Since the publication of the final report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to child sexual abuse in 2017, significant developments have taken place in ‘Abuse Law’ in NSW, as well as in the other jurisdictions. This presentation will consider the issue of setting aside settlement agreements; schools’ liability for harm committed by students on other students; and recent changes to the National Redress Scheme.

This session was recorded as part of the Specialist Accreditation Conference 2024.

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

Recent reforms have consequential impacts for the Fair Work Commission, with further changes forthcoming. This session will address the implementation of three major pieces of legislation: the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022 and the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Acts 2023 (No1) 2023 and 2024 (No2). The Commissioner will deal with key changes implemented and on the horizon including the right to disconnect, a new definition of casual employee, changes to enterprise agreement approval assessments, Protected Action Ballot Order conferences, intractable bargaining declarations, workplace determinations and other changes within the Commission’s expanded jurisdiction.

This session was recorded as part of the Specialist Accreditation Conference 2024.

From 1 July 2024 amendments to the Crimes Act 1900 will come into force, making coercive control a criminal offence in NSW. The new criminal offence applies when a person uses abusive behaviours towards a current or former intimate partner with the intention to coerce or control them.

Join Jane Sanders, Principal Solicitor at The Shopfront Youth Legal Centre, for a conversation with Dr Hannah Tonkin, Women's Safety Commissioner, as they discuss coercive control in its NSW legal context, including the background to the amendments, the elements of the offence, the roadmap for review and how the NSW offence compares to other jurisdictions. 

This webinar will be complimentary to members, so register now to secure your spot.

This session will provide a comprehensive update of recent amendments to NSW Duties and Land Tax legislation, including the recent Budget announcements, as well as recent cases. This will include surcharge purchaser duty and surcharge land tax changes, the change in beneficial ownership provisions and the approaching principal place of residence exemption changes. A special focus will be paid to the exemption on the transfer of primary production property between family members, including the recent enhancements that Revenue NSW has made. 

This session was recorded on Friday, 11 October 2024 as part of the Rural and Private Practice stream at the Annual Conference 2024.

This session was recorded on 25 February 2025 as part of the In-House Corporate Lawyers Forum: Defamation and Social Media - in-person seminar.

In today's digital age, social media platforms have become a double-edged sword, offering unprecedented opportunities for communication while also posing significant legal risks.

We explore the complex landscape of defamation in the context of social media, highlighting why it is crucial for in-house and government lawyers to stay vigilant, with a panel of 3 experts and a moderator from the Law Society.

Judge Judith Gibson, District Court of NSW
Larina Alick, Executive Counsel, Nine Publishing and Australian Community Media
Gina McWilliams, Senior Legal Counsel, News Corp Australia
Linden Barnes, Senior Ethics Solicitor, Professional Support Unit, Law Society of NSW

This recorded webinar was originally captured during the Specialist Accreditation conference 2021 - Wills & Estates stream. 

This session covers the following issues:

• The problems created for Indigenous people (including the burgeoning Indigenous middle class) by the mainstream succession law
• New intestacy provisions for Indigenous people in NSW
• Drafting culturally appropriate wills - tips and traps

This session will look at what is necessary, in an electronic age, to constitute an informal will, and considers what constitutes a “document”. Presenter Anthea Kennedy will also consider the importance of the deceased’s intentions when considering an informal document, the role of computer experts in cases when determining the existence of a will, and the part played by interim and stop gap wills.  In examining these issues, the session will focus on relevant legislation and recent Court decisions.

 This session was recorded during the Specialist Accreditation Conference 2023.

The most significant new developments in insolvency law have been the small business restructuring process under Part 5.3B of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and the Federal Parliamentary Joint Committee Inquiry into Corporate Insolvency. This session will examine the results and take-up of the new small business restructuring process, as well as the Inquiry’s recommendations. Presenter Ben Sewell, who was called as a witness for the Inquiry, will discuss the findings in the committee’s report, which aimed to consider the “effectiveness” of the entire system of corporate insolvency in Australia.

This session was recorded during the Specialist Accreditation Conference 2023.

In this session, Raoul Wilson SC will consider both inter vivos and testamentary trusts from a probate litigator’s perspective. The session will cover estate objectives, administration considerations and the susceptibility of inter vivos and testamentary trusts to attack in probate and equity cases.

This session was recorded as part of the Specialist Accreditation Conference 2024.

Spec Acc Conf 2024 - Wills and Estates

In this session, Monique Robb provides a recap on how relocation matters are determined as well as a review of international relocation cases since March 2020. This presentation discusses the key takeaways from these relocation cases and delves into various Hague decisions made since March 2020. Furthermore, this session considers the implications for Hague Convention applications. 

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT 

This session will address the emergence of sustainable finance in the recent years and will cover the developing key principles of green loans and sustainably linked loans in Australia. You will also be provided with some practical considerations for documenting green loans/sustainably linked loans into facility agreements.

Practitioners should inform themselves of Rule 6.1 of the Legal Profession Uniform Continuing Professional Development (Solicitors) Rules 2015 which sets out the requirements for the four (4) mandatory CPD areas for NSW legal practitioners – (a) ethics and professional responsibility; (b) practice management and business skills; (c) professional skills; and (d) substantive law. It is the responsibility of each legal practitioner to self-assess as to whether a particular educational activity extends their knowledge and skills in areas that are relevant to their practice needs or professional development. If so, then the practitioner may claim one (1) "unit” for each hour of attendance, refreshment breaks not included. 

This session will involve case reviews of recent judgments from the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the NSW Court of Appeal in applications for Judicial Review of decisions, including: Members’ decisions in damages assessments and miscellaneous claims assessment disputes; Merit Reviewers’ decisions in statutory benefits disputes; and decisions of Medical Assessors, Review Panels, and the President’s Delegates. 

This session was recorded as part of the Specialist Accreditation Conference 2024.

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

Join us for a comprehensive look at pivotal cases which have helped shape the legal landscape for government lawyers over the past year.

This session was recorded as part of the Government Solicitors stream at the Annual Conference 2024.

Christine Lithgow, Principal, Christine Lithgow & Associates

Keith Redenbach, Principal Solicitor, Redenbach Legal

Join presenter Catherine Hallgath for a presentation covering the latest developments in leasing. Through an examination of recent cases, this session will ensure specialists are informed about the complexities that can arise in the course of leasing negotiations and agreements.

This session was recorded as part of the Specialist Accreditation Conference 2024.

Spec Acc Conf 2024 - Property