Practitioners should be constantly on guard for ethics risks in their criminal law practice. The session looks at some key areas and how best to handle them including:
When an error of law or fact arises in proceedings favoring the defense
Ethics in Legal Professional and Solicitor Client Privilege
Ethics issues in advising client on guilty plea when they wish to plead not guilty
What to do when Solicitor and client disagree on conduct of the defense
Client confidentiality is expressly included as a requirement in both the Tax Practitioners Board’s Code of Professional Conduct and the Accountant's Code of Ethics (APES 110). However, in today's world of fast-paced technology, could it be that inadvertent breaches are unknowingly occurring? Could there also be situations that arise where ethically keeping client confidentiality may arguably not be in a client's best interests? This session explores the topic, including:
Mental health issues not only impact the individual, but also their workplace, particularly where there is a claim that the mental health is a workplace injury. With a tripling of mental health compensation claims in the last 20 years, the challenge is for organisations to take a proactive and risk -based approach to minimising psycho/social hazards.
The everyday creation and use of copyright works is common within an organisation, yet often it happens without due consideration for rights, protections and accountability of the both the organisation and third parties. This session will explore best practice copyright creation and use within organisations and how practitioners can guide their clients in managing these assets and avoiding claims of infringement, including:
Cyber fraud seems to be a weekly occurrence. This is not just a PEXA issue, but a cyber security issue affecting every property lawyer. This session will look at the various ways your practice may be vulnerable to cyber risks, and the steps you can take to prevent it. It includes:
An overview of the cyber security risks facing property lawyers
Assessing your own cyber security risk and vulnerabilities
Cyber security measures to help manage the risks
Post-separation is a difficult time for families, but the distress and dislocation can be severely exacerbated by ongoing and extreme conflict between the parties. This practical session will provide best practice guidance in navigating the process, including:
Most lawyers won’t face a front-page scandal — but ethical lapses rarely start that way. Often, it’s the overlooked email, the blurred digital boundary, or the pressure to follow a senior’s lead that creates risk. This session explores how small ethical slips, workplace pressures, and the pace of modern practice can lead to big professional consequences — and what you can do to stay on course. It covers:
Coercive control is now a criminal offence in several Australian jurisdictions — and the legal landscape is still evolving. For FDRPs, the implications go well beyond awareness: the new offences change the risk landscape, the obligations and the conversations practitioners must be equipped to navigate. This session examines what the law now says and what it means for FDR practice, including:
Disputes between workers can often start as minor disagreements or be attributed to incompatible personalities but have the potential to escalate into claims of bullying or discriminatory treatment. This session will explore the benefits of early intervention strategies in workplace disputes and other available actions and remedies before the situation ends up in a compensation claim or legal dispute, including:
Communication failures are one of the most common triggers for client complaints and disciplinary referrals — yet lawyers receive little formal training in how to handle the conversations that matter most. This session moves beyond theory to give lawyers practical, immediately applicable techniques for managing the difficult interactions that arise every day in legal practice: the client who won't accept advice, the opponent who escalates, the colleague who pushes back, and the situation that is about to go off the rails.