Register of Legal Professionals
Under Part 2 of the Justice Procedures and Regulations (NSW):
Self-represented defendants – a person may choose to represent themselves in court. In cases where a person chooses to be self-represented, it is a requirement of a magistrate to explain the general process by which a hearing takes place and how evidence is given. magistrates are only to provide advice regarding matters regarding the application of the law itself rather than the specific details of the matter for which the defendant appears in court. It is the responsibility of the defendant to ask relevant questions to the witnesses.
Legal representatives – A person may act as a legal representative for another person who is in custody so long as the nominated legal representative has no convictions. Legal representatives are not included on the below roster.
Lawyers – A person may act as a lawyer if they meet the following criteria:
- They have no recorded convictions (excluding minor traffic infringements) and;
- They must be able to show solid knowledge with regards to the application of the law and;
- They must be able to provide a proof of qualification or certificate of education regarding the field of law and;
- They must not be declared unfit to act as a lawyer by the Department of Justice.
A magistrate of the Department of Justice can be appointed at the discretion of the Government of New South Wales and is prohibited from acting in a criminal or corrupt manner.
The Register of Legal Professionals can be viewed at the following link and should be treated as the one source of truth for all current lawyer accreditations:
IG | DOJ List of Accredited Legal Professionals - Google Docs