Her Majesty's Attorney General in and for the State of New South Wales v Cameron

The Attorney-General for New South Wales brought proceedings against Mr Cameron in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Court of Appeal. The dispute concerned the Attorney-General's power to seek an injunction to restrain a person from acting as a legal practitioner without being admitted to practice.

The primary legal issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the Supreme Court possessed inherent jurisdiction to grant an injunction to restrain an unqualified person from practising law, independently of any statutory provisions. A related issue was whether the Attorney-General had standing to seek such an injunction.

The Court of Appeal held that the Supreme Court had an inherent jurisdiction to restrain unqualified persons from practising law, as such conduct constituted a contempt of court. This jurisdiction was not abrogated by the Legal Practitioners Act 1987 (NSW). The Court reasoned that the protection of the public from unqualified practitioners was a matter of public interest and that the court's supervisory role over the administration of justice extended to preventing such abuses. The Attorney-General, as the chief law officer of the Crown, had standing to bring such proceedings on behalf of the public.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and affirmed the primary judge's decision to grant an injunction restraining Mr Cameron from acting as a legal practitioner.