Use the New South Wales solicitor guidance at first contact
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- Draft questions in plain English, flag any yes or no question for a second check, and do not record lack of eye contact or silence as disengagement. If the lawyer is travelling to a regional or remote community, add a line to arrange an independent interpreter beforehand.
- What the lawyer must review
- The lawyer settles the questions and decides whether an interpreter is required.
- The solicitor does not interpret and does not rely on a family member to interpret unless the lawyer decides otherwise.
- Check ASCR r 9, APP 11, and whether a breach is notifiable under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
- Written for / version
- New South Wales versionNSWQLD
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. New South Wales first contact, using the Law Society resource.
Produce. A plain-English question list, with interpreter arrangements if the lawyer is travelling.
Have ready. Where the interview will be; The language the lawyer has recorded; The questions the lawyer wants to ask.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The interview is in a regional town and the client speaks an Aboriginal language. The plan says the lawyer will arrange an independent interpreter before travelling. It does not name a family member as the interpreter.
Stop and hand it back when
- The only interpreter proposed is a family member and the lawyer has not accepted that.
- A yes on the page is treated as instructions with no check.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Draft questions in plain English, flag any yes or no question for a second check, and do not record lack of eye contact or silence as disengagement. If the lawyer is travelling to a regional or remote community, add a line to arrange an independent interpreter beforehand. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Questions are in plain English and still state the legal point the lawyer wants understood.
- A yes is checked again where the lawyer is not sure the client agrees.
- Eye contact and silence are not described as disengagement or as an admission.
- The interpreter, if needed, is independent. The solicitor is not the interpreter.
Forms and precedents for this task
| Form or precedent | Kind | AI use | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| First interview guide for a First Nations client | Checklist | AI use Yellow | A lawyer's guide for a first interview with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander client, using the New South Wales Law Society guide and Legal Aid Queensland's practice points. |
Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one. All precedents.
Sources
- Law Society of NSW: Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients (September 2021 PDF) · 2026-10-23
- Law Society of NSW: Working with Indigenous clients · 2026-10-23
A case named in a footnote of the resource was not opened and is not cited.
The resource's comment on community services is about criminal, family, and care matters. It is not used as a duty on this file.