Many practitioners feel that their specialist areas of practice are becoming more complex. Across all areas of law, the daily experience of work involves matters that are multi-layered and extend beyond strictly legal questions.
Client expectations have shifted, and the contexts in which advice is given are more varied and less predictable than they were even six or seven years ago. For practitioners, this creates an ongoing demand not just to remain current, but to interpret, adapt and respond in circumstances that are rarely routine, as complexity becomes a sustained condition of practice.
In terms of staying current, these developments mean that keeping up to date with legal knowledge remains fundamental, but is no longer sufficient on its own. Effective practice increasingly depends on what a practitioner does with that knowledge: how they interpret a situation, apply expertise in context, work through uncertainty, weigh competing considerations, and make decisions where there may not be a clear or settled path.
That kind of capability develops over time, shaped by experience in practice. It cannot be fully built through exposure to information alone.
Director of Queensland Law Society Education Jacqui Lynagh sees that this has implications for what professional learning needs to look like.
“If expertise is applied in context, then learning has to reflect that. And if judgement develops through experience, then we need to create opportunities for practitioners to test ideas, compare approaches and learn from each other,” she said.
“A lot of professional learning happens through exposure to different approaches and perspectives.
“The role of professional learning isn’t simply to provide content. It needs to include supporting practitioners to work through the conditions they’re facing in practice, and offering learning that’s relevant and grounded.
“A big part of that is allowing insight to develop through interaction between practitioners, as much as through the material itself.”
This was reflected in the design of this year’s QLS Symposium, and in the way practitioners responded to it. There was a deliberate focus on creating opportunities for people to interact both within and outside sessions.
The Call for Contributions played a central role, specifically seeking interactive session ideas to provide more opportunity for practitioners to exchange experiences, and hear how others tackle challenges. It meant that most of the program was shaped by practitioners who were able to share not only legal updates, but how those issues were being approached in real matters. And with sessions being suggested and shaped by practitioners themselves, they were grounded directly in, and closely aligned to, current issues in practice.
Feedback pointed to the value practitioners placed on hearing how their colleagues were interpreting developments, approaching similar issues and meeting challenges, reflecting a preference for professional learning that is not only informative, but applied and shared.
As one practitioner noted: “The sessions were highly relevant, particularly the interactive workshops and mix of speakers providing practical insights. It provided an excellent opportunity to hear other practitioners’ views and opinions on the many changes facing legal practice.”
It is from this perspective that the QLS Specialist Practice Conference happening from 7-9 October at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, is now being developed. The aim is not simply as a program of sessions, but to create a setting for the kind of practitioner exchange that real expertise is built on.
Structured across three days, with each day dedicated to specific areas of practice, the conference provides a more focused environment for practitioners working within, or moving towards, specialist practice. This structure allows for sustained engagement with complex subject matter, moving beyond generalised updates to consider the substantive issues, developments and challenges that characterise particular areas of law.
Importantly, it also creates the conditions for practitioners within those areas to spend time together examining issues from multiple perspectives, exploring how different approaches are taken in practice, and contributing to a shared understanding of how work in that area of practice is developing. As practice becomes more demanding and more variable, the opportunity to engage with others who are navigating similar conditions becomes increasingly valuable.
Ms Lynagh noted: “Professional learning is one of the few opportunities practitioners have to step back from their immediate work and enter a space of considered discussion where they can exchange perspectives and work though current issues with others in the same area of practice. That’s where a lot of the value of in-person conferences comes from.
“We’re not aiming for the conference to just be about staying up to date. We’d like it to be part of how practitioners develop the capability to work effectively in increasingly complex conditions.”
The QLS Specialist Practice Conference is seeking contributions from practitioners with specialist knowledge and practical insight to share. Taking part is an opportunity to contribute to the quality of education in your area of practice, engage with peers at the forefront of specialist work, and expand your professional networks. Complimentary conference registration is provided for presenting authors.
The Call for Contributions closes on Sunday, 31 May.
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