Buckley v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales [2022] NSWSC 328

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Buckley v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales [2022] NSWSC 328 Hearing dates: 4 March 2022 Decision date: 24 March 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Ward CJ in Eq Decision: 1. Dismiss the plaintiff's amended summons with costs. Catchwords: ADMINISTRATIVE LAW — Judicial review of administrative action — Where plaintiff (a solicitor) suspended by the Council of the Law Society of New South Wales (Council) following comments made by plaintiff on social media in relation to the consequences of a judgment of this Court — Where plaintiff represented inter alia that a judge of this Court condoned murder and other violent crimes — Where plaintiff alleges that the suspension decision is vitiated by jurisdictional error due to a failure by the Council to interpret and apply s 82 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) in accordance with the implied freedom of political communication — Where plaintiff alleges jurisdictional error by virtue of the failure to consider alternative sanctions — Distinction between principles of constitutional law relevant to the implied freedom of political communication and principles of administrative law relevant to exercises of statutory powers or discretions — Whether failure to apply "proportionality testing" to exercise of power under s 82 constitutes jurisdictional error ADMINISTRATIVE LAW — Remedies — Certiorari, declaration and injunction — Discretionary nature of prerogative writs — Availability of appeal or merits review Legislation Cited: Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth), s 78B Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 (NSW), s 11 Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW), s 69 Legal Profession Uniform Rules 2015 (NSW), r 16 Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW), ss 3, 6, 10, 11, 53, 81, 82, 83, 84, 100, 121, 122, 299, 302, 371, 464 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 16, 50.3 Cases Cited: Alajmi v Macquarie University [2019] NSWSC 1026 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v C G Berbatis Holdings Pty Ltd (1999) 95 FCR 292; [1999] FCA 1151 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v C G Berbatis Holdings Pty Ltd (1999) 95 FCR 292; [1999] FCA 1151 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v TAL Life Ltd (No 2) [2021] FCA 193 Berger v Council of the Law Society (NSW) [2013] NSWSC 1080 Clyne v New South Wales Bar Association (1960) 104 CLR 186; [1960] HCA 40 Comcare v Banerji (2019) 267 CLR 373; [2019] HCA 23 Commonwealth v AJL20 (2021) 391 ALR 562; [2021] HCA 21 Craig v South Australia (1995) 184 CLR 163; [1995] HCA 58 Cunliffe v Commonwealth (1994) 182 CLR 272; [1994] HCA 44 Dranichnikov v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs (2003) 197 ALR 389; [2003] HCA 26 Harvey v Law Society of New South Wales (1975) 7 ALR 227 JS v Secretary, Department of Family and Community Services [2014] NSWCA 441 Kassam v Hazzard; Henry v Hazzard (2021) 362 FLR 113; [2021] NSWSC 1320 Kirk v Industrial Court of New South Wales (2010) 239 CLR 531; [2010] HCA 1 Lange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1997) 189 CLR 520; [1997] HCA 25 LibertyWorks Inc v Commonwealth of Australia (2021) 391 ALR 188; [2021] HCA 18 McCloy v New South Wales (2015) 257 CLR 178; [2015] HCA 34 McKerlie v RateIt Australia Pty Ltd [2020] FCA 1112 MZABP v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2015) 242 FCR 585; [2015] FCA 1391 Navazi v New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation [2015] NSWCA 308 New South Wales Bar Association v Stevens (2003) 52 ATR 602; [2003] NSWCA 95 Quach v New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal [2020] NSWCA 295 Quinn v Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions [2021] NSWCA 294 Re Patterson; Ex parte Taylor (2001) 207 CLR 391; [2001] HCA 51 Stanley v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2021] NSWCA 337 Theophanous v Herald & Weekly Times Ltd (1994) 182 CLR 104; [1994] HCA 46 Unions NSW v State of New South Wales (2013) 252 CLR 530; [2013] HCA 58 Wany v Director of Public Prosecutions (2020) 103 NSWLR 620; [2020] NSWCA 318 Wotton v Queensland (2012) 246 CLR 1; [2012] HCA 2 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Nathan Andrew Buckley (Plaintiff) Council of the Law Society of New South Wales (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: M Mando (Plaintiff) K Richardson SC with K Sharma (Defendant) Solicitors: Trevor Hall (Plaintiff) Ellen McKenzie (Defendant) File Number(s): 2021/00349897 Publication restriction: Nil