Legal insights.
The latest in legal trends, advice and professional development, from commercial leasing to cyber insurance. Expert articles and sessions written for lawyers running independent practices.
All insights
Articles & sessions.
Many of these insights come from our monthly member-to-member CPD sessions. Present at one and earn CPD points where eligible.
About Clarence Legal ServicesThe 2026 Client Arrives With 40 Pages of ChatGPT Notes. Now What?Clients have moved from curious about AI to confident with it, and that changes the first meeting. Here is a summary of the observations and workflow ideas from Talya Faigenbaum, Managing Director of Nest Legal, in her session on the 2026 client. The 2026 client landscape Clients are increasingly confident using AI tools for research…Family Law After the 2026 LIV Conference: Where Cases Are Won and LostThe family law session was full of practical guidance on evidence and orders. Here is a summary of the frameworks that stood out, with the key cases named so you can read the source. Joint minutes Courts generally require specific evidence and submissions before making orders. Blanket requests are often set aside. Joint minutes help…What's changed in Victorian committals and bail, six months onVictorian criminal practice has shifted under reforms that are now in effect. Here is a clear summary of the points raised at last week's Law Institute of Victoria conference, with the substance credited to the presenters and the underlying legislation noted so you can read it for yourself. Committal reforms (around six months in) The…Who is a Parent? by Stephen PageThe mother is always certain. The father, not so much. The others- donor, surrogate, partner who consented, partner who didn't, intended parent, parent who turned up later- gets harder to navigate every year the technology moves and the legislation doesn't. At our most recent CPD session, Stephen Page from Page Provan walked members and guests…How to Complete CPD on Maternity LeaveYou're back from leave with a pile of CPD to clear, you've got a sleeping baby on you at 6.45pm, and the only Substantive Law session your firm has flagged this week starts at 6pm in the boardroom. That's not going to work, is it? But no one seems to realise that. CPD wasn't designed…Gendered Violence at Work: What Every Lawyer Needs to KnowYou became a lawyer to practise law, not to manage workplace cultures where harmful behaviour goes unchecked. But if you're running your own practice or sharing a workspace with staff, the legal framework around gendered violence at work makes that part of your job too. At a recent event at Clarence Bourke Street , Laura…Burning Bright Without Burning Out – Justice Jayne JagotJustice Jayne Jagot | High Court of Australia Minds Count Annual Lecture, 2023 "Despite the law providing a potentially fascinating and highly rewarding career, we in the law are routinely informed that we are more miserable, more stressed, distressed, anxious, and depressed than most other professions. How can that be? After all, the law provides…The Importance of Intellectual Property In Early-Stage BusinessIn today's business environment, timing is a critical element of successful business strategy, particularly when it comes to managing intellectual property in an ever-evolving global marketplace. The creation and protection of intellectual property registrations depends on taking the right legal action at the right time. This is especially true when it comes to early-stage business…Tax Planning 101: What to know before 30 June – Southern Cross Business AdvisersFor anyone who pays income tax, has structures and affairs that are managed by an accountant, this is an unmissable event. Too often, the accountant is seen as a “once a year” professional to get your taxes done. In an environment where tax and government enforcement action is the highest it has ever been, education…Lav Chhabra – Estate Planning for Complex FamiliesIn this session, Lav Chhabra (Principal, Perpetuity Legal, Lonsdale Street) guides us through the best practices for navigating estate planning discussions with complex family situations. This includes frameworks for the use of testamentary trusts and a focus on the importance of correct nominations within a super fund (both retail & SMSF).Jock Hamilton – Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment ActWe're kicking off 2024 strong with a CPD event from one of the preeminent construction lawyers in Sydney, Jock Hamilton, Principal at Hamilton Mott. This session focuses on some of the key concepts within the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act (SOPA). The session is recommended for all legal professionals who are unfamiliar…James Ryan – Keeping it Commercial: Commercial leasing issues that can cost youFor this Clarence Professional Development Session, we were joined by James Ryan, the founding partner of Speirs Ryan, for a discussion on commercial leasing issues. There is nothing worse than when a lawyer responds to a negotiation issue telling you a clause is ‘standard’ – as if that somehow addresses the concern raised. This discussion…
Share knowledge, earn CPD points.
Join our monthly member keynote sessions as a speaker or participant, network with the wider Clarence community and earn CPD points where eligible.
Become a member →See upcoming CPD sessions →