Mandatory CPD Bundle

1.30pm: Login and Welcome

1.35pm – 2.35pm: Practice Management and Business Skills: Busting Business Development Myths

Speaker: Sue-Ella Prodonovich, Principal, Prodonovich Advisory

“Just pick up the phone and speak with the client” or “If you do a good job, your client will refer you to others.” Could these Business Development (BD) mantras be wrong in today’s environment?

In this session, this leading expert on law firm BD will ‘bust’ ten BD myths. You will learn to replace BD myths with practical tactics and tips to develop clients for today’s contemporary legal practices.

 2.35pm – 2.45pm: Stretch break

2.45pm – 3.45pm: Professional Skills: Communication skills to navigate conflict.

Speaker: Anne-Marie Cade, Divorce Coach & Family Mediator, DivorceRight and Adjunct Lecturer, College of Law

Dealing with and managing conflict is a regular occurrence for practising lawyers. How we communicate with adversaries, clients or other stakeholders has a direct impact on how we manage conflict, to achieve better outcomes.

Topics in this webinar include: 

• How to master difficult conversations

Learn strategies to de-escalate conflicts with clients, opposing counsel, and colleagues. Use active listening techniques to encourage understanding and achieve resolution. 

• Conflict communication styles

Identify and adapt to various conflict communication styles in negotiation and mediation to improve outcomes. 

• Non-verbal communication in conflict resolution

Recognise and utilise body language to build rapport and trust. Identify non-verbal cues in clients to uncover unspoken concerns. 

• Cross-cultural communication in legal practice

Navigate cultural differences in communication during disputes. Avoid misunderstandings and create respect across diverse backgrounds. 

3.45pm – 3.55pm: Stretch break

3.55pm – 5pm: Ethics and Professional Responsibility: Develop a framework for navigating common ethical dilemmas.

Speaker: Michela Gallimore, Principal, Gallimore Lawyers, and Adjunct Lecturer, College of Law

Lawyers regularly encounter ethical dilemmas in their practice. This webinar provides a practical roadmap for addressing common ethical challenges, such as conflicts of interest and duties of confidentiality. You'll revisit foundational principles and explore real-life ethical dilemmas through group discussions. Together, you'll learn how to uphold the highest ethical standards and effectively resolve ethical issues.

5.00pm: Close

This webinar is ideal for all legal practitioners who wish to successfully complete their mandatory requirements outlined in the Legal Profession Uniform Law, substantive law excepted.

This webinar is produced in NSW and features practitioners based in NSW and WA. This webinar is available to practitioners from all Australian jurisdictions.

The time listed for this course is Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). Please take note of any time differences if you are registering from QLD, WA, SA, NT or from outside Australia.  

If you intend to claim CPD units for this educational activity, please note that CPD activities are not accredited by the Law Society of NSW or any other equivalent local authority, with the exception of Western Australia. If you hold a practising certificate in a state or territory other than Western Australia and this educational activity extends your knowledge and skills in areas that are relevant to your practice needs or professional development, then you should claim one (1) "unit” for each hour of attendance, refreshment breaks not included. The annual requirement is ten (10) CPD units each year from 1 April to 31 March. Some practitioners, such as accredited specialists are required to complete more than ten (10) units each CPD year.

Practitioners holding WA practising certificates are eligible to earn CPD points for this course. For instructions to earn CPD points, please click here.  

Ethics and professional responsibility – 1 point

Practice management and business skills – 1 point

Professional skills – 1 point

Sue-Ella Prodonovich
Prodonovich Advisory

Sue-Ella is an award-winning adviser and author who brings more than 25 years of senior level Business Development experience in the legal sector.

In 2011 Sue-Ella was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Australasian Professional Services Marketing Association for services to the sector and in 2019 she was made a Fellow of The College of Law Practice Management (US) for outstanding and sustained contributions to the industry.

Sue-Ella specialises in Building the business development skills of lawyers and assisting firm with their business development plans.

Detail on Sue-Ella’s qualifications and experience and thinking can be found at www.prodonovich.com

Anne-Marie Cade
Divorce Coach & Family Mediator, DivorceRight

Anne-Marie Cade is a family lawyer who is also an experienced Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Nationally Accredited Mediator as well as a Parenting Coordinator and Certified Divorce Coach.

Anne-Marie is the founder and CEO of Divorce Right, a boutique mediation and divorce coaching practice. She is passionate about the work she does as an Alternative Dispute Resolution professional  to help her clients reach a peaceful resolution. She provides mediation services as well as coaching and training on topics such as constructive conflict resolution, effective communication, divorce coaching, negotiation, resilience, wellbeing, and parenting coordination. In her coaching and training she provides valuable insights and strategic advice on building conflict intelligence, constructive conflict resolution, conflict management and navigating difficult conversations.

She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to conduct research internationally in “Best Practice in Parenting Co-ordination” with a view to informing the implementation of the practice in Australia. She has been recognised for her innovative work, receiving the LexisNexis and Janders Dean Legal Innovation Award in 2016. She was also recognised as winner of the Thought Leader of the Year at the Women in Law Awards in 2017. In 2023 she won Australian Mediator of the Year at the Australasian Law Awards. More recently in 2024 she won the following awards at the Australian ADR Awards - Conflict Coach of the Year, ADR Project of the Year and ADR Innovation of the Year. In 2024 she also received the Resolution Institute Certificate Award for Service to dispute resolution

Anne-Marie has a Masters in Family Dispute Resolution and Negotiation. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the College of Law in Victoria for their Practical Legal Training course.

Michela Gallimore

Principal, Gallimore Lawyers, and Adjunct Lecturer, College of Law

Michela Gallimore has been admitted as a solicitor in NSW for 36 years and has represented clients on large and small litigation, advisory and transactional commercial law matters.  She specialises in most aspects of litigious and transactional commercial and contract law.

Her professional roles have included:

• Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Ashurst (previously Blake Dawson Waldron) – commercial litigation lawyer in a variety of cases including contract law, consumer protection law and intellectual property law.
• State Crown Solicitors Office – senior legal counsel in the commercial law team drafting and negotiating several commercial agreements for the NSW government.
• Sydney Futures Exchange and Australian Securities Exchange (“ASX”)

– Senior in-house counsel in charge of the commercial team advising on, negotiating and managing several major commercial projects as part of project teams including the negotiation of the agreement for the development and implementation of the electronic trading system.

- Senior Policy Adviser (Regulatory and Public Policy Business Unit) preparing complex papers and submissions to ASIC and the ASX Policy Committee on a number of policy and regulatory issues affecting the Australian financial markets including international listings and capital raising requirements.

• College of Law – lecturer since 2016 in the general, on campus and coops PLT courses.

Michela’s academic qualifications include:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) – University of Sydney 1987
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) – University of Sydney 1989
• Accredited Commercial Mediator – Australian Commercial Disputes Centre1996
• Master of Laws (commercial law) (LLM) – University of Sydney 2004

Please be aware that this course organised by the College of Law may be recorded for use on our websites, marketing materials and publications. By attending and participating in a College of Law Continuing Professional Development course, you consent to the College of Law photographing or recording and using your image and likeness and/or voice.