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Melanie Sherrin, General Counsel and Company Secretary for large community based not-for-profit mental health provider, Neami National, quickly realised her team needed a robust research solution to address complex HR and contract work. Thanks to Practical Law, her team and HR are now primed to work smarter towards making a positive impact, regardless of ever-changing regulatory requirements and legislation.

Neami National
Melanie Sherrin, General Counsel and Company Secretary for large community based not-for-profit mental health provider, Neami National, quickly realised her team needed a robust research solution to address complex HR and contract work. Thanks to Practical Law, her team and HR are now primed to work smarter towards making a positive impact, regardless of ever-changing regulatory requirements and legislation.

Adam Versaci is a corporate lawyer with Jackson McDonald, and avid Practical Law user - "The platform's intuitive navigation quickly identifies the knowledge resources I need to assist me,". This case study details exactly how Adam draws on the legal guidance solution to further contextualise the law when needed, which ultimately benefits his clients.

Bridging The Gap
Adam Versaci is a corporate lawyer with Jackson McDonald, and avid Practical Law user - "The platform’s intuitive navigation quickly identifies the knowledge resources I need to assist me,". This case study details exactly how Adam draws on the legal guidance solution to further contextualise the law when needed, which ultimately benefits his clients.

Thomson Reuters is pleased to present 2019 Australia: State of the Legal Market, providing an expert analysis of market trends shaping the profession. Launched in collaboration with Thomson Reuters Peer Monitor, Acritas, Alpha Creates, and Barolsky Advisors, the report outlines the major trends impacting the legal market in 2019 and investigates what is going to drive innovation for 2020.
The report shows that 2019 was still largely positive, and the market continues to outperform the majority of global legal markets in terms of growth — but in the back of some observers’ minds, the fear of reaching the ceiling persists.
For extensive insight into how the Australian legal market is performing in 2019, simply download your today!

2019 Australia: State of the Legal Market Report
Thomson Reuters is pleased to present its annual legal market report, providing an expert analysis of market trends shaping the profession.

In recent years, it’s undeniable knowledge professionals have become the connection between technology, information and lawyers. Innovating the delivery of knowledge with faster accessibility for lawyers is the new standard when it comes to the legal industry. Read more about how Library & Information Services Head, Daniel Healey, is creating better information efficiencies at Norton Rose Fulbright Lawyers.

Innovating Your Legal Library
In recent years, it’s undeniable knowledge professionals have become the connection between technology, information and lawyers. Innovating the delivery of knowledge with faster accessibility for lawyers is the new standard when it comes to the legal industry. Read more about how Library & Information Services Head, Daniel Healey, is creating better information efficiencies at Norton Rose Fulbright Lawyers.

There's never a shortage of change in the fast-paced employment law and industrial relations space. In this whitepaper, the Practical Law Employment team examine the key decisions and changes to the law that have shaped the first half of 2018 and offer tips that you can take back to the businesses you advise.

Employment and Industrial Relations 2018 Half-Year in Review
There's never a shortage of change in the fast-paced employment law and industrial relations space. In this whitepaper, the Practical Law Employment team examine the key decisions and changes to the law that have shaped the first half of 2018 and offer tips that you can take back to the businesses you advise.

This checklist by the Practical Law Australia Corporate team will provide you with some practice points and suggestions for using and handling electronic signatures, so you can avoid uncertainty in transactional contexts.

Electronic Signatures: Practice Points
This checklist by the Practical Law Australia Corporate team will provide you with some practice points and suggestions for using and handling electronic signatures, so you can avoid uncertainty in transactional contexts.

With the rapid move to mandatory use of an electronic lodgement network for a large number of property settlements, a working knowledge of the ever changing landscape of e-conveyancing is essential for real estate lawyers. To transact electronically, you require an up-to-date understanding of the Model Participation Rules, and Verification of Identity (VOI) and Client Authorisation requirements.
This toolkit provides a collection of practical resources to help you tackle complex e-conveyancing transactions, including:
- Practice note: Electronic conveyancing
- Checklist: Verification of identity (VOI)
- Standard document: Identifier declaration (NSW)

Electronic Conveyancing
With the rapid move to mandatory use of an electronic lodgement network for a large number of property settlements, a working knowledge of the ever changing landscape of e-conveyancing is essential for real estate lawyers. To transact electronically, you require an up-to-date understanding of the Model Participation Rules, and Verification of Identity (VOI) and Client Authorisation requirements.
This Practical Law Australia Commercial Real Estate toolkit provides a collection of practical resources to help you tackle complex e-conveyancing transactions.

In today's highly regulated, digitally disrupted business landscape, general counsel are no longer simply focused on providing legal services to their organisation. Their workloads are increasing as they take on more strategic functions, often without any additional resources. Faced with a tightening legal market, the pressure is on for legal departments to nurture their in-house talent and invest in technology that will enable them to become more agile and efficient than ever before.
In this whitepaper, we examine how intelligent technology tools combined with a future-proofed talent management strategy can upskill and empower your in-house lawyers to perform at their peak.

Talent Management and Technology: How to Empower Your In-house Legal Team
In this whitepaper, we examine how intelligent technology tools combined with a future-proofed talent management strategy can upskill and empower your in-house lawyers to perform at their peak.

The NDB scheme means that businesses need to update their data breach response plans to include steps to assess whether a data breach requires notification, and if so, to make those notifications promptly. How businesses respond to, and manage, data breach incidents will now be highly visible, so legal advisers need to be up-to-date on the latest legal position and developments in best practice.
This Practical Law Australia Commercial toolkit provides you with the tools and resources you need to respond to a data incident quickly and with confidence.
- Practice note: Responding to a data breach incident
- Practice note: Notifiable Data Breaches scheme
- Checklist: Steps to take if a data breach incident occurs
- Standard document: Letter notifying affected individuals of a data breach (relating to personal information)

Data Incidents and the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme
The NDB scheme means that businesses need to update their data breach response plans to include steps to assess whether a data breach requires notification, and if so, to make those notifications promptly. How businesses respond to, and manage, data breach incidents will now be highly visible, so legal advisers need to be up-to-date on the latest legal position and developments in best practice.
This Practical Law Australia Commercial toolkit provides you with the tools and resources you need to respond to a data incident quickly and with confidence.

Parties to financing transactions often rely on set-off to reduce their credit exposure to their counterparties. However, set-off is a complex and often misunderstood area of the law. One complexity is that set-off rights can arise under common law, equity, statute or contract. Each different type of set-off can only be exercised under specific circumstances and has its own peculiar rules. To add to the veil of confusion, these different types of set-off are commonly referred to by different names.
This Practical Law Australia Banking and Finance toolkit provides you with a collection of practical resources on the use of set-off in financing transactions.

Set-Off in Financing Transactions
Parties to financing transactions often rely on set-off to reduce their credit exposure to their counterparties. However, set-off is a complex and often misunderstood area of the law. One complexity is that set-off rights can arise under common law, equity, statute or contract. Each different type of set-off can only be exercised under specific circumstances and has its own peculiar rules. To add to the veil of confusion, these different types of set-off are commonly referred to by different names.
This Practical Law Australia Banking and Finance toolkit provides you with a collection of practical resources on the use of set-off in financing transactions.

This paper examines the significant benefits to your firm of upskilling and empowering your junior legal staff in an increasingly competitive and disrupted market for legal services. It makes the commercial case for investing more time and financial resources in upskilling your junior lawyers to:
- free senior legal staff to focus on more complex and high-value legal work, and business and strategic development
- boost organisational efficiency
- improve employee satisfaction, retention and engagement
- increase intra-firm collaboration and innovation.
We also examine some of the key ways to achieve upskilling of your firm's junior lawyers and what some of the major law firms are currently doing in this space.

Why Upskilling Junior Lawyers Should be Your Firm's Priority: Key Benefits and Approaches
This paper examines the significant benefits to your firm of upskilling and empowering your junior legal staff in an increasingly competitive and disrupted market for legal services. It makes the commercial case for investing more time and financial resources in upskilling your junior lawyers.

The report findings show that despite improvements in the large law firm market, firms must make "big strategic decisions" on how to deploy technology to ensure their best opportunity for future growth.
After four consecutive years of declining demand, the market returned to positive growth, albeit a mere 0.1%. Overall, the market showed growth in four key metrics: demand, worked rates, fees worked and utilisation – although none was greater than 1%. However, after contracting for most of the last decade, even this modest success may mark an important inflection point.

2017 Australia: State of the Legal Market
The Melbourne Law School and Thomson Reuters Peer Monitor® are pleased to present this report setting out the dominant trends impacting the legal market in 2017 and the key issues to influence the market in 2018 and beyond.

For large and small business, supply and refusal to supply is a critical issue. SMEs and larger businesses often have issues with access to necessary inputs or services, or the terms of supply required, to enable them to supply and compete effectively. Large businesses often face challenges deciding when it is legitimate and legal to refuse access to or the supply of their products or services. Consumers are often affected by supply chain issues.
This Practical Law Australia Competition and Consumer Protection toolkit provides resources to assist lawyers to identify when refusal to deal may be illegal or risk contravention of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 or Australian Consumer Law.

Refusal to Deal
For large and small business, supply and refusal to supply is a critical issue. SMEs and larger businesses often have issues with access to necessary inputs or services, or the terms of supply required, to enable them to supply and compete effectively. Large businesses often face challenges deciding when it is legitimate and legal to refuse access to or the supply of their products or services. Consumers are often affected by supply chain issues.
This Practical Law Australia Competition and Consumer Protection toolkit provides resources to assist lawyers to identify when refusal to deal may be illegal or risk contravention of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 or Australian Consumer Law.

According to the Global Slavery Index, 45.8 million people around the world are trapped in modern slavery. Increasingly, consumers and governments are looking to the corporate sector to do more to tackle this international problem.
This Practical Law Australia Commercial toolkit provides a collection of practical know-how resources that will help lawyers understand and advise on how organisations are responding to the global problem of modern slavery.

Modern Slavery in the Supply Chain
According to the Global Slavery Index, 45.8 million people around the world are trapped in modern slavery. Increasingly, consumers and governments are looking to the corporate sector to do more to tackle this international problem.
This Practical Law Australia Commercial toolkit provides a collection of practical know-how resources that will help lawyers understand and advise on how organisations are responding to the global problem of modern slavery.

This Practical Law Australia Employment practice note examines when employers can challenge the sufficiency of a medical certificate, including fraudulent, backdated or potentially inaccurate medical certificates.
Challenging a Medical Certificate
This Practical Law Australia Employment practice note examines when employers can challenge the sufficiency of a medical certificate, including fraudulent, backdated or potentially inaccurate medical certificates.

This Practical Law Australia Employment checklist outlines the process for determining the ability of an ill or injured employee to perform the inherent requirements of the position.
Managing an Ill or Injured Employee: Inherent Requirements Determination
This Practical Law Australia Employment checklist outlines the process for determining the ability of an ill or injured employee to perform the inherent requirements of the position.

Gadens' employment and safety team, Thomson Reuters' Practical Law Australia team and Ian Neil SC recently hosted a seminar on 'Protecting your business from former employees' to celebrate the launch of the Post-employment obligations suite on Practical Law Australia. The seminar explored how to identify confidential information, use contracts and policies to protect your business and more.

Protecting Your Business from Former Employees
Gadens' employment and safety team, Thomson Reuters' Practical Law Australia team and Ian Neil SC recently hosted a seminar on 'Protecting your business from former employees' to celebrate the launch of the Post-employment obligations suite on Practical Law Australia. The seminar explored how to identify confidential information, use contracts and policies to protect your business and more.

In April 2017, the Practical Law Australia Dispute Resolution team hosted a webinar on hot topics in litigation. Ian Wylie, the founding Head of Dispute Resolution, and former barrister and partner, offered his insights on recent developments in case management, penalties, unconscionable conduct, unfair contracts, privileges and immunities, and commercial contract construction.

Litigation Hot Topics
In April 2017, the Practical Law Australia Dispute Resolution team hosted a webinar on hot topics in litigation. Ian Wylie, the founding Head of Dispute Resolution, and former barrister and partner, offered his insights on recent developments in case management, penalties, unconscionable conduct, unfair contracts, privileges and immunities, and commercial contract construction.

Writing short contracts in simple terms saves work for all the users, improves sales and customer relations, and saves money for the business. For general counsel, these benefits are strong incentives to produce short, simple contracts, and this article gives various examples of in-house counsel who have achieved this. However, for the lawyer drawing up a specific contract, these are indirect long-term benefits, compared to an immediate cost and risk.
This whitepaper examines the business risks of unclear, ambiguous, and complex contract terms and makes the commercial (and legal) case for a more straightforward approach. It also describes practical case studies showing the positive impact of simplification and outlines a plan for achieving it.

Why Traditional Legal Terms are Costing Your Business
This whitepaper examines the business risks of unclear, ambiguous, and complex contract terms and makes the commercial (and legal) case for a more straightforward approach.

Litigation is expensive and time consuming, and is sometimes pursued by parties who lack the resources or inclination to pay the other side's costs if they lose.
This toolkit provides know-how resources to enable a respondent to test the means and resolve of a claimant, obtain some security for the costs incurred in the litigation, and prevent the claim proceeding if that security is not provided, including:
- Practice note: Security for Costs
- Standard document: Application for security for costs
- Standard document: Lawyer's affidavit to support application

Security for Costs
Litigation is expensive and time consuming, and is sometimes pursued by parties who lack the resources or inclination to pay the other side's costs if they lose.
This Practical Law Australia Dispute Resolution toolkit provides know-how resources to enable a respondent to test the means and resolve of a claimant, obtain some security for the costs incurred in the litigation, and prevent the claim proceeding if that security is not provided.

This Practical Law Australia Company Law practice note examines the legal requirements and process for transferring shares from one person to another (including drafting and executing a valid share transfer form, registering the transfer and updating the company's share register). It also considers common transfer restrictions and how to deal with them.
Transfer of Shares
This Practical Law Australia Company Law practice note examines the legal requirements and process for transferring shares from one person to another (including drafting and executing a valid share transfer form, registering the transfer and updating the company's share register). It also considers common transfer restrictions and how to deal with them.

The law around post-employment obligations and restraints involves multiple considerations for employers seeking to place limits on their employees' future ventures.
This toolkit provides a collection of practical know-how resources to help you navigate the complexities of post-employment obligations, including:
- Practice note: Confidentiality
- Precedent: Letter to former employee about post-employment obligations
- Checklist: Checklist of information needed to draft an effective restraint of trade

Post-Employment Obligations
The law around post-employment obligations and restraints involves multiple considerations for employers seeking to place limits on their employees' future ventures.
This Practical Law Australia Employment toolkit provides a collection of 'practical know-how' resources to enable you to navigate the complexities of post-employment obligations.

This Practical Law Australia Employment practice note examines sexual harassment in employment under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (SDA), which makes it unlawful to sexually harass another person in their employment.
Sexual Harassment
This Practical Law Australia Employment practice note examines sexual harassment in employment under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (SDA), which makes it unlawful to sexually harass another person in their employment.

A company's directors are responsible for the management and operation of its business affairs, including its operating structure and strategic direction. It is important that directors are properly appointed and that the company is clear at all times as to who is validly appointed as a director.
This toolkit provides the practical know-how resources necessary to effect an appointment of an additional director to an existing board, including:
- Practice note: Appointment of directors
- Standard document: Consent to act as a company director
- Standard document: Board minutes: appointment of directors

Appointing a Director
A company's directors are responsible for the management and operation of its business affairs, including its operating structure and strategic direction. It is important that directors are properly appointed and that the company is clear at all times as to who is validly appointed as a director.
This Practical Law Australia Company Law toolkit provides the practical know-how resources necessary to effect an appointment of an additional director to an existing board.

This Practical Law Australia Company Law practice note offers a guide to the types of companies that can be incorporated in Australia by the process of registration under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (CA 2001) and that are regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). It includes a summary of each company type's key features and their different benefits, obligations and restrictions.
Types of Company Under the Corporations Act 2001
This Practical Law Australia Company Law practice note offers a guide to the types of companies that can be incorporated in Australia by the process of registration under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (CA 2001) and that are regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). It includes a summary of each company type's key features and their different benefits, obligations and restrictions.

Whenever parties enter into an agreement for the sale and purchase of shares in a proprietary or unlisted company, whether for a minority holding or for the company's entire issued share capital, completion of the transaction will involve a transfer of the relevant shares.
This toolkit provides a collection of practical know-how resources that explain the share transfer process and help lawyers to ensure that they fulfil the relevant legal and process requirements, including:
- Practice note: Transfer of shares
- Checklist: Approving and registering a transfer of shares
- Standard document: Board minutes: transfer of shares

Transfer of Shares
Whenever parties enter into an agreement for the sale and purchase of shares in a proprietary or unlisted company, whether for a minority holding or for the company's entire issued share capital, completion of the transaction will involve a transfer of the relevant shares.
This Practical Law Australia Corporate Transactions toolkit provides a collection of practical know-how resources that explain the share transfer process and help lawyers to ensure that they fulfil the relevant legal and process requirements.

This Practical Law Australia Employment practice note examines when an employee is protected from dismissal due to a temporary absence from work while ill or injured under section 352 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and how to substantiate that the illness or injury is of a kind protected by the legislation.
Dismissing an Ill or Injured Employee: Temporary Absence Provisions
This Practical Law Australia Employment practice note examines when an employee is protected from dismissal due to a temporary absence from work while ill or injured under section 352 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and how to substantiate that the illness or injury is of a kind protected by the legislation.

This Practical Law Australia Employment practice note provides guidance on the process to follow when determining an employee's ability to perform the inherent requirements of a position having regard to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
Managing an Ill or Injured Employee: Inherent Requirements, Reasonable Adjustments and Unjustifiable Hardship
This Practical Law Australia Employment practice note provides guidance on the process to follow when determining an employee's ability to perform the inherent requirements of a position having regard to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).