Never before has the Australian legal market seen so much competition, making it essential for lawyers to broaden their knowledge, bolster their expertise and further develop their professional skills by utilising the support on offer to accomplish this.

After all, we all know what happens to those who remain stagnant, complacent and think that they know everything there is to know about the practise of law. It’s not only a completely egocentric position to take but a huge disservice to clients, who are quick to spot incompetency and won’t stand for services below par if they can help it.

For the vast majority of lawyers, the importance of continuing education beyond university is not lost – thankfully.

Every week, we at Lawyers Weekly hear of law firms providing their employees with an array of workshop opportunities, designed to keep them up-to-date with any changes affecting their respective practice areas.

Mentoring – and reverse mentoring – has also seen a strong upward push with staff, regardless of seniority, being encouraged to engage in two-way learning as a way to share experiences and gain insight they may not have had prior.

Speaking to Lawyers Weekly last year, representatives from Clayton Utz and Mills Oakley both praised the benefits, noting that such an initiative is a win-win.

“Young people have rich experience and knowledge to share and when you create a forum for the sharing of that knowledge, it’s a dynamic environment of two-way learning,” Clutz’s Jennifer Harris said.

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Mills’ Dr Teresa Nicoletti concurred, adding: “Developing a person’s career is not just about developing their core legal skills … it’s about developing the person as a whole and nurturing a well-rounded individual who has the confidence to express their views and ideas, and the leadership skills to share an idea, successfully pitch its merits, own it and drive its evolution and development, perhaps into a new way of delivering legal services or a tangible product.”

Outside of law firms, there’s plenty of support available to lawyers who want to upskill. Universities, for one, have taken a considerably stronger stance in creating new courses designed for those who despite already securing employment, want to heighten their technical acumen about a particular subject matter.

For example, Bond University has devised a new master’s degree in a bid to better educate today and tomorrow’s corporate leaders on good governance and ethical leadership.

The Master of Laws in Enterprise Governance aims to expose students to both the foundational principles and the cutting edge of governance, while assisting students to become informed, ethical and successful leaders.

“Every enterprise must be led by people with a thorough understanding of the principles of good governance, and it is for this reason that Bond University has created the Master of Laws in Enterprise Governance,” said Professor Nick James, the executive dean of Bond University’s faculty of law.

In a similar vein, CPD providers are working continuously to ensure they’re in the loop of what’s driving change in the profession, and tailor their courses accordingly.

For LawCPD it’s a core focus, with the provider regularly updating its online CPD courses to ensure lawyers are given greater choice and greater flexibility.

While seminars and conferences are “the traditional way lawyers have earned their CPD points”, director Sarah Mateljan says online options are both more time and cost-effective.

“Online CPD is a great way to complete your core CPD requirements when it suits your schedule, as well as gaining access to a range of topics and expert presenters you may not normally get to learn from,” she said.

The Law Society of NSW is also putting its hand up to bolster expertise in the profession, with this year’s CPD agenda providing lawyers with access to “the most up-to-date information about legislation, case law and advocacy from recognised subject matter experts”.

“The Law Society has a dedicated professional development team who works closely with experts to deliver organised and comprehensive CPD sessions,” said head of professional development Cara Sleeman.

“We are in a unique position to offer some of the most interesting, relevant and accessible CPD seminars across all practice areas and tailored to the needs and interests of lawyers of all kinds.”

Elsewhere, CPD for Me is boasting exclusive content for its subscribers this year, ensuring its offering is also in tune with what the profession is looking for.

“CPD for Me now has one of the largest on-demand library with over 100 barristers, accredited specialists and industry experts on professional development … We offer online CPD packages from $40 a unit and have created over 120 hours of new content in the last two years,” said founder Paula Gilmour, adding that, “CPD for Me experts content is premium and based on our subscribers feedback”.

So there you have it – if you want to further your education beyond university there are certainly ways to do it. If its not offered internally, there are a whole bunch of providers available to assist.

Thank you for joining us on the special edition of Lawyers Weekly’s Countdown to CPD Deadline – and remember to obtain your points before 31 March!