---
title: "Use the New South Wales solicitor guidance at first contact"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/plan-a-culturally-safe-first-contact-with-a-first-nations-client/new-south-wales"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A21-IN20261023-16-NSW"
practice_area: "Personal Injury & Compensation (workers compensation, CTP/TAC, medical negligence)"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["NSW"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-25"
---

# Use the New South Wales solicitor guidance at first contact

> 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.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/plan-a-culturally-safe-first-contact-with-a-first-nations-client/new-south-wales  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-25

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Personal Injury & Compensation (workers compensation, CTP/TAC, medical negligence)](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| 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 | New South Wales |
| Applies to | [Plan a culturally safe first contact with a First Nations client](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/plan-a-culturally-safe-first-contact-with-a-first-nations-client.md) |

## Checking plan

**Verify against sources**

The Society's resource is about communication. It is not a finding about this client.

- What the AI does: 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 does: 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).
- Who reviews: Responsible lawyer with competence in the matter
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 23 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Checks the lawyer makes

1. Questions are in plain English and still state the legal point the lawyer wants understood.
2. A yes is checked again where the lawyer is not sure the client agrees.
3. Eye contact and silence are not described as disengagement or as an admission.
4. The interpreter, if needed, is independent. The solicitor is not the interpreter.

## Notes

- 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.

## Practical guide

Jurisdiction: New South Wales first contact, using the Law Society resource.

**Deliverable**: A plain-English question list, with interpreter arrangements if the lawyer is travelling.

**Inputs**

- Where the interview will be
- The language the lawyer has recorded
- The questions the lawyer wants to ask

**Example**: 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 escalate 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.

Checked 2026-10-23.

## Sources

- [Law Society of NSW: Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients (September 2021 PDF)](https://www.lawsociety.com.au/sites/default/files/2021-09/Working%20with%20Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20Clients.pdf) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [Law Society of NSW: Working with Indigenous clients](https://www.lawsociety.com.au/about-us/Law-Society-Initiatives/indigenous-issues/working-with-indigenous-clients) (checked 2026-10-23)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [First interview guide for a First Nations client](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/personal-injury-and-compensation/first-nations-interview-guide.md) | Checklist | 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.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*