School Law Series 2023
With obligations to staff, students, and parents it’s easy to make a legal misstep. That’s why we’ve brought together the most important topics tailor made for schools. Register for the full series, or just the sessions that interest you and get the information, updates, and strategies you need across employment law, risk and safety on school excursions, privacy and information sharing, psychological hazards, bullying & harassment, managing questionable behaviour outside of work & more. WEB2310N07Z
Description
Teachers attending the entire series earn 6 Professional Development Hours (NSW, VIC) / CPD Points (QLD, WA, SA)
Lawyers attending the entire series earn 6 CPD units in Substantive Law
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
Critical Employment Law Update for Education Settings
Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Are you across the latest set of changes to employment conditions which commenced on 1 July 2023? When your staff look to request changes to their employment contracts based on this changing legislation, don’t be caught out. Ensure you have the ability to handle these conversations with a strong legal foundation and the confidence to reach an agreement which works for both parties. WEB2310N07AZ
1.00pm to 2.00pm Critical Employment Law Update for Education Settings
With several key changes to employment conditions which commenced on 1 July 2023 it’s vital that you and your school are across the latest entitlements and procedures. Join Accredited employment and industrial law specialist Janine Smith as she walks you through key considerations and ensure compliance.
Presented by Janine Smith, Partner, Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Employment & Industrial Law
Attend and earn 1 Professional Development Hour (NSW, VIC) / CPD Point (QLD, WA, SA)
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Substantive Law
Register here for Session 1 only
Session 2
Managing Risk and Safety on School Excursions and Student Exchanges
Wednesday, 25 October 2023
School excursions and student exchanges can quickly go wrong. Injuries, accidents, health and weather conditions are just some of the risks at play. As the world moves towards a post-pandemic era, and schools look to reintroduce enriching excursions and student exchange programs, equip yourself with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the legal challenges of OH&S, duty of care and child safety by registering now. WEB2310N07BZ
Chair: Susan Allen, Former Principal, Randwick Public School
1.00pm to 2.00pm Managing Risk and Safety on School Excursions and Student Exchanges
In a post-pandemic learning context, schools are returning to a full breadth of excursion and exchange offerings.
In this session you will cover:
- Defining the “School Environment” in the context of excursions and exchanges
- Navigating the school legal obligations to eliminate or mitigate risks: child safety, OH&S, duty of care
- Baseline rules your procedures should address
- Risk assessments as a tool (not just a tick box) for managing risk
Presented by Cecelia Irvine-So, Practice Leader, Moores; Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law and Penny Liberogiannis, Senior Lawyer, Moores
Attend and earn 1 Professional Development Hour (NSW, VIC) / CPD Point (QLD, WA, SA)
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Substantive Law
Register here for Session 2 only
Session 3
Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Your School
Wednesday, 1 November 2023
Do you know the hidden dangers of psychosocial hazards in your school? Understand the warning signs to look out for! Discover the legal obligations your school bears concerning the management of psychosocial hazards. Gain insights into relevant work health and safety legislation and the crucial steps to ensure your school maintains compliance.WEB2311N07CZ
Chair: Dr. Steven Middleton, Associate Principal, St Margaret's and Berwick Grammar School
1.00pm to 2.00pm Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Your School
- What are psychosocial hazards?
- What obligations does a school have under work health and safety legislation in regard to the management of psychosocial hazards
- The importance of adopting a risk-based approach
- Practical steps to assist schools comply with these obligations
Presented by Dominic Fleeton, Partner, K&L Gates
Attend and earn 1 Professional Development Hour (NSW, VIC) / CPD Point (QLD, WA, SA)
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Substantive Law
Register here for Session 3 only
Session 4
Session Cancelled
Session 5
Bullying and Harassment in the School Workplace: Maintaining a Safe School
Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Is your school prioritizing a safe and inclusive environment? Bullying and sexual harassment can fly under the radar so its vital to tackle it head-on. With practical insights, relevant case studies, and best practices you can’t afford to miss this session. Ensure your school builds a culture of respect, trust, and well-being. WEB2311N07EZ
1.00pm to 2.00pm Bullying and Harassment in the School Workplace: Maintaining a Safe School
Join Alexandra and Peter from Dentons for a discussion in relation to the proactive steps that Schools should be taking in order to create and maintain safe and respectful workplaces. This will include:
- A discussion in relation to the Fair Work Commission’s bullying and sexual harassment jurisdiction
- The positive duty to eliminate sexual harassment
- Examine case law relevant to school environments
Presented by Alexandra Terrill, Managing Associate, Dentons and Peter Watkins, Associate, Dentons
Attend and earn 1 Professional Development Hour (NSW, VIC) / CPD Point (QLD, WA, SA)
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Substantive Law
Register here for Session 5 only
Session 6
Managing Questionable Behaviour Outside of Work
Wednesday, 22 November 2023
A member of staff has posted something inappropriate on Facebook? TikTok? Or Instagram? Navigating the delicate balance between an employee's private life and their conduct outside of work can be challenging. Gain valuable insights into the correct process, legal tests, and real-life case examples that will equip you to handle these difficult situations professionally and within the confines of the law. WEB2311N07FZ
Chair: Dr. Steven Middleton, Associate Principal, St Margaret's and Berwick Grammar School
1.00pm to 2.00pm Managing Questionable Behaviour Outside of Work
- Understanding the legal framework for assessing when conduct is (and isn’t) ‘outside of work’
- Reviewing the use of social media and what can be reasonably required of your employees
- Understanding the management tools available and the associated legal and reputational risks for employers
- Unpacking specific issues including criminal conduct and domestic and family violence through case studies and scenarios
Presented by Jennifer Veiga, Partner, MinterEllison and Patrick Ritchie, Senior Associate, MinterEllison
Attend and earn 1 Professional Development Hour (NSW, VIC) / CPD Point (QLD, WA, SA)
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Substantive Law
Register here for Session 6 only
Presenters
Janine Smith
Janine is a NSW Law Society Accredited Specialist in Employment and Industrial Law. She regularly advises and represents both employers and employees across the full spectrum of employment related matters including contractual drafting, negotiations and disputes; workplace investigations; restructuring and redundancy; unfair dismissal; general protections/workplace rights; discrimination; and post-employment restraints. Janine also has extensive experience in the area of work health and safety, having previously acted for the prosecuting authority in NSW. She now advises and represents organisations and individuals facing investigation and/or prosecution following workplace incidents. She also provides seminars to employers and boards regarding compliance with WHS law, including the obligations imposed on senior managers and other officers. Janine is responsible for leading the workplace relations team. Her clients include a wide range of stakeholders in workplace relations – employers, employees and contractors, representative bodies, government and not-for-profit organisations. Janine conducts litigation dealing with employment, commercial and other disputes in courts including the Federal, Supreme, Industrial and District Courts of NSW. Janine also has considerable experience in representing clients involved in disciplinary proceedings before specialist tribunals.
Susan Allen
Susan Allen has recently relinquished the position of Principal at Randwick Public School, a large, high performing K-6 government primary school in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. Mrs Allen served the school for 17 years as Principal following on from Principal positions in South West Sydney, Albury and Ontario, Canada for the previous 17 years as well as teaching in large and small and rural and city settings. Leading a high demand school, of a 1000 students, half of whom have backgrounds other than English and representing 62 different language groups, and serving the parent community of the University of NSW and Medical professionals from the area’s three large teaching hospitals, requires a sound knowledge of curriculum, education policy, risk management and government legislation. Navigating the conflicting requirements of community expectations, student needs and staff skills and well being, requires clear communication, careful planning and effective administration. Over 17 years at Randwick, Susan has mentored executive staff in the knowledge, skills and attitudes that have enabled seven to take up their own Principalship successfully and others to develop as strong middle leaders both at Randwick and beyond.
Cecelia Irvine-So
Cecelia is a Practice Leader in the Corporate Advisory team and heads the Education team at Moores. Cecelia is a commercial lawyer specialising in education law, education governance, privacy and regulatory compliance. Cecelia is the first port of call for a significant number of independent and Catholic schools, education providers, kindergarten cluster managers and K-12 education management and peak bodies. Cecelia has developed a reputation for successfully assisting education bodies and schools which are facing regulator intervention due to critical events or funding and compliance issues, including CRICOS, VRQA, Dept of Education, NESA, TEQSA and ASQA. As one of only a handful of dedicated education lawyers, she is in demand from industry bodies seeking her expertise for speaking engagements and training, and contributions to boards and advisory groups. In addition to regulation, Cecelia assists education clients with student and parent relations, enrolment and admission, behavior and discipline and Board governance. Cecelia also has a special interest in regulatory compliance across the board for Not for Profits, with a particular emphasis on privacy and information. In her role as a leader at Moores, Cecelia has represented the firm in corporate fundraising. Cecelia’s demeanour is always professional, but with the slightest edge of quirky humour which makes Cecelia an engaging advisor and public speaker.
Penny Liberogiannis
Penny Liberogiannis is a Senior Lawyer in the Corporate Advisory Team at Moores. Penny is a governance, risk and compliance expert. Having worked within education institutions for over 10 years, Penny understands the sector’s complex regulatory and risk landscape and brings invaluable insights to provide practical solutions for education and other not-for-profit clients. Penny has led tertiary provider and school registration projects, advised on international and transnational education arrangements, and developed frameworks to steer organisational policy, compliance and risk management maturity. In addition to education, Penny has also been the privacy officer in global health technology and university organisations providing specialist privacy advice across information management systems, compliance with state, federal and global privacy legal frameworks, and cyber security risk management. Penny enjoys combining her project experience and her legal expertise to uniquely assist her education and not-for-profit clients to navigate their complex regulatory environments with informed and well considered solutions.
Dominic Fleeton
Dominic is an experienced industrial relations, safety and employment adviser and litigator. Whether a client is seeking proactive assistance to shape a strategy for a project, transaction or emerging issue, or seeking representation in responding to an active claim or proceeding, Dominic identifies the client’s objectives and priorities, works with them to formulate options that are geared towards achieving them, and then pursues the chosen course of action with energy, efficiency and enthusiasm. Dominic takes great pride in assisting clients to develop and successfully implement industrial relations strategies and, in doing so, achieving their desired objectives, such as bargaining and obtaining approval of an enterprise agreement, achieving structural change or completing a major project without unnecessary disputation and delay. Dominic is an experienced safety law practitioner who provides services across the board - from proactive compliance advice for employers, Boards and senior managers, to representation in response to regulator enquiries and investigations, to crisis management support in the aftermath of major safety incidents.
Jennifer Parkes
Jennifer is a litigation lawyer, with over 10 years’ experience, who specialises in workers compensation, education and discrimination matters. She has an extensive experience in preventing and resolving legal issues with a core focus on discrimination in the tertiary education sector. Discrimination complaints are delicate matters which can lead to protracted and often complicated cases and Jennifer’s experience and thorough approach allows her to address matters in the most effective way and provide practical settlement advice to her clients. In most cases, Jennifer is able to negotiate an alternative resolution to the dispute, avoiding the need for litigation and preserving her clients’ reputation while minimising their risk exposure. In addition to her expertise in education, Jennifer has an excellent technical knowledge of the legislative and strategic demands of claims management in discrimination and workers compensation matters. All Hicksons partners and staff are practical, forward-looking people with real-world experience and deep expertise and Jennifer can provide insights on current trends in complaints and, critically, strategic advice on the most appropriate response to issues. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Newcastle and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New England. She began with the firm in 2006 and is admitted to practice in NSW and the High Court of Australia.
Alexandra Terrill
Alexandra Terrill is a Managing Associate in the Employment and Safety team in the Melbourne office. Alexandra has considerable experience providing practical and tailored solutions in relation to various workplace law matters across the full range of employment and post-employment matters. She advises clients across various industries, including retail, education, security, labour hire and aged care. Alexandra has worked on some of the most significant industrial relations cases of the past decade. For example, between 2016-2017, she instructed Counsel on behalf of the Australian Retailers Association in the penalty rates reduction case in the Fair Work Commission, which reduced penalty rates in modern awards in the retail and hospitality industries. This was one of the most significant cases in retail industry history in Australia. She also worked on a major High Court matter on behalf of Boral against the CFMEU which involved contempt of court and secondary boycotts, ultimately resulting in a successful High Court judgment for the client.
Peter Watkins
Peter Watkins is an Associate in the Employment and Safety Team in the Melbourne Office. Peter has experience in employment-related litigation before both the Fair Work Commission and the Federal Courts, including with unfair dismissal, general protections claims, discrimination, enterprise bargaining disputes, industrial action and stop bullying order applications. He has conducted investigations pertaining to workplace bullying and work health and safety matters. Peter provides advice regarding all aspects of the employment cycle. He assists clients across a broad range of sectors, including, education, bio-medical, faith-based, labour hire, mining and aged care.
Jennifer Veiga
Jennifer Veiga (Special Counsel, Queensland) is in MinterEllison's Human Resources & Industrial Relations Division. Prior to joining MinterEllison, Jennifer spent twenty years as a lawyer in the United States, specialising in employment and workplace relations matters. A senior member of our Management of Injured Workers practice in Queensland, Jennifer advises on workers' compensation and self insurance. She provides strategic advice to employers on all aspects of a work-related injury, including unfair dismissal, discrimination, and workplace health and safety issues. As an experienced employment lawyer, Jennifer provides advice in relation to a wide range of issues including workplace investigations, termination of employment, contract drafting and redundancy and employee entitlements. Prior to relocating to Australia, Jennifer served as a Colorado State Senator and a Colorado State Representative, and held the position of Minority Leader for the Colorado House of Representatives.
Patrick Ritchie
Pat is a Senior Associate in MinterEllison’s Workplace Team. He has approximately 10 years’ experience in advising clients in public and private sectors on the full spectrum of employment law issues, work health and safety, discrimination, unfair dismissal, adverse action and psychosocial injury claims. Pat is a leader in MinterEllison's National Workplace Investigations Unit and has extensive experience in conducting safety-focused, trauma-informed and person-centric workplace investigations for schools, universities, government departments and local councils. Pat has a particular interest in the effective management of criminal conduct in the workplace, including how out of hours conduct can impact the employment relationship. Pat is currently completing his Master of Laws at the University of Sydney.