Monday, 2 March 2026
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Chair
John Harris, Founding Partner, O’Connor Harris & Co
Ethics and Professional Responsibility
The Ethical Challenge of Being an In-House Government Lawyer
Lawyers employed as in-house government lawyers don’t fit the traditional model of legal practice and for a long time they have faced unique ethical challenges in providing fearless independent advice when your client is also your boss. In recent times, Robodebt and the more extreme actions of the Trump administration have provided dramatic examples of how challenging this can be. The rise of AI is not going to make life any easier.
- Review and examine the ethics of being an in-house government lawyer compared with the independent law firm, and the problems if employment pressures overwhelm professional independence.
While Chris Erskine SC has been an independent barrister for decades, his background is in government legal practice, and he has run several cases where not maintaining independence for in-house lawyers has caused major problems.
Presented by Christopher Erskine SC, Barrister, Blackburn Chambers
Presenters
John Harris, Founding Partner, O’Connor Harris & CoJohn Harris is a founding director of O’Connor Harris and Co Solicitors and has been a practicing solicitor for over 40 years in Canberra. John studied at the Australian National University, graduating in 1976. The majority of his time is spent working in Commercial law, Property law, Family law and Building and Construction law, however he is not limited to these areas. He enjoys the wide variety of work that O’Connor Harris allows him to undertake, and the constant challenges. John actively participates in a wide range of hobbies and interests, including rowing, skiing, fishing, reading, cooking and spending time with his thirteen grand-children, as well as being a father to six children. He is also a keen motorist with a particular interest in British sports cars. He is a member of the ACT Rowing Association, the Triumph Motor Club and the Master Builders Association. When John has spare time, he enjoys weekends in the mountains tending to his gardens and woodworks.
Christopher Erskine SC, Barrister, Blackburn Chambers
Chris Erskine SC was admitted in 1982 and went to the bar in 1993, becoming a Senior Counsel in 2008. He practices in Canberra in all civil litigation, but especially litigation involving the government. He was one of the counsel for NSW in the largest civil litigation in the history of the ACT, the case arising from the 2003 bushfires, which ran from 2003 to 2014.
