Monday 23 May
11:30am - 1:00pm

Domestic Violence and Victims Compensation Network

Convenors: Sarah Dahlenburg (Mid North Coast Community Legal Centre) and Karen Mifsud (Women's Legal Service NSW)

The network discusses issues affecting domestic and family violence and victims compensation policies and legislation. It makes recommendations to government and non-government bodies.

 Open to all  Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Substantive Law I Professional Skills | Practice Management & Business Skills

Monday 23 May
1:30pm-3.00pm

Administration & Finance Network

Convenor: Kerrith Sowden (Refugee Advice and Casework Service)

The network discusses current operational issues for centres. 

 Open to all  |     Meeting not recorded |   Practice Management & Business Skills

Tuesday 24 May
9:30am-11:00am

First Nations Justice Working Group

Convenor: Zachary Armytage (Community Legal Centres NSW)

 Open to all     Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility | Professional Skills

Community and Social Worker Network

Interim Convenor: Evelyn Chan (Women's Legal Service NSW)

 Open to all     Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility | Professional Skills

Tuesday 24 May
11:30am-1:00pm

Coordinators & Directors (Part 1)

Convenors: Arlia Fleming (Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands Community Legal Centre) and Robert Pelletier (Macarthur Legal Centre)

 Meeting for C&Ds only    Meeting not recorded Practice Management & Business Skills

Prisoner's Rights Working Group

Convenor: Carolyn Jones (Women's Legal Service NSW)

 Open to all    Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Substantive Law I Professional Skills

Tuesday 24 May
1:30pm-3:00pm

Coordinators & Directors (Part 2)

Convenors: Arlia Fleming (Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands Community Legal Centre) and Robert Pelletier (Macarthur Legal Centre)

 Meeting for C&Ds only    Meeting not recorded Practice Management & Business Skills

Family Law, Care and Protection Network

Convenors: Kenn Clift (Intellectual Disability Rights Service), Luke Carr (Redfern Legal Centre), Sym'mon Andrews (Central Coast Community Legal Centre)

Presenter: Solange Frost (AbSec) and the recent discussion paper from the NSW government in relation to the Family is Culture legislative review

 Open to all    Meeting not recorded I Training recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Substantive Law I Professional Skills

Wednesday 25 May
9:30am-11:00am

Law Reform and Policy Network

Convenors: Alistair Lawrie (Public Interest Advocacy Centre)

 Open to all    Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Substantive Law I Professional Skills

Youth Advocacy Network (NSW)

Convenor: Matthew Keeley (Youth Law Australia)

 Open to all    Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Substantive Law I Professional Skills

Wednesday 25 May
11:30am-1:00pm

Communications Network

Convenors: Finn O'Keefe (Redfern Legal Centre) and Stella Maynard (Community Legal Centres NSW)

 Open to all    Meeting not recorded Professional Skills

Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) Committee

Convenors: Ali Mojtahedi (Immigration Advice and Rights Centre) and Louise Coady (Western Sydney Community Legal Centre)

 Meeting for Principal Solicitors only   Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Professional Skills I Practice Management & Business Skills I Substantive Law

Wednesday 25 May
1:30pm-3:00pm

Regional, Rural and Remote (RRR) Network

Convenors: Cassandra Coleman (Warra-Warra Legal Service), Julia Adamski (Hunter Community Legal Centre) and Stacy Treloar (Far West Community Legal Centre)

Winnie Baker, Programs Coordinator for the Corporate Legal Service Delivery Unit (CLSD) with Legal Aid NSW will discuss Legal Aid’s Birth Certificate drive, particularly across RRR communities.

Open to all    Meeting not recorded/Training session recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Professional Skills

Employment and Discrimination Law Network

Convenors: Sharmilla Bargon (Redfern Legal Centre) and Anastasia Coroneo (Youth Law Australia)

Michael Whitbread, barrister from Six St James will be presenting on the subject of ‘Award interpretation – how to understand and apply modern awards.

Open to all       Training session recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Substantive Law I Professional Skills

Thursday 26 May
9:30am-11:00am

Health Justice Partnerships Network

Convenors: Diane Anagnos (Kingsford Legal Centre) and Carolyn Odgers (Justice Connect)

 Open to all       Training session recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Professional Skills

Thursday 26 May
11:30am-1:00pm

Community Legal Education Workers

Convenors: Nalika Padmasena (Seniors Rights Service) and Melanie Kallmier (Mid North Coast Community Legal Centre)

 Open to all       Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Professional Skills

Thursday 26 May
1:30pm-3:00pm

Community of Practice: Vicarious Trauma

Convenor: Roslyn Cook (Inner City Legal Centre)

 Open to all       Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Professional Skills

Monday 30 May
9:30am-3:00pm

Yarn Up

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff who work at community legal centres to meet and discuss key policy and practice issues.

Convenor: Zachary Armytage (Aboriginal Legal Access Program Coordinator, Community Legal Centres NSW)

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who work at community legal centres   Meeting not recorded Ethics & Professional Responsibility I Professional Skills | Practice Management & Business Skills | Substantive Law         

Tuesday 31 May
9:30am-11:00am

Opening plenary: Climate justice and sovereignty — Gomeroi/Gamilaraay fight to protect Country from extraction and gas-fired dispossession

Join us to hear from Gomeroi/Gamilaroi/Gamilaraay people who are fighting against extraction and to protect Country for future generations. This panel of grassroots organisers, community leaders and land and water defenders will speak to current efforts to stop fracking in the Pilliga and the building of new coal mines in the floodplains. We'll hear about different strategies and avenues for resistance, and the broader relationship between climate justice and Aboriginal sovereignty. 

This will be the inaugural webinar of Community Legal Centre NSW’s Change Takes Community public webinar series, which will spotlight grassroots responses to injustice and community-based visions for a fairer future.

 Session recorded   Open to all 

Tuesday 31 May
11:30am-12:45pm

Plenary: Disasters — Making a plan for legal assistance

As disasters become more frequent, our sector needs to be better prepared to meet the challenges of disruptions to services and the impact on clients and staff. Bill Mitchell has been involved in providing a disaster legal response since the 1990s, including iterations of cyclone and flood-related legal help. He will discuss the practical issues arising for the legal assistance sector as they respond to plagues, fires and floods, including:

• The disaster cycle and phases
• What sorts of legal issues arise
• What can be done to ensure services are effective and ensure an equity of response
• What work needs to be done to be prepared for next time

Note this plenary will set the scene for a sector wide discussion later in the day from 3.30pm-5.00pm, Trauma Informed Practice: Sector disaster response planning workshop.

Presented by: Bill Mitchell (Principal Solicitor, Townsville Community Law)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Practice Management & Business Skills

Tuesday 31 May
1:45pm-3:00pm

Let's talk: Inclusive design and practice

An introduction to inclusive design and how it is essential to the work of community legal centres, particularly when working with clients. This will cover what inclusive design is,  the impact inclusion can make, and how to take action. We’ll focus on how you can bring the inclusive design mindset and toolkit into your everyday to better serve your clients and team.

Presented by: Michelle Ou, Inclusive User Experience and Service Designer, Centre for Inclusive Design

 Session recorded   Open to all   Professional Skills

Social movement lawyering: Centring communities

Creating real world change through the law is about more than just running a good case. So what can lawyers do to build power and support for social movements? How can litigation be used as a tool for change outside the courtroom? Learn about how Grata Fund can help community legal centres with integrated legal and campaign strategies to centre communities and help them achieve their goals. To illustrate, we will be drawing on our work supporting Torres Strait Islander people to push for climate action in the Australian Climate Case.

Presented by: Oliver Ray (Strategic Litigation Solicitor, Grata Fund) and Chadwick Wong (Acting General Counsel, Grata Fund)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Professional Skills

Tuesday 31 May
3:30pm-5:00pm

Trauma informed practice: Sector Disaster Response Planning Workshop

Following this morning's plenary, Disasters-making: A plan for legal assistance, staff from the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre will discuss their recent experience with the floods in Lismore and the impact on the service and staff. We will use this experience to move into the first workshop where we as a sector design the NSW response to disasters.

Presented by: 

• Lee Bunney (Principal Solicitor, Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre)
• Nicole Jenkins (Centre Manager, Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre)

Workshop facilitated by Katrina Ironside and Alice Jones Rabbitt (Community Legal Centres NSW)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Practice Management & Business Skills

Legal practice issues: The ethics of mandatory reporting

If we talk about holistic service delivery, how do legal practices accommodate other professionals and ensure they meet their legal and ethical obligations? In this session, we will discuss what practical things can be done to ensure that the legal practice maintains client confidentiality and a social worker in the practice can navigate their reporting requirements. 

Presented by: Gabrielle Craig (Assistant Principal Solicitor, Women's Legal Service NSW)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Ethics & Professional Responsibility

Wednesday 1 June
9:30am-11:00am

Client Skills: Why you need to know about adult literacy!

Did you know that over a third of your clients may have challenges reading and writing, especially in unfamiliar situations? In this session we explore some myths around adult literacy in Australia with some startling statistics and insights into the depth and breadth of adult literacy gaps.

• How do we talk to someone about their literacy?
• Can we predict who might be challenged by our documents?
• Do we have a role in addressing this issue? and if yes, what can we be expected to do?

Presented by: Jo Medlin (President of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) and member of several national literacy advisory groups).

 Session recorded   Open to all   Professional Skills

Substantive Law: Family Violence Prevention Legal Services (FVPLS)

The family violence prevention legal services are vital to the community members it represents. We are specialist services that is culturally appropriate and understand what our communities need to deal with their legal and non-legal requirements so they can feel safe, supported. Learn from the expertise of our Family Violence Prevention Legal Services member centres — Thiiyama-Li, Binaal Billa and Warra Warra — about how they provide legal and other holistic and culturally safe services to First Nations people who are experiencing or at risk of family violence. 

Presented by:

• Elizabeth Behrend (CEO, Thiyama-Li Family Violence Prevention Legal Service)
• Zyanna Davidson (Solicitor, Thiyama-Li Family Violence Prevention Legal Service)
• Debbie Gaudie (Manager, Binaal Billa Family Violence Prevention Legal Service)
• Nicole Kennedy (Principal Solicitor, Binaal Billa Family Violence Prevention Legal Service)
• Shannon Oates (Manager, Warra Warra Legal Service)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Professional Skills

Wednesday 1 June
11:30am-12:45pm

Measuring the unmeasurable – evaluating impact of advocacy for systemic change

An interactive session led by Fiona McKenzie and Eve Millar from Orange Compass, who are helping us to finalise the sector wide Impact Evaluation Framework. They will share their experience of “measuring the unmeasurable” – effective ways to evaluate the impact of advocacy and systemic change initiatives. They will also provide a brief update on the sector wide Impact Evaluation Framework, and facilitate a discussion about useful implementation tools and supports for centres, to enable widespread implementation of the framework.

Presented by: 

• Eve Millar (Strategy & Change Lead, Orange Compass)
• Fiona McKenzie (Strategy & Change Lead, Orange Compass)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Practice Management & Business Skills

Showcase: Innovation, practice and technology

A session where people can present on new projects, initiatives, wins and challenges.

Environmental Defenders Office new Legal Help Gateway
The team will take you through the recently launched website which hosts the Legal Help Gateway, designed to improve the visibility and accessibility of our legal resources, make it clear that we provide legal advice as well as representation, and generally improve the user experience for our clients who are seeking legal help.  

• Heather McGiddy (Executive and Program Assistant,  Environmental Defenders Office)
• Jemilah Hallinan (Head of Legal Education, Environmental Defenders Office)

Tenants' Union of NSW's smart knowledge management
In this session you will hear about the Tenants' Union of NSW's innovative use of open software technology (Koha) to bring their reference library online and make resources more accessible to the network of Tenant Advocates. This software has been used to both catalogue the Tenants' Union's existing reference library, as well as being adapted to store Tribunal decisions relevant to the Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Services. A short demonstration will be given so you can see how such a resource may be useful for your centre.

• Leo Patterson-Ross (CEO, Tenants' Union of NSW)
• Anne Coates (Administration Coordinator, Tenants' Union of NSW)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Practice Management & Business Skills

Wednesday 1 June
1:30pm-3:00pm

Short stories from community legal centres: Being brave, making change

Quarterlies fall in Reconciliation Week this year. The theme is Be Brave, Make Change. To honour our First Nations staff and the work our centres this session features presentations (success's or challenges, because being brave means taking risks) that highlight our work, our people, and our commitment to First Nations Justice that others can be inspired or learn from.

  Session recorded   Open to all   Professional Skills

Change takes community campaign planning

Our new legislative reform agenda Change takes community is launching in August. In this session, we will  work through the tools to develop a campaign strategy. See the thinking that goes into deciding which actions we think will achieve change and the role your centre can play. Come along and learn to PEST, SWOT, Power Map, Critical Path and more our way to campaign wins.

Presented by: Sarah Marland (Policy and Advocacy Manager, Community Legal Centres NSW)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Professional Skills

Wednesday 1 June
3:30pm-5:00pm

NDIS: Good effective initial advice (including legal and non-legal issues to watch out for)

This session is designed to assist you in providing effective initial advice, empowering you and your client to deal with NDIS related issues.

Designed to help you work out the nitty gritty and avoid pitfalls, this session will cover: 

1. Overview of the NDIS Scheme – including amendments from the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Participant Service Guarantee and Other Measures) Act 2022
2. Capacity and NDIS Nominees – what to look for and ask for.
3. Stages of NDIS Matters – request, internal review, external review (AAT) and time limits.
4. Difference between issues for Access and Supports.
5. What kind of evidence do I need?
6. How can I get that evidence?
7. Commencing AAT proceedings – what can I expect?
8. Current issues and updates in relation to AAT proceedings."

Presented by: Kylie Hyde (Senior Solicitor, Disability Law I Mid North Coast Legal Centre)

 Session recorded   Open to all   Substantive Law