Live Webinar: 3 CPD Compulsory Topics for Lawyers – Ethics, Professional Skills, Practice Management & Business Skills

This webinar comprises 3 one-hour sessions covering each of the compulsory CPD subjects for lawyers for the CPD year ending 31 March 2025.

Session 1: Professional Skills

The Art of Negotiation in Commercial Disputes

Negotiation is an accepted alternative dispute resolution method. Just what that means in a commercial dispute context and how it should be used is the subject of this session. It includes:

• When to use negotiation – an overview
• Understanding procedural issues in establishing a negotiation between parties
• Giving effect to dispute resolution clauses that require negotiation between the parties
• Negotiation strategies – tackling the issues separately from personalities
• Establishing rules and open dialogue
• Addressing values in the negotiation process
• Dealing with differences during the negotiation process
• Case study – Dealing with an unreasonable refusal to negotiate

Session 2: Practice Management & Business Skills

The AI-Powered Legal Practice: The Next Disruptor is Here

Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a disruptive force, transforming various industries by automating processes, augmenting decision-making, and unlocking unprecedented efficiencies. The legal profession, known for its reliance on comprehensive research, meticulous analysis, and nuanced interpretation, is no exception to this transformative wave. As AI technologies continue to advance at an unprecedented pace, lawyers are increasingly embracing their potential to revolutionize legal practice. This session aims to explore the role of AI in the legal field, delving into its applications, challenges, and the evolving dynamics between AI and human expertise. It covers:

• Demystifying AI and its impact on the legal field, including legal research, contract analysis, and case law
• AI-powered tools and techniques that enhance efficiency in legal work, such as document analysis, due diligence, and time management
• Collaboration between AI and human expertise, and the ethical considerations that arise in AI-assisted legal practice

Session 3: Ethics

Preserving Integrity: Ethical Duties in the Face of Conflicts of Interest

At the heart of the recent PwC scandal are allegations that the firm misused confidential information from a government client to drum up work. While these allegations have been the subject of investigation, the media coverage of them and the actions alleged of its staff, serve as a timely reminder of the importance of understanding and upholding all the ethical duties lawyers owe to clients and what the proper discharge of these duties may require in a day-to-day sense. This session will examine:

• The ethical duties which lawyers owe to clients concerning the gathering and use of information and documents;
• The definition of client within the context of these ethical duties, how far that may extend and specific provisions which may apply when acting for government clients
• Ethical implications of recusal, withdrawal, or seeking informed consent
• Examples from decided cases concerning breaches of the duties including the misuse of information, confidentiality as well as examples of when potential conflicts were effectively and appropriately managed
• Strategies for early detection of conflicts of interest and disclosure of potential conflicts
• Tips for implementing conflict management protocols and ethical decision-making frameworks