InBrief

The Association of Corporate Counsel National Conference is being held in Canberra this week.

As part of yesterday’s program, a direct briefing masterclass session was presented on behalf of the NSW Bar by Elizabeth Cheeseman SC and Caspar Conde from the Bar Association’s Practice Development Committee, along with Terri Esparza, Head of Litigation, TAL Life Limited. Michelle Painter SC from the Practice Development Committee presented the ACC Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility Award on behalf of the NSW Bar Association at the ACC Australia In-house Lawyer Awards Dinner last night.

Today, Kate Eastman SC spoke for the New South Wales and Australian bar associations about the Law Council's Gender Equitable Briefing Policy and in-house counsel. She shared the panel with Michael Kirby, Michael Rowe (Head of Legal MetLife) and Helen Watchirs (ACT Human Rights).

The direct briefing panel panel session focussed upon how in-house counsel can brief the Bar direct on a range of matters involving dispute resolution and beyond, including informing and setting corporate strategies, policies and responses. In conjunction with the session, members of the NSW Barristers Clerks Association attended the conference to provide practical advice to in-house counsel delegates on how to find the right barrister for their particular needs. These initiatives emphasised the utility of the Association’s Find a Barrister facility, which now allows searches to be made by reference to whether a barrister accepts briefs direct from in house counsel and barristers who have a CV available on their profile. Members who have not done so already are encouraged to update their Find a Barrister profiles to incorporate this information.