Compelling issues for law firm leaders

Anyone who has needed to wade through law school essays, summer clerkships, and legal document reviews will know that the world of law can be more tedious than David E Kelly would have us believe. However, like any other competitive pursuit, the Australian legal scene has seen its fair share of historic moments and game changing events.

Insights spoke to Wayne Attrill, a Senior Investment manager with IMF Bentham, a global litigation funding firm, on how litigation funding works alongside lawyers to help meritorious claims, its somewhat controversial history, and its increasing role in resolving disputes.

Don’t we all just love to watch those onscreen lawyers who thrive on flexible ethics, infuriating tactics, and an unorthodox knowledge of the law? They may even remind us of an adversary or two – wink-wink. The College of Law rounds up the top 10 lawyers you love to hate.

Building strong, mutually respectful relationships with your clients helps you fulfil your professional duties – and makes your professional life much easier. Professional rules require practitioners to act honestly and fairly in a client’s best interests and to act with due skill and diligence in service of the client.

It’s a common question: how do you become an in-house lawyer? Is there a good time to make the move? How do you prepare, via secondments or other relevant experience? What qualities make a great in-house lawyer?

In-house is a very different environment to a law firm, especially as most in-house teams are still relatively small – often between three to six lawyers.

We caught up with Chris Bland, a seasoned solicitor, general counsel and principal of Legal Tradecraft Consulting who shares his top 5 commercial drafting strategies. 

Often touted as a lawyer’s secret weapon for success, perfectionism can boost productivity and improve your case results. But there is a shadow to this trait. We spoke with Shona Rowan on how to spot, harness and tackle perfectionism – for a constructive and sustained legal career. 

No law firm succeeds without referrals, but new firms often struggle due to a limited client base. To overcome this, many firms partner with related businesses or more established firms. We've compiled four tips to help you to grow your firm through referral partnerships, to establish your reputation and a steady client flow.

Ian Aldridge, Principal, Progressive Legal, recently opened a sole practice. As a follow on from our previous article Single and Ready to Mingle – Tips for Becoming a Sole Practitioner we asked Ian to reflect on his recent personal experience to provide tips for lawyers who have also decided to open a small practice.

What skills matter most to lawyers? As lawyers’ careers progress, technical expertise develops alongside an ability to ‘read’ what a client wants, needs or might not be saying, as well as other skills like negotiation and business development. Yet the ability to make good decisions is often overlooked as a key skill of good lawyers. 

Family law matters are deeply personal and may be emotionally charged. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, these challenges can be compounded by cultural considerations and historical disadvantage.

Wondering what the deal is with Practical Legal Training (PLT)? That’s what this webinar is for.

Join us on Tuesday 6 August for a one-hour crash course on PLT. We’ll cover the basics, bust myths and answer questions.

Looking to optimise legal operations and improve service delivery across your firm?Download the course guide. During this course, you’ll cover everything from strategic planning to information governance to financial management. And you’ll walk away with the expertise and confidence to meet today’s legal challenges – head on.

We would like to congratulate Terri Mottershead, Executive Director for the Centre for Legal Innovation (CLI) at The College of Law Australia, who has been selected as a finalist in the Australian AI Awards 2024 in the "AI Female Leader of the Year - Enterprise" category by Momentum Media.

Is a Master of Laws (LLM) worth the investment? With insights from our 2024 salary survey, we break down the numbers. The potential salary gains will surprise you.

The Family Law Amendment Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 10 December 2024. These amendments are a result of recommendations made by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, the Australian Law Reform Commission’s review of the family law system as well as feedback from stakeholders. These recommendations include changes to provisions concerning companion animals, taking a less adversarial approach, disclosure, divorce, protected confidences, and costs orders.

Create a standout legal resume with our step-by-step guide. Learn how to format, highlight skills, and polish your resume for your target audience.

The competition is tough, but by knowing what recruiters look for and pitching your skills and experience in their best light, you can make your resume stand out for all the right reasons.

Download this guide to learn more about Dispute Resolution in a nutshell, the core expertise of a Dispute Resolution practitioner, the personal strengths of a Dispute Resolution practitioner, related areas of expertise, as well as specialisation options in Dispute Resolution such as Mediation, Family Dispute Resolution, and Collaborative law.

Learn how Jess Grumelart forged a career in family law through a chance encounter at a careers fair - and an LLM in Applied Law (Family Law). We spoke to Jess about her road to family law, how her LLM helped her connect to a community of supportive family lawyers, and what advice she might have for lawyers wondering to align their legal career with their interests and passions.

Ellie Scarf's clients include major multinational law firms and global organisations. Insights spoke to Ellie about what her role involves, and what advice she might have for lawyers and leaders keen to hit peak performance.

Download this guide to learn about a Career in International Arbitration. International arbitration is sometimes called a hybrid form of international dispute resolution, since it blends elements of civil law procedure and common law procedure, while allowing the parties a significant opportunity to design the arbitral procedure under which their dispute will be resolved.

Managing professional development across a team can be overwhelming. Deadlines loom, client demands grow, and compliance remains non-negotiable. Training shouldn’t add to the stress—it should empower your team to thrive.

A wrath of changes will be imposed upon Queensland legal practitioners, real estate agents, landlords, and mortgagees when the Property Law Act 2023 comes into effect on 1 August 2025. According to Tara Cush, College of Law lecturer Queensland, there will be the need to use specific forms to meet obligations under the new Act.

Let’s explore the top skills employers are searching for. So you can demonstrate your worth, stand out from the crowd and land a legal role. ​

Download the NSW Legal Practice Management Course Guide and gain the skills needed to become a principal or partner, opening up new career opportunities in the legal field.

Download the SA Law Practice Management (LPMC) Course Guide and find out how our course can help you transition from lawyer to business leader, giving you the tools to manage a thriving legal practice.

Learn how emoji are making their way into Australian law. John Molloy, Lecturer at the College of Law, recently won the Australian Institute of Administrative Law blog competition with his examination of emoji use in administrative law. His analysis explores how these small digital pictographs might reshape legal communication in an increasingly digital world.

The College delves into the strategies and tactics that lawyers can employ to effectively negotiate salary and conditions. Drawing on insights from certified Executive and Leadership Coach Sue Billen and Mahlab Managing Director Lisa Gazis, we'll explore how to build a strong case for your worth, understand market trends, and navigate the complexities of negotiating with potential employers.

Navigating the legal world requires a sharp mind and empathy – especially in matters of succession law. Krystal Bellamy, a Special Counsel at HopgoodGanim Lawyers and College of Law LLM graduate, naturally embodies these traits, which have served her well as a Wills and Estates lawyer. Krystal shares the key to thriving in what some would consider a ‘morbid’ field.

Jess Popple, Senior Associate at Pippa Colman Family Law, has become something of a rising star in her field. Since completing her PLT and a postgraduate qualification at the College, Jess has won the Queensland Emergent Woman Lawyer of the Year Award – and served on numerous boards and associations.

Mortgagee sales may be alluring to many property bargain hunters. However, hidden within the troubled title deeds of mortgagee sales can be caveats that can hinder the sale, or even more significantly impact subsequent buyers. We spoke to property lawyer Greg Stilianou to uncover what issues might impact mortgagee sales, why it’s important to address caveats early on, and what lawyers need to know when providing advice on a mortgagee sale.  

If you’re only doing CPD to stay compliant, you’re missing out. The real power of professional development is about building the skills, confidence, and expertise that make you stand out (along with staying up-to-date of course).

The Honourable Robert Benjamin AM SC is no stranger to conflict. Having served for nearly sixteen years as a judge on the Family Court of Australia, Robert has also been a Commissioner for Tasmania’s Inquiry into Government Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings. It’s a career that has seen him navigate the complex human dynamics of the courtroom. Robert shares his practical framework to navigate tricky conversations, specifically designed to help lawyers deliver unwelcome news to clients.

A recent case before the New South Wales Court of Appeal, Gan v Xie [2023] NSWCA 163, resurfaced issues regarding direct speech, and how it ought to appear in an affidavit. Barrister Jonathan Tsang, a College of Law graduate, spoke to us about the key implications following this decision, and what lawyers need to know moving forward.

With over 875 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has become an indispensable platform for professionals. For lawyers, it's swiftly becoming an essential tool to network, grow a strong professional profile, and generate business. But how do you set yourself apart? In this article we catch up with College of Law National Career Strategists Susan Pincus and Ruth Beran to better understand the benefits of LinkedIn for lawyers.

You have probably heard it a thousand times before, “confidence is key”. But what does a confident communicator really look like? Research has shown it’s less about ‘what’ you say and more about ‘how’ you say it. Learning to speak clearly and confidently may be hard, but according to Pippa Gardner, Communications Expert and Coach at PG Communications, the results are worth it. Here is Pippa’s Four C Framework to help you speak with influence.

As cyber security becomes the domain of organised crime every Australian individual and business has become an unwilling target. Law firms are rarely early adopters of tech and yet they now face complex cyber security threats. Before you embrace your inner doomsday prepper, we caught up with Lawcover’s Legal Risk Manager, Glenda Carry, to find out how law firms are being targeted by cyber security threats, and what steps they can take to mitigate risk.

With the rise of online learning, it’s easier than ever to collect your CPD points at a time – and place – that suits you. Not all online courses are created equal. So how do you know if an online, or on-demand course will stack up? Here we explore the six markers of an excellent on-demand legal course.

If you had the opportunity to sit face-to-face with the Attorney-General for Australia, the Honourable Mark Dreyfus KC MP, what would you ask? What would you want to know? Students and staff at the College of Law’s new international headquarters in Sydney were lucky enough to gain this exciting opportunity. 

Family lawyers must be aware of how violence can affect their clients, their client’s case and so be able to identify domestic violence. On 22 September 2023 the National Principles to Address Coercive Control in Family and Domestic Violence were released by the Attorney-General’s Department (‘A-G’).

Nawid Cina managed to evacuate more than 100 vulnerable women and children from Australian-run orphanages in Afghanistan when the Taliban took control in 2021. The orphanages were run by Mahboba Rawi’s Australian charity Mahboba’s Promise, the Australian connection put the women and children living at the orphanages at significant risk from the Taliban. A graduate of the College of Law, we spoke to Nawid to learn more about his human rights work and to gain his legal and career insights.

Insights has compiled a helpful guide to meeting the legal profession’s requirements of being a ‘fit and proper person, with recent examples of lawyers who have failed to meet these requirements.

Significant reforms to Family Law have just passed parliament on 19 October 2023.The Family Law Act (1975) is impacted by these Bills - the Family Law Amendment Bill and Family Law (Information Sharing) Bill. We spoke to Family Lawyer and College of Law Adjunct Lecturer Kathryn Kearley about what these reforms involve and what lawyers need to know.

The College of Law has written an eBook guide to thriving as a lawyer, featuring 10 practical tips for new lawyers.

Curious about different legal careers? Discover your path as a solicitor, barrister, in-house counsel, or explore roles in NewLaw, courts, community legal centres, government, public notary services, and family dispute resolution. Find the right legal career for you today!

Download your guide to a career in government and public sector law for everything you need to know about government and public sector law in a nutshell, the personal strengths of a government and public sector lawyer, the core expertise of a government and public sector lawyer, related areas of expertise, and career prospects in government and public sector law.

If you are getting serious about starting your own law firm, this one-hour video is for you. 

The rules governing whether to prepare a land dealing in paper or electronically in NSW can be complex. Here to untangle this complexity is property lawyer and College of Law adjunct lecturer Greg Stilianou, who will step you through what you need to know.