Every year, community legal centres (CLCs) lose thousands of precious hours triaging calls from prospective clients. The winning team from the inaugural UWA Legal Hackathon aimed to solve this issue with Lawra - a digital assistant that could quickly direct people to the CLC that best suited their legal needs. Almost one year on, Lawra is well on its way to becoming a reality.
LawCPD co-founder, Sarah Mateljan, sat down with the Lawra team (Georgina Due, Astrid Sweeny and Linda Mulenda) to gain insight into their journey from initial concept to viable technical solution.
The way people work is changing, and the new generation of lawyers is championing new work arrangements to improve work/life balance. As the advantages of flexible work start to outweigh the perceived associated risks, law firms need to adapt to remain competitive and to ensure that flexible work is implemented in a way that can benefit all.
Monday the 13th May marks the start of Law Week 2019 - a week dedicated to raising awareness about legal services in the community. Across Australia, local law societies will host a series of events including court open days, free legal advice clinics, information sessions and fundraisers. Check out our useful guide to discover what’s happening in each state this year.
Too often, it feels like time management tips for lawyers can just be summed up by “saying no more often”. However, this can be an oversimplification of the real challenges legal professional face when trying to optimise their time, both at work and at home. Laura Vanderkam, time management expert and best selling author, shares with us some time management insight.
Michelle Sharpe has achieved a huge amount in her legal career so far. Since joining the Victorian Bar in 2002 she has co-founded the Health & Wellbeing Committee, been awarded a Doctorate, and most recently, published a book with Lexis Nexis on Unconscionable Conduct in Australian Commercial and Consumer Contracts.
We spoke with Michelle recently about the release of her book, her reasons for becoming a barrister, and her thoughts on wellbeing in the legal profession.
Recently Sarah Mateljan, Co-Founder and Director of LawCPD.com.au, was a roaming mentor at the inaugural Disrupting Law Hackathon in Perth – organised by the Legal Forecast and hosted by UWA law school. Over 54 hours, 35 students working in 7 teams came up with innovative, creative and disruptive solutions to real-world legal problems.
How much time do you spend in meetings each week? If you are in a management role, chances are that you might be spending up to 50% of your time in meetings! Avoiding unproductive or unnecessary meetings is an essential part of time management for lawyers. Discover our infographic guide “Do I Really Need This Meeting?” to help you run more efficient and productive meetings in your firm or organisation.
There is a widely held misconception that being “aggressive” is an essential trait of a successful lawyer. This idea, repeatedly communicated and endorsed by popular culture, is not only shared by the public but also by some members of the profession.
However, the idea that aggressive communication is the only way for a lawyer to display confidence and get the outcome their clients want is fundamentally flawed. In truth, assertive communication can enable you to achieve much more for your clients whilst preserving positive, professional relationships with your colleagues in the law.
