According to a report by Australasian Legal News Online, in the 2010/2011 financial year there were 11,351 members in the Queensland Law Society (QLS), while in the most recent financial year the figure has dipped to 10,638. In comparison New South Wales saw a growth in legal practitioners, with this year’s figure reaching 24,585 – an increase of 569.

Proposed reforms

At the beginning of the month, the government of ‘sunshine state’ backed away from proposed national reforms, branding the changes as ‘unnecessary’.
Queensland Attorney General Jarrod Bleijie said at the time that ‘the cost of setting up this board is also vague and would be passed on to the participating states.’
The comments followed a statement from the QLS that the state's lawyers would not stand in the way of the proposals.