More in-house Legal Aid NSW lawyers will make access to justice faster in areas across New South Wales, including in the Northern Coast region, Chris Gulaptis, Parliamentary Secretary for the North Coast, and Attorney General Gabrielle Upton announced last week. Legal Aid NSW will appoint more in-house criminal lawyers at its regional offices who will undertake committals in serious indictable matters, like robberies and sexual assault matters at Local Courts across NSW. Mr Gulaptis said that the appointment of an additional in-house lawyer at Legal Aid NSW at Coffs Harbour from January 2016 would benefit Grafton Local Court. “This is great news for Grafton and the North Coast that will mean an increase in the efficient running of the court and result in fewer delays for our criminal justice system,” Mr Gulaptis said. Ms Upton said appointing more Legal Aid NSW lawyers is a practical solution that will help encourage early guilty pleas, cut the backlog and ensure people get access to justice faster. Legal Aid NSW provides representation, either through in-house or via private lawyers, to eligible defendants appearing in criminal proceedings at all Local Courts in NSW. Analysis of case outcomes indicates that matters dealt with by in-house Legal Aid lawyers are more likely to be resolved at an early stage, compared to those legally aided matters by panel lawyers. For more information about Legal Aid NSW, visit http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/