More than 100 in-house counsel met in Melbourne’s central business district to connect during the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Australia’s first in-person Victorian In-House Counsel Day on 9 March after being idle for three years.
“As in-house lawyers, we can easily get caught up in our daily tasks and to-do lists, but one first-time delegate told us, ‘Today reminded me why I love being an in-house lawyer!’,” Ingrid Segota, executive director at ACC Australia in Melbourne, told Asia Business Law Journal.
“The day was an excellent opportunity to discuss trends, participate in roundtables, and hear from experts in our field. The attendees were highly engaged and enthusiastic, making for a truly exceptional experience.”
Segota also shared her excitement at returning to in-person conferencing again. She added that the feedback from attendees and corporate partners was overwhelmingly positive, with many looking forward to attending the event again next year.
For example, Emily Madder, general counsel at Siemens Energy in Melbourne, found a session on legal and ethical issues facing in-house counsel from one of the speakers, Fiona McLeay, the CEO and commissioner at the legal profession regulator Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner, to be practical and insightful.
Kate Sherburn, Melbourne-based head of legal at e-commerce company Who Gives A Crap, loved getting together in a room full of sole legal counsel to share insights and pain points. Rhyse Collins, legal counsel at the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, enjoyed networking and catching up with others in the industry, and found the presentation on how best to utilise counsel very informative and practical.
The ACC Australia also planned to organise its in-house counsel days in other parts of the continent, including the event for South Australia on 23 March in Adelaide, Western Australia on 4 May in East Perth, New South Wales on 18 May in Sydney, and lastly for Queensland on 25 May in South Brisbane.
