Recorded Webinar: 3 CPD Compulsory Topics for Lawyers

This webinar comprises 3 one-hour sessions covering each of the compulsory CPD subjects for lawyers for the CPD year ending 31 March 2019.

Session 1: Practice Management Business Skills: NewLaw, Legal Apps and Disruptive Technology – Preparing for Change

Presented by: Joanna Green, Principal, Hive Legal, Melbourne

The NewLaw phenomenon has well and truly hit. This session looks at precisely what is NewLaw, the rise of micro-firms, cost consciousness and pricing innovation. We will also look at the rise of legal apps and other forms of disruptive technology and how it affects your practice. It covers:

• What is NewLaw?
• Virtual law firms – are they creating disruption in the marketplace?
• Use of locum and contracted solicitors to match the client’s specific requirements
• Legal apps – what is on the horizon and how will they change the future of practising law?
• Using technology to enhance your practice – keeping up with the change rather than fearing it
• Offering alternative pricing strategies in a NewLaw era

Session 2: Professional Skills: Costs Agreements, Cash Flows and Client Expectations

Presented by: Suzanne Ward, Executive Costs Lawyer Director, Pattison Hardman, Sydney

This session looks at drafting costs agreements in a cost-effective manner to ensure that you disclose everything that you are required to, that you manage the client’s expectations and that ultimately, you get paid. This session looks at the traditional costs agreement as well as conditional costs agreements and includes:

• What should be in your costs agreement? Understanding the legislative requirements
• Preparing a fee estimate – how do you effectively scope your work?
• What happens when the scope changes? Updating the client
• Conditional costs agreements – what needs to go in them? What are you allowed to charge for your uplift fee?
• Professional conduct issues involving costs agreements

Session 3: Legal Ethics: Obtaining Information and Using It – What are the Ethical Limits?

Presented by: Dr Elisabeth Peden, Barrister Accredited Mediator, Sydney

The practitioner’s role does involve information gathering, particularly with evidence, but what are the practical ethical limits to this process? Once obtained, the way you use information may also present an ethical risk. This session looks at the ethics of information gathering and use:

• The duty of care to your client and ethical information gathering and use
• Obtaining information legally and ethically – is this the same thing?
• Privacy and confidentiality issues when obtaining information
• Duty to client and duty to the court in information gathering
• Using confidential information – is this ever justified?
• Misuse of information – disclosure of personal information and other breaches
• Obligation to report versus the duty of confidentiality
• Inadvertent disclosure – a look at Expense Reduction Analysts Group Pty Ltd v Armstrong Marketing Pty Ltd [2013] HCA 46
• Case studies in ethical information gathering and use