This session was recorded on 6 February 2025 as part of the Important issues for in-house lawyers: mandatory rule 6.1 - live webinar.

AI and your professional skills – Caryn Sandler, Partner + Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer, Gilbert + Tobin

Artificial Intelligence (particularly Gen AI) has now well and truly arrived in the legal industry and has the potential to shake up the way we practice. This session will serve as your guide to the Gen AI technologies that will likely change the way we find, review and write legal content. Taking a vendor-agnostic approach, we’ll bypass the hype and explain everything you need to know about:

• The current state of Gen AI in the legal industry.
• Emerging legal use cases.
• Gen AI demonstration.
• Considerations when working with Gen AI.
• What you need to do now to prepare for potential changes to legal service delivery.

This session was recorded on 27 February 2024 as part of the Key knowledge and skills for family lawyers: Mandatory rule 6.1 – live webinar

The Family Law Amendment Act 2023 (Cth) (passed 19 October 2023), among other changes, repealed the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility, expanded the definition of member of the family, simplified compliance and enforcement provisions, and ensured that children’s voices are heard in international child abduction cases. This session will: 

• provide an overview of the substantive changes recently effected to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth);
• assess their impact upon precedent letters and documents (eg parenting plans, orders and advices) to ensure that those changes are incorporated; and 
• offer practical drafting suggestions for practitioners when formulating templates which comprehensively and accurately address the legislative issues.   

This session was recorded on 9 March 2024 as part of the Focus on sole practice: Mandatory rule 6.1- live webinar.

Business Development skills for solo practitioners – Alistair Marshall, Director, Professional Services Business Development

In this session Alistair Marshall will cover proven, simple and effective marketing and business development ideas to drive profitability. 

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. 

An introductory session for recently admitted lawyers or those new to briefing counsel. By the end of the session participants will:

• Understand the different roles in the relationship between instructing solicitor and counsel
• Be able to brief and instruct counsel effectively to get the most out of the engagement
• Know how to compile a counsel brief with a good working structure

Communicating effectively with non-lawyers, including decision makers – Ali Dibbenhall, Head of Legal, Asia Pacific, LexisNexis 

Transform legal advice into clear, compelling communications. In this 1-hour workshop for in-house counsel, learn proven techniques to actively listen, tailor your style for any audience, craft crisp written communications, and handle sensitive conversations. Whether you're new or seasoned, gain confidence in communicating legal risks and recommendations effectively to business stakeholders.

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. 

Client interviewing skills: the art of obtaining instructions – Heather McKinnon, Partner, Bryant McKinnon Lawyers 

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 was recorded on 2 March 2022 as part of the Top tips for personal injury lawyers - mandatory rule 6.1 live webinar.

In this session, David will show you how to approach PTSD cases, both from a plaintiff and defendant perspective. You will also learn what issues will arise for you as a lawyer and the professional skills required when they do.

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. 

In this session, John Turnbull SC will discuss:

• The importance of understanding the legislative basis upon which damages can be awarded.
• Relevant factors to consider in relation to non-economic loss, including judicial subjectivity and the clear identification of assessment parameters.
• Tips and essentials skills for reading and interpreting financial records.