Whilst Bent had been initially progressive in allowing convict lawyers to appear in the Court of Civil Jurisdiction to assist litigants as agents, he sided with his brother that they should not be allowed to appear in the newly created Supreme Court of Civil Judicature to which his brother had been appointed. This raised Macquarie's ire as it impeded the ability of the new court to function.
Bent initially allowed convict lawyers to act as agents in the Court of Civil Jurisdiction but later opposed their participation in the Supreme Court of Civil Judicature, where his brother was placed. This opposition angered Macquarie and disrupted the operation of the new court.