In-House Counsel Conference: Lessons for 2021
Face the many significant changes & new risks facing in-house counsel by arming yourself with timely updates & strategies. Consider how to handle financial & insolvency risks in a tight market. Enhance your insurance law knowledge & tactics. Examine significant defamation reforms. Catch up on new employment law and health & safety risks. Gain your core CPD points while examining legal & tax issues involving contractors, ethics and harassment, bullying & wellbeing, and reputation risks. WEB213V15
Description
Attend the full day 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 applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
*We are currently offering in person registrations to 2021 Victorian events, however should Victorian government regulations not allow for this at the time of the event, your registration will automatically be transferred to live online.
Session 1
The 4 Key Legal Issues for In-House Counsel in 2021
Chair: Michael Chin, Senior Corporate Lawyer, AGL
9.00am to 10.00am Insurance Law for Corporate Counsel: The Latest Strategies and Developments
- Core types of insurance coverage
- Demystifying key insurance concepts
- Recent trends and market developments
- Maximising your insurance recoveries
Presented by Sophy Woodward, Special Counsel, HFW Australia
10.00am to 11.00am Navigating Insolvency Risks: Updates & Guidance for In-House Counsel Operating in a Tight Market
- The latest legal, legislative and market updates on insolvency
- The indicators of insolvency to beware of
- Key risks & considerations when dealing with other companies in financial distress
- Guidance for in-house counsel operating in a down market
- Risks to creditors of claims from liquidations: unfair preferences and more
Presented by Penelope Pengilley, Consulting Principal, Keypoint Law
11.00am to 11.15am Morning Tea
11.15am to 12.15pm Defamation Law Reforms: Lessons for In-House Advisers
- Key changes to the law that you need to know about
- Changes to the process for concerns notices and offers to make amends
- The new serious harm threshold and public interest defence
- ‘Fixes’ to the current law in relation to contextual truth and damages
Presented by Rob Jackson, Partner, Rigby Cooke Lawyers; Recommended Employment Lawyer (Employer Representation) and Workplace Health & Safety Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2020
12.15pm to 1.15pm What In-House Counsel Need to Know About Safe Working in 2021
- Changes to the OHS Act and workplace guidance
- The future of work
- Considerations for officers
Presented by Cassandra Collier, Special Counsel, MinterEllison
Session 2
CPD Compulsory Units for In-House Counsel
Chair: Katya Lakes, Corporate Counsel, Vocus
Ethics & Professional Responsibility
2.00pm to 3.00pm Your Obligations as In-House Counsel: Wellbeing, Harassment & Bullying
- How do you navigate through these situations as they arise, taking into consideration key ethical issues?
- Working through the division of playing the role of 'investigator' making factual findings and playing the part of a legal adviser with legal professional privilege considerations
- Practical tips to identify and manage issues or complaints
- What obligations do you owe to your company and your employees regarding wellbeing?
- Navigating the rise of sexual harassment claims in the current climate
- Tips for handling bullying claims and your duties to make the workplace safe
Presented by Sarah Ralph, Partner, EY Law
Practice Management & Business Skills
3.00pm to 4.00pm Protecting Your Corporate Reputation During a Crisis
- The importance of protecting increasingly fragile corporate reputations
- Preparing for a crisis: checklist of what you need to have in place
- Crisis management: context, timing, facts and opportunities
- Rebuilding after a crisis, including risks & rewards of launching legal proceedings
Presented by Peter Bartlett, Partner, MinterEllison; Chair of the Legal Practice Division at the International Bar Association; Leading Technology, Media & Telecommunications Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2020
4.00pm to 4.15pm Afternoon Tea
Professional Skills
4.15pm to 5.15pm Mitigating the Tax Risks When Engaging Contractors
- Employee vs contractor
- Distinguishing between employees and contractors
- A look at the evolving ‘employee – contractor’ distinction
- What are the employment tax risks arising on the engagement of contactors?
- Superannuation guarantee
- PAYG Withholding
- Payroll Tax
- Managing contractor risks
Presented by Rick Kimberley, Director - People Advisory Services - Employment Taxes, EY
Presenters
Michael Chin, Senior Corporate Lawyer, AGL
Michael Chin is published, a regular presenter and chair at industry forums, widely travelled, multi-lingual and holds honours degrees in law and finance and a masters in finance with distinction. He has clerked with the judges of the High Court of New Zealand and worked with leading law firms in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In addition, he has worked in-house with energy companies INPEX and Santos and is currently working with AGL.
Penelope Pengilley, Consulting Principal, Keypoint Law
Penny Pengilley has over 25 years' experience in insolvency law and commercial dispute resolution, including as partner of leading law firms, and as General Counsel of a Victorian Government Department. Penny acts for a diverse range of clients, from large multi-nationals to family owned businesses. Her approach is to work collaboratively with clients and other members of the legal profession, wherever possible, to achieve creative and cost effective solutions to legal disputes.
Sophy Woodward, Special Counsel, HFW Australia
Sophy has 15 years experience acting on complex disputes, particularly contested insurance claims. She regularly acts for mining companies in liability, D&O and PD/BI insurance coverage disputes. She also represents contractors in construction projects on contract works claims. She has represented numerous clients defending class actions and bringing associated D&O claims. Having undertaken lengthy secondments within BHP and Transurban, Sophy has industry knowledge and a commercial approach. She also has experience in regulatory investigations, representing a large bank in the Royal Commission into Banking Misconduct, and having commenced her career at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
Rob Jackson, Partner, Rigby Cooke Lawyers
Rob Jackson represents companies and executives in a broad range of employment related litigation such as dismissals, redundancies, discrimination, poor performance, and misconduct. Rob also advises on complex matters affecting the employment relationship such as cross-, jurisdictional employment disputes, intellectual property, privacy and whistle-blowing, tax and defamation issues. Rob defends companies and executives in OHS prosecutions, and advises companies on their WorkCover exposure. Rob is a Registered Migration Agent no 0533348, assisting businesses with their employment-related migration needs and is an accredited specialist in both workplace relations and commercial litigation.
Cassandra Collier, Special Counsel, MinterEllison
Cassandra is a Special Counsel in the Workplace Team at MinterEllison. She specialises in OHS and regularly undertakes and provides advice to her clients in relation to sensitive and complex workplace investigations. She brings to the role her previous experience working for a workplace safety regulator.
Katya Lakes, Corporate Counsel, Vocus
Katya is a senior lawyer with over 17 years' experience across a diverse and varied legal practice from top tier private practice, government, not for profit and commercial in house environments. Katya currently practices predominantly in commercial and telecommunications/technology law. Her passion is to bring integrity and humanity to the delivery of legal services and to contribute to providing access to justice. She has undertaken pro bono legal work throughout her career, overseeing the direction of community performance and sporting bodies, advising youth organisations and supporting community legal centres. Katya has three children.
Sarah Ralph, Partner, EY Law
Sarah Ralph is an employment and IR partner based in Melbourne. Sarah practises across all areas of employment law: from HR advice; workplace investigations and disciplinary action; workplace bullying: managing ill and injured workers; industrial relations; discrimination and adverse action; to executive employment issues and employment litigation. Sarah works with her clients to develop and implement strategies to deal with difficult workplace issues, from the management of conduct and performance issues to agreement making and industrial disputes. Sarah is focussed on developing solutions that meet her clients' business objectives. Sarah's clients include private and public sector employers.
Peter Bartlett, Partner, MinterEllison and Chair of the Legal Practice Division at the International Bar Association
Peter Bartlett has extensive experience across the full spectrum of media and communications law from both a private commercial and regulatory perspective as well as a public sector perspective. He has acted for a wide range of Australian and international media and communications companies. His experience covers providing advice on freedom of information laws and privacy issues, to media access to sporting and public events, representing clients in major defamation and breach of confidentiality court actions and in applications to oppose suppression and non-publication orders in court proceedings.
Rick Kimberley, Director - People Advisory Services - Employment Taxes, EY
Rick Kimberley is an experienced director at EY and specialises in value-add opportunities for his clients. Rick has particular experience in advising clients regarding employment incentives, overpayments of employment tax obligations through the use of data analytics, and the effective structuring of fringe benefits. His qualifications include Chartered Accountant, Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Economics.