Public Sector In-house Counsel Congress agenda

2nd annual Public Sector In-house Counsel Congress

Stamford Plaza, Melbourne, 23-24 October 2019

	Conference day one – Wednesday 23 October 2019
08.30	Registration
09.00	Opening remarks from the chair
09.10	Providing a high-quality legal service to the organisation
	Defining the role of legal services to the organisation ; its inclusions and limitations Effectively engaging stakeholder, managing expectations and mitigating risk Delivering legal information in an engaging format for a diverse workforce Developing a system for prioritising legal enquiries Reducing the volume of enquiries Providing effective support for the legal services team
	Lucy Keller, Director Legal Services, Department for Education SA
09.55	Educating the organisation on legal obligation
	Delivering legal information in an engaging format for a diverse workforce Collaborating with staff to enhance quality of training and resources Monitoring educational requirements of staff in an ever-changing workforce Effectively engaging stakeholders across risk, governance and audit to promote integrity and compliance
	Jonty Somers, Chief Legal Adviser, Department of Conservation New Zealand
10.40	Morning Tea
11.10	Legal as a “strategic business partner”: what does that mean and how do you achieve it?
	What value can the legal function deliver What might the partnership look like Developing the legal function for the future
	Janine Reid, Legal Councel, WorkCover Queensland
11.55	Case study: Effective legal counsel in the political landscape
	Understanding the impact of legal advice for councillors, MP’s and the community Engaging with stakeholders; managing expectations and mitigating risk Effectively influencing the board, executive and business Navigating bureaucracy and maintaining your integrity
	Colin Brown, Assistant Director Legal, SA Health
12.40	Lunch
13.40	Case study: Streamlining legal operationst
	Utilising technology to remove low value tasks from the remit of in- house counsel Creating a readily available repository of legal resources to aid staff Establishing boundaries with staff to prevent time-wasting enquiries Enhancing agility of legal services team to be more responsive to a rapidly changing government agenda
	Kara Miller, General Counsel and Acting Manager, BITS- Legal & Governance, Sustainability Victoria
14.25	Case study: Maximising the value of external counsel spend
	Negotiating the ‘right skill’ for the ‘right price’ when acquiring external counsel Constructing and delivering a clear brief for external counsel Developing a communication strategy to ensure external counsel stay on track Interacting transparently to build trust between internal and external counsel
	Catrina Cresswell, General Counsel, Sydney Metro
15.10	Afternoon Tea
15.40	Mapping the rabbit hole – Embracing litigation in the recovery of Commonwealth debts
	Marrying litigation risk and successful program delivery Recovering Commonwealth money for taxpayers Accruing $170 million in additional recoveries at a cost of $40 million How? What are the challenges, pitfalls, and opportunities?
	Andrew Cameron, Senior Government Lawyer, Attorney-General’s Department
16.20	New modern slavery legislation and implications for public sector
	Expert background and insight on the new legislation Understanding stakeholders for modern slavery within your organisation Educating your organisation on their legal obligations Conducting a modern slavery risk assessment
	Vanessa Zimmerman, CEO, Pillar Two
17.00	End of conference day one

	Conference day two – Thursday 24 October 2019
8.20	Opening remarks from the chair
8.30	International Keynote: Insight from a centralised government legal model
	Opportunities for enhanced government efficiency and service delivery Creating a standard for legal counsel across government Weighing up the benefits and challenges of alternative models Preparing for transition as an individual and organisation
	Stephen Cave, Deputy Director, Department for Education Legal Advisers Office, Government Legal Department UK (live via Skype)
09.10	Aligning in-house counsel with strategic direction of organisation
	Refining and defining the role of in-house counsel to maximise resources Reducing siloes between legal and other organisational units Identifying opportunities to add value to the organisation Building relationships with leadership and stakeholders
	Charles Cho, General Counsel, Treasury New South Wales
09.55	Panel discussion: Developing and leading a high performing in-house counsel team
	Attracting high quality employees in a competitive job-market Developing a service culture within your counsel team Equipping counsel with skills to excel in the public sector environment Providing adequate reward and incentive in the public sector Delivering a quality training experience in a cost and time efficient manner
	Sarah Godden, General Counsel, Department of Communications and the Arts Ian Pendleton, Group Executive, Legal and Company Secretary, First State Super Emma Carnovale, Chief Counsel, Eastern Health
10.30	Morning Tea
11.00	Enhancing and communicating the value of in-house counsel to the organisation
	Negotiating the best value in legal procurement Quantitative methods of demonstrating value to executives and finance Identifying opportunities to add value to the organisation Partnering with internal stakeholders and aligning with organisational strategy
	Sarah Godden, General Counsel, Department of Communications and the Arts
11.45	Case study: Portfolio efficiency through automated contract writing
	Demands of a diverse portfolio on the in-house legal team Collaboration between IT and Legal to develop a bespoke solution for contract automation Insight into the 3-year journey of creation of the automated platform How EIS legal EIS are utilising technology to enhance and empower the business
	Rebecca Robertshawe, Director EIS Legal, Education Infrastructure Service, Ministry of Education New Zealand Ashleigh Robinson, Contract Automation Manager, Education Infrastructure Service, Ministry of Education New Zealand
12.40	Lunch
13.30	Case study: Streamlining procurement to reduce risk
	Conducting a review of current procurement process Improving collaboration and transparency between organisational siloes Balancing oversight with efficiency when re-designing procurement procedures and systems Developing and maintaining an appropriate procurement database
	Anne McManus, Corporate Counsel, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
14.15	Case study: Promoting governance practices across the organisation
	The important role of in-house counsel in promoting good governance Considering the top governance priorities Promoting ethical culture
	Paul Kapetas, General Counsel, City of Ryde Council
15.00	Afternoon tea
15.30	Impact and implications of AI for legal profession
	Opportunities presented by AI for public sector in-house counsel Current applications of AI legal tech Preparing in-house counsel for disruption New skills for the lawyer of the future Limitations of AI in the public sector
	Rajiv Cabraal, Commercialisation, Legal & IP Director, Data 61
16.15	Closing remarks from the Chair and end of conference