The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is willing to make a small bet that 2025 is the year for the court digitisation.
The Honourable Chief Justice Bowskill was addressing the Queensland Law Society Specialist Accreditation Christmas Breakfast at Brisbane City Hall on 13 December for the third time.
The Chief Justice shared the court’s goal for 2025.
On previous occasions, Her Honour said she “wanted to say more about electronic filing and apologise that I couldn’t”.
“I am a little bit excited I can say a bit more on this occasion,” she said.
“I’m almost willing to bet $50 on next year on being able to say ‘how amazing is it that you can electronically file documents’.
“But in all seriousness, that is the goal. In fact, it is June 2025, is the goal we are working towards having the ability to file documents electronically.”
The Chief Justice thanked QLS members and the Society for their input on several matters during the year and as the court undertook “a significant overhaul” of practices and procedures which resulted from a complete audit of practice directions.
While Her Honour could not recall exact figures, she believed about 60 practice directions were found to be “completely obsolete”, needed updating or replacing.
Her Honour spoke about some the challenges and changes across the three courts including the rollout of QCase in the Magistrates Court.
“It has not been a smooth road… I do know practitioners are excited to see the start of this, even if it is bumpy and there’s more work to do. It was great to see the start of digitisation.”
Looking forward to 2025, Her Honour said “we all have a lot of hard work still to come, there’s no shortage of work or slowing down”.
“We will have renewed energy after a break to approach it with enthusiasm and dedication. And I think what we all do really well in this profession … is to support one another, respect one another and value the contributions we make.
“I think that gives a lot of emotional energy when the workload might otherwise seem somewhat overwhelming.
“So I want to genuinely thank all of you and all the members of the Queensland Law Society for all you contribute in helping members of our community, and with all manner of legal challenges and problems, and the support you provide to our courts, to the judges and to the magistrates, and the very positive contribution to ensuring that the public can have trust and confidence in the justice system.”
Her Honour presented certificates to the new Accredited Specialists and the 25-year practitioners, acknowledging the two-fold purpose of the event.
Travis Schultz and Hugh Powell both had reason to
celebrate at the breakfast.
And the firm of Travis Schultz & Partners had solicitors celebrating both milestones, with Partner Hugh Powell receiving accreditation in Personal Injury Law and Managing Partner Travis Schultz receiving his 25-year certificate.
“I’m so pleased to join the ranks of Accredited Specialists, not only in our firm but in the broader profession,” Hugh said. “As Sunshine Coast Leader and Partner, being an Accredited Specialist is really valuable to me as it allows me to mentor, guide and support our team to deliver on our promise of expertise every day.”
The firm now boasts seven Accredited Specialist lawyers.
Travis said: “I’m proud to see Hugh Powell successfully pass the program and become an Accredited Specialist. It’s not an easy one to come by, and it is well deserved. His perseverance, compassion, dedication, and commitment to personal injury law are second to none.”
Share this article