Managing Clients, Colleagues and Conflict - Psychology and the Law
In this series of workshops, you will look at how psychological principles and an understanding of human behaviour can influence your work with clients and colleagues in the legal profession to achieve better outcomes. You will focus on better understanding the different personality styles of client, building effective client-lawyer relationships, and conflict resolution strategies. Your facilitators will guide you as experienced lawyers and clinical psychologists. WEB227N42
Description
Attend the full series and earn 4.5 CPD units in Professional Skills
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.
Session 1
Thursday, 21 July 2022
12.00pm to 1.30pm Madness, Sadness and Badness: How to Understand the Personality Traits of Your Clients
Better understand different personality traits, and how these might present in your clients. Examine some of the most common personality traits that you might see in your legal work.
- Overview of different personality traits:
- Narcissistic
- Borderline
- Antisocial
- Introversion
- Extroversion
- What to expect from clients who present for legal representation with the different personality traits
- Psychological strategies and techniques that can help engage clients with different personality traits
Presented by Dr Katie Wood, Clinical Psychologist and Julia Vitebsky, Solicitor
Register here for Session 1 only
Session 2
Thursday, 18 August 2022
12.00pm to 1.30pm The Lawyer - Client Relationship: The Keys to Success
Examine the client–lawyer relationship, and how to establish qualities that help to ensure success over time. The focus is on supporting you to develop relationships that are based on trust, mutual understanding, and respect. Explore how to build rapport with clients, managing professional boundaries and understanding the role of empowerment.
- Rapport building and the role it plays in the lawyer-client relationship
- The role of empowerment in the lawyer-client relationship
- The different types of power that might be present in a lawyer-client relationship
- Professional boundaries
Presented by Dr Katie Wood, Clinical Psychologist and Julia Vitebsky, Solicitor
Register here for Session 2 only
Session 3
Thursday, 15 September 2022
12.00pm to 1.30pm Managing High Conflict Disputes: A Psychological Perspective
The aim of this workshop is to provide lawyers with a better understanding of different personality traits, and how these might present in their clients. All individuals come with their own histories (genes and environment), which shape their personality. In this workshop, we cover some of the most common personality traits that you might see in your legal work.
- Clients in high conflict disputes
- What is a high conflict dispute?
- Why do they happen?
- What client factors are relevant?
- What are these skills?
- Why do lawyers need the skills?
- Counselling microskills: why are they important for lawyers?
- Active Listening
- Non-verbal communication
- Staying ethical and professional in high conflict disputes
Presented by Dr Katie Wood, Clinical Psychologist and Julia Vitebsky, Solicitor
Register here for Session 3 only
Presenters
Dr Katie Wood
Katie is an Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Here, she is the course director for the Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) and Master of Counselling (and nested suites). She earned her PhD at La Trobe University and is a member of the Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists. Katie’s research and clinical interests are in performance psychology, twin psychology, and child and adolescent mental health, including ASD, early relational trauma, and family violence. She is an author on numerous publications in this field, and has been in private practice for over 20 years where she works with clients across the lifespan. Previously, she has worked at Eastern Health Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, and Albert Road Centre for Health.
Julia Vitebsky
Julia was admitted to practice in 2016 after graduating from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Laws (Juris Doctor). She completed both degrees whilst having successfully competed nationally and internationally as a professional ballroom dancer for many years. Julia is incredibly client focused, commercially minded and pragmatic in her approach to every legal matter. Julia’s experience and skills in a number of different areas in private practice, including but not limited to, Family Law, Commercial Law, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Property Law and Wills and Estates.