus’ of almost $16 million per annum over the past decade and accumulated ‘retained earnings’ of just under $180 million”.

“Although the College of Law, at my urging, late last year announced a reduction in course fees [to $9200 this year], I remain concerned about the very considerable cost that is charged for PLT by various providers,” Bell said in his letter.

“This amount has grown significantly over the last decade.”

While Bell did not make this observation, the College of Law Limited’s financial statements indicate total compensation for “key management personnel” in 2024 was $2.01 million. However, it did not identify how many personnel shared in this compensation.

AUD $2 Million is material but the real story for anyone who has read the College Of Law's financial statements is the Income Statement items "Other Expenses" and "Employee Benefits And Other Expenses" .

 As the extracts from the College's financial statements filed at the ACNC (for it is a not for profit) show, "Other Expenses" have risen by more than 26% over the 2018-2024 financial periods. Unlike other companies, the College has not provided any explanatory  notes for  the item "Other Expenses".  However it is a matter of public record that between 2018 and 2024 College CEO Neville Carter led the College on an overseas expansion into Asia and the UK, with disastrous results.  Carter and College charman Joseph Joseph Catanzariti  remain on the board of COL SIN Pty Ltd, and The College Of Legal Practise UK Pty Ltd. Directors  fees are likely to be paid  but these are not disclosed as a separate line item in the statements shown below. 

It is also likely that these sums have been hidden away in the item "Employee Benefits And Other Expenses" which have grown by more than 50% over the 2018-2024 financial periods. Here too explanatory notes have not been provided. 

While it is good that Andrew Bell is concerned with The College of Law Australia's finances and standards his NSW LPAB, then under the chairmanship of his predecessor Tom Bathurst, was provided information of where exactly CEO Neville Carter and his board of directors, chaired by Joseph Catanzariti AM GAICD, were spending their tax payer funded FEE HELP PLT income.

Since the article below was published in 2018, The College of Law Australia has expanded into the UK, with an even bigger venture that seems to be on the verge of collapse.

There is also a Singapore tax haven subsidiary, COL SIN Pty Ltd of which CEO Neville Carter ,chairman Joseph Catanzariti AM GAICD and acting CEO Angie Zandstra are directors.


While Andrew Bell appears to be concerned about salaries paid to the College' momagers, he has not said anything about the directors' fees paid its senior managers and board members when they are appointed directors of the overseas ventures, and local subsidiaries.

To Be Read With 

Overseas business travel, sponsorship of foreign events ,all funded by FEE HELP: The College Of Law's taxpayer funded South East Asian adventure