Join our four-part training series for legal executives, support staff, and lawyers, covering essential skills in project management, communication, mental health, and ethics. Led by industry experts, these practical sessions provide valuable insights to enhance workplace efficiency and resilience.
Description
Attend the full series and earn 4 CPD units including:
1 unit in Professional Skills
2 units in Practice Management & Business Skills
1 unit in Ethics and Professional Responsibility
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
If you register for the full series as a live online product after the date of an individual session, you will be sent the recording for the sessions that have passed. Alternatively, you can register for individual sessions by following the links below.
*This webinar series is also suitable for Junior Lawyers
Essential Project Management & AI Skills for Legal Executives & Support Staff
Tuesday, 3 June 2025
Learn how to manage projects effectively with practical strategies for structuring tasks, setting priorities, and improving team communication. Explore AI tools that enhance time management and streamline workflows for legal professionals.
Chair:
Lisa Gooneratne, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth
Practice Management & Business Skills
12.00pm to 1.00pm Essential Project Management & AI Skills for Legal Executives & Support Staff
- How to put together a simple project outline and tools you can use to support you
- Setting priorities and structures to manage your projects
- AI tools and skills for time management
- Effective project team communication and how AI can support communication with your team
Presented by Sam Auty, Manager, Legal Business Solutions, PwC
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Practice Management & Business Skills
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Presenters
Lisa Gooneratne, Special Counsel, HWL EbsworthLisa has extensive experience in personal injury insurance law, in a variety of areas. Lisa acts for both private insurers and Government agencies, in the areas of public liability, workers compensation, medical negligence, coronial inquests, medical disciplinary matters and motor vehicle accidents. Lisa also acts for a self-insurers, including a national airline and national banks, in relation to personal injury claims. Lisa is actively involved in the ACT legal community, being a former chair of the Young Lawyers Committee and currently a Commissioner and Board member of the ACT Legal Aid Commission.
Sam Auty, Manager, Legal Business Solutions, PwC
Sam Auty is a Legal Project Manager for Ashurst Advance, in the Ashurst Melbourne office, and is certified by the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional. Starting out her career at NewLaw firm, LegalVision, Sam moved from being a legal graduate to working across business development and leading internal strategic projects as part of the Growth and Innovation team. After moving to Melbourne, Sam joined Ashurst as a Legal Project Coordinator in Ashurst Advance, working with both Ashurst's legal teams and business services teams to apply project management tools and techniques to help them deliver matters more efficiently.
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Insights on Effective Listening and Communication
Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Enhance your communication skills by mastering active listening, effective questioning, and strategic responses. Gain practical insights on avoiding common pitfalls, improving online communication, and fostering clearer, more constructive interactions.
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Professional Skills
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Chair:
Lisa Gooneratne, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth
Professional Skills
12.00pm to 1.00pm Insights on Effective Listening and Communication
- What is listening and what is active listening?
- What benefits does active listening bring and how do you do it
- The role of questioning and how to avoid escalating by using the wrong question
- Listening and communicating effectively online and when to avoid online!
- A few common winning and losing strategies
Presented by Sarah Nicholson, Chief Projects Officer, Resolve Advisors
Presenters
Lisa Gooneratne, Special Counsel, HWL EbsworthLisa has extensive experience in personal injury insurance law, in a variety of areas. Lisa acts for both private insurers and Government agencies, in the areas of public liability, workers compensation, medical negligence, coronial inquests, medical disciplinary matters and motor vehicle accidents. Lisa also acts for a self-insurers, including a national airline and national banks, in relation to personal injury claims. Lisa is actively involved in the ACT legal community, being a former chair of the Young Lawyers Committee and currently a Commissioner and Board member of the ACT Legal Aid Commission.
Sarah Nicholson, Chief Projects Officer, Resolve Advisors
Sarah is a skilled facilitator, trainer, and case manager, serving as a key triage contact for clients. With a background in law and management, she brings extensive experience in project management, issue resolution, and team leadership. Sarah excels in guiding teams and stakeholders, often influencing outcomes without direct authority, ensuring effective collaboration and successful project delivery.
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Managing Mental Health, Stress & Stakeholder Interactions in the Workplace
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Gain practical strategies for managing workplace stress, high workloads, and challenging stakeholder interactions. Learn how to navigate difficult situations, set boundaries, and maintain wellbeing while handling sensitive information.
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Practice Management & Business Skills
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Chair:
Lisa Gooneratne, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth
Practice Management & Business Skills
12.00pm to 1.00pm Managing Mental Health, Stress, and Stakeholder Interactions at Work – Panel Discussion
- Managing a negative individual or environment
- How to deal with privy information that might be upsetting, i.e. you have seen an email that contains information about an individual in the firm or a pro bono matter and needs to be kept confidential but is personally upsetting
- How to manage continuous high volume workload and competing demands
- Setting boundaries
Panellists:
Tanya Burns, Practice Manager, Nicholas O’Donohue, Vice President, Australasian Legal Practice Management
Stephen Hughes, Legal Practice Manager & Accredited Specialist in Personal Injuries, Rin Kim Law
Dominic Manca, Managing Director, Changing Ways Consulting; Rehabilitation Counsellor & Court Witness and Expert on Psychosocial Workplace Hazards
Presenters
Tanya Burns, Practice Manager, Nicholas O’DonohueTanya has over 25 years’ experience in legal business management and has worked in law firms since 1977. Tanya takes a holistic approach to management with a keen focus on achieving best outcomes for our people and our clients. She completed her Masters of Administration (Distinction) at RMIT in 2014. Tanya is a member of ALPMA (Australasian Legal Practice Management Association) and sits on the Victorian Branch Committee (Treasurer) and the Governance Committee. She is a co-convener of the Small Firms Management Group and enjoys contributing to the peak organisation for Legal Practice Management. Tanya is a keen traveller (pre-Covid) and enjoys spending time with good friends and her dog. She also loves watching her AFL team win (and lose) at the MCG.
Dominic Manca, Managing Director, Changing Ways Consulting
Throughout his 15 year career, Dominic has provided services to individual clients, organisations, lawyers, insurers, and regulators. Over the past four years, his work has encompassed rehabilitation counselling, psychological health and safety incident investigations, audits of psychosocial risk systems and legislative compliance, and expert witness reporting related to workers' compensation acts, civil litigation, and WHS Acts and Codes of Practice across VIC, NSW, and QLD. Additionally, Since early 2018 he has held the strategic direction of ASORC as a Director, continuing to support the Rehabilitation Counselling profession, along with sitting on the Standards Australia committee for Human Resources.
Lisa Gooneratne, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth
Lisa has extensive experience in personal injury insurance law, in a variety of areas. Lisa acts for both private insurers and Government agencies, in the areas of public liability, workers compensation, medical negligence, coronial inquests, medical disciplinary matters and motor vehicle accidents. Lisa also acts for a self-insurers, including a national airline and national banks, in relation to personal injury claims. Lisa is actively involved in the ACT legal community, being a former chair of the Young Lawyers Committee and currently a Commissioner and Board member of the ACT Legal Aid Commission.
Stephen Hughes, Legal Practice Manager & Accredited Specialist in Personal Injuries, Rin Kim Law
Stephen Hughes, a QLS accredited specialist, is a workplace relations and personal injuries lawyer with over 30 years' experience. Stephen's practice to date has a substantial litigation focus in State and Federal courts and Commissions. Stephen is regularly invited to speak and chair at numerous specialist conferences on work health and safety, employment law, discrimination, bullying, harassment, social media and personal injuries law. Since 1993, Stephen has been the Honorary Solicitor and an ex officio Board Member for the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors Inc. In 2021 Stephen was awarded an ASORC Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his many decades of service.
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Ethical Dilemmas for Legal Executives and Support Staff
Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Understand the ethical challenges faced by legal executives and support staff and learn how to navigate them with confidence. Explore real-world scenarios, recognising ethical issues in real time, and practical strategies for upholding integrity within your team.
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Ethics and Professional Responsibility
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Chair:
Lisa Gooneratne, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth
Ethics and Professional Responsibility
12.00pm to 1.00pm Ethical Dilemmas for Legal Executives and Support Staff
- Why do ethics matter – for the whole legal team
- How to spot an ethical issue in real time examination of ethical issues relating to clients, opponents, experts, the Court
- What to do about it when you’re confronted with an ethical issue
- How to speak truth to power – when you’re at odds with the behaviour in your team
Presented by Caroline Counsel, Principal, Caroline Counsel Family Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Family Law; Member of the Ethics Committee of the Law Institute of Victoria; Honorary Life Member: Law Institute of Victoria
Presenters
Caroline Counsel, Principal, Caroline Counsel Family LawyersCaroline Counsel is the principal of Caroline Counsel Family Lawyers: Better Families, Brighter Futures. She is an Accredited Family Law Specialist, trained as a Collaborative Lawyer and Mediator & Arbitrator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner of some 35+ years’ experience. Caroline is a Past President of the Law Institute of Victoria (2011) and Honorary Life Member. Caroline has been a Board member of the LIV, LCA and has been Co-Chair of the LIV’s Collaborative Practice Section and presently holds the Family Violence Portfolio for the Institute as well as Co-Chair of the Family Violence Working Group at the LIV. Caroline is a State government appointed member of the Industry Taskforce on Family Violence. She is one of the inaugural board members of the Victorian Legal Admissions Board (appointed by Victorian Attorney General June 2015) and still sits on the VLAB Board as well as the Admissions Committee.
Lisa Gooneratne, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth
Lisa has extensive experience in personal injury insurance law, in a variety of areas. Lisa acts for both private insurers and Government agencies, in the areas of public liability, workers compensation, medical negligence, coronial inquests, medical disciplinary matters and motor vehicle accidents. Lisa also acts for a self-insurers, including a national airline and national banks, in relation to personal injury claims. Lisa is actively involved in the ACT legal community, being a former chair of the Young Lawyers Committee and currently a Commissioner and Board member of the ACT Legal Aid Commission.
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