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Corporate Lawyers

Corporate lawyers are the fastest growing segment of the profession and currently account for 18 per cent of the total profession.

Corporate Lawyers Committee

The Corporate Lawyers Committee was formed to liaise between the Law Society and corporate, or in-house lawyers.

The Committee aims to ensure that the particular needs of corporate lawyers are considered by the Law Society in its activities. This includes the professional regulation of in-house lawyers.

Current members of the Corporate Lawyers Committee can be viewed here.

Corporate lawyers now have two dedicated seats on the Law Society Council.

Each year, the Law Society calls for nominations for its committees. Nominations for the 2014 committee will be sought in late 2013 and advertised in Monday Briefs.

What we do

The Committee's current activities include:

• Raising the profile of in-house lawyers among non-legal stakeholders.
• Raising awareness of the prudent risk mitigation function that in-house lawyers provide.
• Providing Mandatory Continuing Legal Education ('MCLE' or 'Continuing Professional Development') relevant to in-house lawyers.
• Providing networking opportunities for in-house lawyers at all stages of our careers.
• Promoting the interests of in-house lawyers in the context of National Legal Profession Reform.

Resources & Publications

The Corporate Lawyers Committee has provided the following resources and publications to assist in-house lawyers with aspects of corporate practice:

Moving In-house - A resource on corporate legal practice - a resource which provides information and tips which may be helpful to those considering or developing a career in corporate practice.

Independence Statement - a pro forma statement which may assist corporate lawyers to explain to their employers their professional obligation to provide objective and impartial advice.

Corporate Lawyers Newsletter - this monthly newsletter is sent to corporate lawyer members of the Law Society.

Handy Hints for In-house Counsel - this guide provides information on challenges faced by in-house lawyers, particularly in relation to the ethical issues which may arise in corporate practice. 

Guide to ethical obligations of in-house lawyers for non-lawyer colleagues – a set of slides designed to help in-house lawyers explain their ethical obligations to colleagues who are not lawyers.

Frequently Asked Questions for corporate lawyers, covering topics such as MCLE requirements, pro bono work and ethics.

Events

The Committee organises various events to provide both MCLE specifically tailored to the needs of corporate lawyers as well as useful networking opportunities with other corporate lawyers.

2013 Events:

The Committee has recently organised a series of MCLE events.  We will continue to arrange additional events throughout the year.

Law Society of NSW CLE and events calendar.

If you have a suggestion for an event, email us at corporatelawyers@lawsociety.com.au.

Submissions

Submissions made by Law Society Committees on a range of topics can be accessed here.