This event was on July 12, 2016.
Join me at the Law Institute of Victoria on 12 July from 8.30 am to 5.15 pm for two workshops on essential family law skills. This is a repeat of a similar session earlier this year. Feedback from the LIV was:
“The materials you supplied were informative and of a high quality. This has been a great start to the LIV’s new education initiatives for 2016.”
Part 1 – Obtaining Instructions
When first meeting with a client, it is essential that you obtain the information you need and give accurate and comprehensive advice. Clients looking for assistance in family law matters are often under an enormous amount of stress and therefore require a lawyer who is both empathetic and skilled at helping clients interpret and understand their own needs.
In Part 1 of this workshop series, you will build on your knowledge of how to advise and take instructions in the initial meeting with a family law client through the combination of expert instruction and an interview role play exercise. You will also have the chance to develop new techniques for drafting proposed consent orders and affidavits.
Topics will include:
- interviewing the client
- questioning techniques and insights
- preparing the relevant documents and helpful references in this process
- drafting affidavits and proposed orders.
Part 2 – Interim Hearings
Preparing for an interim hearing can be a lengthy and stressful process, and it’s crucial that you not only organise your case from a legal standpoint, but that you also ready your client and yourself to appear in court by understanding the etiquette and requirements of the court in which you will be appearing.
Adding to your learning from Part 1, this session will cover how family lawyers can best prepare themselves and their client for an interim hearing. You will have the opportunity to work on your drafting techniques as well as preparation for oral submissions. In the workshop component, you will get the chance to apply your new knowledge creatively and work with your peers on a factually complex hypothetical family law problem.
Topics will include:
- preparation for court – preparing the client and yourself
- drafting a chronology and minutes of proposed orders
- court etiquette and guidelines for submissions
- preparing draft submissions.