‘Healthier, happier lawyers make better lawyers’: President David Colovic
Having assumed his role as its president, David Colovic discussed the Law Society of South Australia’s five main priorities for 2026: investing in the justice system, navigating artificial intelligence (AI) and the anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime, promoting talent, and improving well-being.
“It is important that the Society is persistent in its pursuit for better outcomes for the legal profession, the justice system, and the community it serves,” he said in a media release.
“Australia is grappling with a legal aid crisis,” Colovic said. “The legal aid system relies on the private profession, with about 80% of legal aid work conducted by private lawyers.”
According to him, the law society’s first priority is to invest in the justice system and legal aid services to tackle unmet legal needs, particularly for vulnerable individuals.
“The profession plays a significant role in upholding the Rule of Law, and that means the justice system must be properly equipped to facilitate access to justice,” Colovic said.
He stressed the importance of supporting legal professionals amid swift change and enabling them to serve the community and develop innovative solutions to advance access to justice. He also stressed the need for upgraded court facilities.
In the media release, Colovic noted that insufficient, inaccessible, and outdated facilities may worsen the access-to-justice crisis, hinder the adequate accommodation of trials, and risk the safety of court users.
According to Colovic, the second priority is to develop resources to assist legal practitioners with utilising AI responsibly and ethically. He pointed out that AI poses not only major pitfalls to avoid, but also significant opportunities to leverage.
“Far from AI replacing lawyers, we can harness its capabilities to streamline the way we practise and better serve clients, while ensuring we meet our professional obligations,” he said in the media release.
Colovic shared that the law society’s third priority is the AML/CTF regime.
“The Law Society has developed resources for the profession and will continue to support practitioners to comply with their obligations under this scheme,” he said in the media release.
According to Colovic, on 1 July 2026, the regime’s second tranche will commence, covering legal and real estate professionals, conveyancers, accountants, and trust providers. He added that a significant portion of legal practices will face new requirements under the scheme.
“One of the Society’s State election priorities is the development of policies to prioritise SA legal practices in public procurement processes,” Colovic said in the law society’s media release. “The State should also actively incentivise opportunities for the local profession to compete or collaborate with interstate firms, particularly in specialised areas of practice.”
According to Colovic, the fourth priority is to highlight the value, contributions, and diversity of SA’s legal practitioners. He added that the law society will also work to help the profession grow and incentivise graduates and young lawyers to remain in SA as they embark on their legal careers.
Colovic said the law society’s fifth priority is to promote the profession’s well-being. He acknowledged the widespread awareness of stress and challenges associated with legal practice.
However, he shared that the law society will strive to improve its understanding of the stressors leading to burnout, depression, and workplace conflict, as well as formulate techniques to tackle those issues.
“Healthier, happier lawyers make better lawyers,” Colovic said in the media release.
