Hear from legal experts about the latest developments and skills required for best legal practice, while earning three CPD units.

Communication and influencing skills in online legal practice – Duncan Young, Director, Duncan Young Consulting

In today’s digital legal environment, effective communication and influencing skills are more essential than ever to foster client trust, manage virtual relationships, and present compelling cases remotely. This workshop will equip legal practitioners with strategies to enhance their online communication skills, ensuring they can convey professionalism, empathy, and authority in virtual interactions.

Participant takeaways:

• Mastering virtual client relationships: Understand the nuances of building and maintaining client trust and rapport in a digital setting, from initial contact to ongoing case updates.
• Effective virtual presentation skills: Learn techniques for presenting legal arguments and cases persuasively in virtual courtrooms or client meetings, maintaining impact and clarity.
• Non-verbal communication in video calls: Recognise and leverage body language, eye contact, and other non-verbal cues in virtual meetings to project confidence and enhance understanding.
• Building influence through empathy: Use empathetic listening and client-centred communication to enhance influence and foster positive relationships in the digital space.

The ethics of using AI – Paul Monaghan, Senior Ethics Solicitor, Law Society of NSW

This session will examine ethical aspects of duties to the Court, the client and the profession, with specific application to lawyers when using AI.

 Getting your practice ready for AML reforms – Carol Prasad, Professional Support Solicitor, Legal Regulation, Law Society of NSW

In this session, we introduce you to assessing risks as required under the amended Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing legislation. 

You will learn about:

• The key elements you need to start thinking about to work out the money laundering and terrorism financing risks your practice may reasonably face in providing designated services.
• Assessing the level of money laundering and terrorism financing risk to your business.
• The measures you will need to put in place to mitigate and manage risks in your AML program, including measures to conduct periodic reviews.
• The AML/CTF compliance officer’s role in overseeing compliance with your AML/CTF policies.

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. 

If you self-assess that this particular educational activity extends your knowledge and skills, this program may allow you to claim three (3) of the mandatory areas: (a) ethics and professional responsibility; (b) practice management and business skills; and (c) professional skills.

Duncan Young, Director, Duncan Young Consulting
Paul Monaghan, Senior Ethics Solicitor, Law Society of NSW
Carol Prasad, Professional Support Solicitor, Legal Regulation, Law Society of NSW