FSconferences

Welcome barristers and solicitors from Queensland, Australia and other interstate and international guests.

 

FS Conferences presents the 1st Humanitarian Public Law Lawyers’ Conference. The conference could be subtitled “Lawyers in the 21st Century” and that would not be inappropriate. The 21st century poses great advances in technology, which means that new information, both of a legal and business nature, is constantly “bombarding” the legal practitioner. The conference will provide guidance in relation to current law, as well as knowledge, skills and strategies for managing a business successfully in the practice of law and making the most of opportunities which become available.

 

The conference also acknowledges that now, more than ever before, the nature and work of “law” has become global. Australia, and Queensland specifically, being on the pacific side of our continent has become a major player in the South-East Asia and the Pacific region. Lawyers, educated and trained here, are now representing and acting for international clients or increasingly working in other jurisdictions throughout South-East Asia or the Pacific. More than ever before barristers and solicitors are finding themselves as in-house counsel, litigators, prosecutors, defence counsel, development advisers, fund managers, human rights lawyers in all sorts of jurisdictions and on behalf of private and government interests.

 

Similarly barristers and solicitors also find themselves acting for Australian firms involved in international development projects, and these companies are not the traditional “multi-national” companies but small companies providing international services in a global economy which is continually shrinking.

 

This nexus between Australia, the “developed”, and the “developing” world seems likely to increase in the future to the mutual benefit of all the nations.

 

At the forefront of any exchange between nations are lawyers. Barristers and solicitors are likely to find themselves giving advice in relation to foreign investment, development and development planning, “green” issues, human rights legislation and treaties, enquiries into natural disaster management, international industrial law, personal injury management, international funding more than ever before.

 

With such roles comes responsibilities and the ethical obligations of Australian lawyers when acting for Australian companies, or appearing in foreign jurisdictions, as well as dealing with human rights issues and international sovereignty issues are, accordingly, now, more important than ever before.

 

This conference venue has been designated as Nicaragua, which is an emerging economy where a not insignificant number of Australian, or Australian owned companies have invested in.

 

The conference is specifically aimed at barristers, though all Legal Practitioners whether they be, barristers, solicitors or government legal officers will benefit from the program. There are areas in ethics, employment prospects, practice management, personal financing, estate management and financial planning that are relevant to all self employed solicitors as well as barristers.

 

The benefit for barristers attending, apart from keeping up to date with recent law and developments, is that there will be some instruction provided in the management of private practices and personal income from solicitors who are self employed or manage small firms.

 

The benefit to solicitors who attend is largely the same in terms of keeping up to date with recent law but also with the added benefit of some advocacy insight which is especially important in small firms where there is a greater likelihood nowadays that the solicitor will appear in court. The residual spin off here for solicitors is that barristers who they have associated with are more likely to make themselves easily available, and offer their authoritative expertise in an informal setting.

 

Too often there are distinctions drawn between the various group of Legal Practitioners whereas in reality commonality in aspirations is pervasive.

 

Accordingly, we welcome and encourage barristers, solicitors and government legal officers to attend the conference for the mutual benefit of all delegates.

 

The conference is a boutique conference. There will be a small group of no more than 20 or so delegates. An unwieldy large number of delegates does not allow for effective “bonding”, which is central to the conference. Interest in the conference mainly relies on word of mouth and email to secure registrations and delegates will be allocated a position in accordance with the first in line (and paid up) rule.

 

FS Conferences is committed to environmental considerations and how it affects emerging nations. Accordingly we will be distributing papers electronically at the conference on USB sticks to reduce our carbon footprint.