In Australia, employment law is one of the most rapidly evolving areas of legal practice. The need to stay ahead of the curve means Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for lawyers in this area can no longer simply be about ‘checking the box’. Modern Employment Law Conferences are changing the way practitioners think about Employment Law CPD, with greater insight, practical application, and forward-looking analysis.
Why is CPD becoming more complex and demanding?
Employment law is one of the most complex areas of practice for lawyers due to the way it sits at the nexus of regulation, people, and society. Legislative changes, community expectations, and regulatory enforcement are all constantly in flux and shifting the way lawyers must think about advising and managing risk.
Recent reforms to industrial relations laws, increased compliance obligations around wage audits and record-keeping, the Government’s proposed regulatory reforms, and expanded scope of employer duties in relation to culture and psychosocial safety have seen the bar raised for what it means to be a competent candidate. No longer is it sufficient to know what the law says. They are being asked to understand the law in context and be able to give meaningful, practical advice to employers on how the law applies.
What’s in with the new?
With an emphasis on specific legal concerns presented in stand-alone webinars, lectures, or sessions, traditional CPD in employment law has a tendency to be brief and atomised. Although this is still a helpful method for discussing specific and pertinent subjects, it can be simple to overlook context and relevance in a field that moves quickly and is interrelated.
A conference’s unique selling point is the carefully chosen material that explores major issues in a number of connected sessions. Additionally, conferences usually provide more access to a range of viewpoints from academics, research institutions, industry experts, regulators, other senior legal practitioners, and in-house specialists. Lawyers may test their tactics, assess their practices, challenge presumptions, and more confidently predict the future direction of change and impact of reform thanks to this wide access to subject matter experts and the knowledge and real-world case studies they can offer.
What do employment law conferences cover?
The focus of Employment Law CPD is also changing. Conferences still cover the traditional foundational topics such as modern awards and legislative entitlements, employee engagement, disciplinary and termination procedures. However, there has been an increase in demand for more advanced and emerging issues, such as:
- Practical approaches to workplace investigations
- Managing psychosocial hazards and risk
- How to respond to increased regulatory enforcement activity
- Role of risk and governance in meeting employer duties to prevent workplace conflicts and issues.
Adding value to legal practice
The legal market is competitive, and clients have high expectations. It is no longer enough to just ‘keep up’. Clients expect lawyers to be able to not only identify and manage risks but also anticipate them and be able to confidently advise even in the most challenging and complex situations. These conferences can give lawyers the tools to do this.
Attending one can help lawyers see the trends in employment law issues, legislative and regulatory changes, and the practical impact that these changes are having across a range of industries. This information is immediately usable in practice, whether it is in client advice, implementing new internal processes, policy, or training for staff, or running risk assessments.
Another key benefit is that the delivery of the conference format provides a greater sense of professional confidence. The collaborative environment and expert facilitation enable lawyers to explore complex issues, benchmark their thinking and decision-making, and test the practical advice they give to clients. This is an essential skill for employment lawyers to develop and perfect at a time when professional judgement is more important than ever in the practice.
The future of employment law conferences
In a legal and regulatory environment where change is the only constant, conferences are also unique; the discussions are not only relevant to current and recent reforms, but also consider what is coming next. This can include proposed or foreshadowed reforms, key changes or trends in case law, as well as anticipated shifts in regulatory and community expectations, and how all of these will shape the future of employment law.
Conferences can thus facilitate a more meaningful approach to CPD, not just in terms of knowledge and information but also in terms of the capacity to interact, reflect, benchmark, and adjust to a constantly shifting environment. In addition to keeping attorneys current, these conferences foster professional networks, encourage collaboration, and introduce them to fresh ideas and viewpoints. The combination of education, networking, and forward-thinking guidance ensures that practitioners remain flexible, confident, and well-equipped for evolving professional problems.
