13th Floor St James Hall

Michael Willmott SC a panel member for Will Awareness Day 2012

Should people make provision in their wills for their adult children?

Most people would agree that a person making a will should provide for their spouse and any children who are young or dependant on them. But what about adult children?

We have all heard of cases where adult children have made claims in Court on the basis that either their parents did not provide for them in their wills, or did not provide enough.

Parents who wish to make a will leaving little or no provision for their children will be warned by their solicitor that they are running the risk of the child bringing a court action claiming provision, which could end up costing the estate a lot of money.

The parent might then ask the solicitor: “Why bother making a will when a will can be contested?”

Join us for a free Will Awareness Day panel discussion in Sydney on 10 August 2012.

Susan Phillips Presents “Native Title Negotiations From An Indigenous Perspective”

Date: Friday, 31 August 2012
Time: 9.00am to 1.15pm
Venue: The Grace Sydney, 77 York Street, Sydney

Susan Phillips presents “Native Title Negotiations From An Indigenous Perspective”at Native Title: Negotiation and Mediation Seminar

Topics will cover

• Perceptions and expectations of traditional land owners with regards to Native Title negotiations
• Advice on identifying/resourcing Native Title applicants
Read more

Simon Chapple speaks at City of Sydney Law Society

Seminar: Issues when drafting Caveats and seeking their removal
When: Wednesday 1 August 2012, 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Where: Level 3, 115 Pitt Street Sydney.

The topic will cover:

– When to lodge a caveat and how to protect your interest if you don’t have a ‘caveatable interest’;

– Common mistakes that are made when drafting caveats and their consequences;

François Salama presents at City of Sydney Law Society

Seminar: Urgent Injunctive relief in the Supreme Court
When: Wednesday 4 July 2012, 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Where: Level 3, 115 Pitt Street Sydney.

How to run a successful interlocutory injunction – this seminar will discuss in brief, what the appropriate practice and procedure is in seeking urgent injunctive relief in the Equity Duty Judge list.

Jeremy Morris speaks at City of Sydney Law Society

In many civil and criminal cases success depends on being able to procure expert opinion that is admissible or being able to exclude expert opinion that is not.  The High Court had recently revisited the basic requirements of admissibility and provided a critical template to determine the distinction between admissibility and weight (Dasreef v Hawchar […]

Keynote Address: Jane Needham SC

Time & Date of Seminar: 9.30am to 2.30pm on Tuesday 19 June 2012

Venue: The College of Law City, St James Centre

Topic of Seminar: Returning to Practice: Making it all Work

In December 2011 the Law Society of New South Wales released a report entitled “Advancement of Women in the Profession”. This event is inspired by the findings and recommendations of this report. This program is specially designed to assist women who are returning to practice or who are planning to take a break in the near future.

Howard Packer speaking at City of Sydney Law Society

Time & Date of Seminar: 5:30pm on Wed. 13th June, 2012

Venue: Level 3, 115 Pitt St, Sydney (between Hunter St & Martin Place)

Topic of Seminar: “Criminal Law Issues: Section 138 of the Evidence Act

(excluding improperly of illegally obtained evidence in criminal trials) and

Section 32 of the Mental Health (Forensic Procedures) Act (dismissal on

referral to counsellor)”

Recent publications on indigenous issues by Phillips and Lane

Susan Phillips has recently authored a chapter in the 5th Edition of The Environmental Law Handbook published in late 2011 by Redfern Legal Centre Publishing. Chapter 20, entitled “Aboriginal Land and Heritage in NSW”, is a continuation of Susan’s long commitment to the legal issues relating to our indigenous people. Susan continues to be a author of chapters 4 and 5 of the Native Title Service, published by LexisNexis Butterworths concerning practice and procedure of the Federal Court in the deciding of native title claims, which is the main focus of her current practice.

Valuable lesson in Marketing 101

Francois Salama suggests, The Sydney Morning Herald 8 February 2012, that the subject of marketing should have been taught at law school as it is a critical tool to developing and maintaining a successful law practice. See the CornerPostMarketing blog for the full article…

Jane Needham SC Speaking at NSW Bar Association 2012 CPD Conference

Event: NSW Bar Association 2012 CPD Conference

Date: Saturday 31 March 2012

Venue: Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney

Click here for more information