Adelaide's old Supreme Court building is in a "dilapidated and disgraceful" state after a judge and associates had to be evacuated when heavy rain leaked through the ceiling.
Ex-tropical cyclone Stan on Tuesday dumped Adelaide's average monthly rainfall on the city within the space of two hours, overwhelming an aged gutter which leaked into the Gouger Street building, State Courts Administrator Julie-Anne Burgess says.
Australian Bar Association vice-president Patrick O'Sullivan says the incident is "symptomatic of years of neglect".
"There are buckets in the corridors to catch rain. I've seen industrial heaters on the stairs drying out the carpets," he told ABC radio on Wednesday.
"I've been in court 11, which is one of the major commercial courts, doing a trial. In summer, it rained and water ran down the inside walls.
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"We had to move our papers off the shelving along the court wall so they didn't get wet.
"These are the sorts of things we have to put up with and it's just not good enough."
Attorney-General John Rau agreed the court was in need of repair.
"As I have said in the past, the existing infrastructure is unacceptable and its replacement (or) upgrade is unavoidable," he told AAP.
"But whether funds are available in this budget cycle is yet to be determined."
