To have an agile, informed and successful personal injury practice you need to keep up to date with key legal developments. And that is what this conference provides plus ensures that you are CPD compliant with ethics, practice management and professional skills. Obtain updates on motor accident, workers compensation and total and permanent disability claims plus obtain and update on judicial review of medical panels.
Description
Attend and earn 7 CPD units including:
4 units in Substantive Law
1 unit in Ethics & Professional Responsibility
1 unit in Practice Management & Business Skills
1 unit in Professional Skills
This program is based on VIC legislation
10.00am to 11.00am Psychiatric Injury Thresholds in Medical Reports in Workcover Litigation
- Changes to WorkCover scheme for statutory benefits and questions to ask treaters and medico legals
- Reviewing medical records: tips and tricks
- Serious injury: disentangling
- The impact of perception, and resolution of litigation
- Drafting a letter of instruction
Presented by Angus Kleiman, Barrister, Dever’s List and Catherine Sim, Practice Director, Redlich Injury Lawyers
11.00am to 11.15am Morning Tea
11.15am to 12.15pm Transport Accident Claims: Current Issues
- AC protocols/process updates
- Current trends in TAC litigation
- Common law damages update
Presented by Megan Caines, Principal and Hamish Kelly, Associate Lawyer, Polaris Lawyers
Session 2: Ethics, Practice Management and Business Skills and Professional Skills for Personal Injury Lawyers
Chair: Oliver Lesage, Barrister, Lennon’s List
Professional Skills
4.15pm to 5.15pm Practical Guidance for the Personal Injury Lawyer on Preparing and Running a Jury Trial
- Preparing and presenting evidence before a jury
- Effective jury arguments: general advice and a discussion of scenarios to highlight tips and traps
Presented by Fiona Ryan SC, Green’s List; Preeminent Insurance Law Senior Counsel Doyle’s Guide 2024
Session 1: Personal Injury Law Roundup
9.00am to 10.00am Workers Compensation Update
- The effect of recent amendments
- Serious injury hurdles
- Recent relevant decisions on statutory entitlements
- Relevant recent common law decisions
Presented by Joseph Ridley, Principal, Arnold Thomas Becker
12.15pm to 1.15pm Occupational Disease Claims
- Evidence in occupational disease cases
- The “nature of employment" gateway
- Emerging diseases (silica, welding and skin cancer)
Presented by Andrew Dimsey, Barrister, Dever’s List; Preeminent Insurance & Personal Injury Law Junior Counsel, Doyles Guide 2023
Practice Management and Business Management
2.00pm to 3.00pm The New Supreme Court Scale of Costs: Managing Recovery of Party/Party Costs in 2025
The Supreme Court (Chapter 1 Costs Amendment) Rules 2024 have recently been published and come into effect on 1 January 2025. These Rules introduce a time-based costing regime for the recovery of party-party costs that replaces the current scale. There are many other changes to the Supreme Court (General Civil Procedure) Rules 2015 and more particularly Rule 63. A number of Rules have been revoked, amended and substituted giving the Costs Court greater powers.
- Hear what has changed with the introduction of the new rules
- Understand more about how the rules will be applied and any subsequent implications
- How will the new rules affect how you bill your client and disclosure?
Presented by Antonella Terranova, Principal, Castra Legal Consulting; President, Northern Suburbs Law Association Inc., Chair, Costs Law Executive Committee, Member, Advisory Service Panel (LIV)
Ethics and Professional Conduct for Personal Injury Lawyers
3.00pm to 4.00pm Applied Ethics for Personal Injury Lawyers
As a member of the legal profession, reputation, ethics and standing in the community should be impeccable. Examine the issues of:
- Professionalism
- Dealing with difficult cases
- Handling negotiations
- Communicating with opponents, court staff and judges
- Managing conflicts
- Confidentiality
- Boundary violations
- Disclosure obligations
- Pleading allegations
Presented by Patrick Over, Barrister, Green’s List
4.00pm to 4.15pm Afternoon Tea
Presenters
Joseph Ridley, Principal, Arnold Thomas Becker
Angus Kleiman, Barrister, Dever’s List
Andrew Dimsey, Barrister, Dever’s List
Andrew practises predominantly in plaintiff personal injury common law and statutory schemes. He has extensive experience across all Victorian courts and tribunals in asbestos and chemical exposure, public liability, medical negligence, workers compensation, transport accident and institutional abuse. He appears frequently in the Supreme and County Courts, with extensive trial experience both led and unled.  Andrew has been recognised by his peers as pre-eminent Insurance Law Counsel in the Doyle’s Guide for the last two years. Prior to coming to the Bar, Andrew was Principal of the National Asbestos and Public Liability practices of Maurice Blackburn Lawyers.
Oliver Lesage, Barrister, Lennon’s List
Oliver practises in common law, personal injury, insurance, and occupational health and safety. He appears regularly in the Magistrates’, County and Supreme Courts of Victoria. Oliver's areas of expertise include: Public/product liability; Industrial accident claims (incl. serious injury applications); Medical negligence; Intentional torts; TAC; VWA s138/369 statutory recoveries; WorkCover/Statutory benefits; Prosecutions / investigations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, and Regulations thereunder. Prior to joining the Bar, Oliver practised as a Solicitor in the General Insurance and Workplace teams at Moray & Agnew Lawyers. Oliver has a Master of Laws from Monash University. He read with Richard H Stanley and Peter Rozen SC. His senior mentor is James Gorton QC. Oliver is a Nationally Accredited Mediator, and a member of the common law and compensation law associations.
Fiona Ryan SC, Green’s List
Fiona Ryan practices in common law and administrative law in the Federal and State Courts. She appears in a wide range of personal injury matters including serious injury applications (WorkCover and TAC); common law trials; occupiers' liability trials; entitlements to benefits under statutory insurance schemes (WorkCover and TAC); veterans' entitlements claims; inquests. Fiona also appears at the AAT, Federal Court and Full Federal Court in administrative law matters and has particular experience in Veterans' Entitlement matters. Prior to coming to the Bar, Fiona worked at Holding Redlich in the personal injury department.
Catherine Sim, Practice Director, Redlich Injury Lawyers
Catherine Sim is a Practice Director at Redlich's Work Injury Lawyers and is an expert in personal injury law, with experience in WorkCover, TAC and Public Liability. An experienced and empathetic lawyer, Cate is dedicated to assisting injured people achieve a just and fair outcome when they have suffered injuries at work, on the road or in a public place. Cate understands that expertise is valued and is driven to provide accurate and appropriate advice to assist our client’s in making the right decision in their circumstances. Navigating a compensation claim can be an overwhelming and trying time, and Cate aims to assist our clients from the beginning to the end of the process.
Megan Caines, Principal, Polaris Lawyers
Megan Caines is a Principal at Polaris Lawyers, and currently works across a number of personal injury practise areas. Megan began her career at a large plaintiff law firm acting exclusively for Victorians injured as a result of road trauma, and has extensive experience in road trauma claims. In 2017, 2018 and 2019 she was named by Doyle's Guide to Leading Lawyers as a recommended lawyer in motor vehicle accident compensation law in Victoria, and she is currently a member of the ALA Victorian committee. Megan made the transition to Polaris Lawyers with the vision of helping to establish a boutique innovative personal injury law firm. Polaris Lawyers was named NewLaw Firm of the Year at the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards 2018 and Law Firm of the Year at the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards 2019.
Hamish Kelly, Associate Lawyer, Polaris Lawyers
Antonella Terranova, Principal, Castra Legal Consulting
Antonella Terranova has been in practice for 27 years. She became Principal and Director of Castra Legal Costing Pty Ltd in 2010. Antonella appears regularly in the Supreme Court and is also retained as an expert. Prior to her current role, Antonella worked in personal injury litigation. She has been a past winner of the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) Suburban Lawyer of the Year Award and in 2021 was the recipient of the LIV Distinguished Service Award. Antonella delivers ongoing legal education, is a member of the LIV, the Chair of the Costs Law Executive Committee and Chaired various Committees for the Litigation Costs Review, involved in policy work for the LIV and is a Panel Solicitor for the LIV Member’s Advisory Panel and has sat on the Judging Panel for the Suburban Lawyer of the Year Award. Additionally, Antonella has held the role of President of the Northern Suburbs Law Association Inc., since 2010 arranging bi-monthly CPD events, organised 3 international conferences, liaises with the LIV and promotes young lawyers and women to the profession.
Patrick Over, Barrister, Green’s List
Patrick specialises in litigating personal injury cases, cases arising from legal practice such as disciplinary proceedings, professional negligence claims, and group proceedings. He provides practical and strategic representation to both plaintiffs and defendants at all stages of litigation. He has a background in science and science communication. Patrick regularly appears in the Supreme Court of Victoria and the County Court in personal injury proceedings, especially for people claiming injury from exposure to asbestos, from medical negligence and from civil aviation accidents. Many these cases have been jury trials and have not led to written decisions. In addition to trial work, he appears in interlocutory or related matters such as transfer applications and reinstating the registrations of companies. He has also appeared in the Coroners Court and at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse. Patrick regularly appears for and advises legal regulators, legal practitioners and clients of legal practitioners about issues arising from legal practice, including disciplinary proceedings, appeals from disciplinary proceedings, cost disputes, cost agreements, claims against the Fidelity Fund, and ethics.
