In this session, Smokeball CEO, Hunter Steele, will share his insights into the future of the legal industry and the impact that he believes technology will have on the practice of law over the next year. Hunter will also provide a deep dive into the overarching vision behind Smokeball, and unveil a collection of brand new product features that Smokeball is set to introduce in the near future.

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The premise of Todd's award-winning Discovery Science series Redesign My Brain was simple. For over 70 years, science has told us that our brains are fixed. You are born with the brain you have, which develops rapidly until the age of seven, and then it starts a steady decline from age 30 until you die and there was nothing you could do about it. But science has now proven that to be false. In fact, modern science has shown that our brain is plastic and that we all have the ability to improve it at any age and at any time. This presentation will show you how to boost your brain power. Todd will not only take you behind the scenes of this extraordinary scientific journey, he will also provide you with the practical tools, strategies and techniques to improve your brain. We are all capable of more than we realise, and modern science is showing us how.

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In this session, join Vik Sundar, Managing Director, Clear Law, as he shares his expert insights and real-life examples of how testamentary trusts can be used to protect beneficiaries' inheritances from family court claims.

Key Takeaways:

• How testamentary trusts can act as a shield, protecting inheritances from the family court
• The family court’s power to intervene in asset division and why even well-structured trusts aren’t always immune
• How you can draft trusts to safeguard assets in today's ever changing legal world.

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This isn’t just about protecting wealth - t’s about understanding the intersection of law, family, and legacy, and ensuring that what your clients pass on is truly protected.

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In this session, hear from Brett McGrath, President, Law Society of New South Wales, who will explore the multi-faceted implications of artificial intelligence on the legal justice system. This session will address how lawyers can balance their duties to clients and the courts while navigating regulatory and ethical challenges around AI. It will also examine how today's lawyers can effectively harness technology to improve access to justice.

Are you ready to take your law firm to the next level? Join two accomplished Australian legal principals, Sach Fernando and Bron O’Loan, as they share key learnings from their own scale-up journeys - warts and all. Drawing from real-world experience, this session will provide key considerations, strategies and potential pitfalls to consider when attempting to scale your law firm.

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Key Takeaways:

• How to determine when scaling is viable.
• Strategies to scale your firm without compromising service quality.
• Your most important hires and when you need to bring them on board.

The traditional four-step process in property settlements evaluates assets, contributions, needs, and equity - but does it truly serve families? What if this framework could do more than divide - what if it could foster healing and even rebuild trust?

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In this presentation, Pepe will reimagine the 4-steps through a justice-centred lens, challenging adversarial norms and empowering family lawyers to guide their clients toward fairer, more sustainable outcomes. For those ready to move beyond their legal comfort zones, Pepe will offer fresh tools and perspectives, challenging attendees to create solutions grounded in humanity and equity.

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Are you a sole legal practitioner or part of a small law firm that is frequently finding that productivity is bottlenecked by a lack of resources?  In this session, hear from Renee Roumanos, Principal Lawyer, Renee Roumanos Legal and Adele Hoyle, Chief Product Officer, Smokeball, on how law firms can leverage Smokeball AI and Archie to drive efficiency without increasing head count.

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 Key Takeaways:

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• How Smokeball AI can help you streamline legal work and reduce bottlenecks
• Outside-the-box use cases for Smokeball AI
• How to produce effective prompts that help you get the most out of AI tools

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Wondering if investing in social media content is worth the effort? Iolanthe Gabrie, Director of Ruby Assembly, presents "Make Them Remember You: Social Media Best Practice Essentials for Lawyers". This entertaining session explores digital hygiene, brand design, and content creation strategies for legal professionals on social media platforms. Expect big energy and frank insights from this unique professional services marketer and the author of 100 Days of Brave. 

Key Takeaways:

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•    Establish a strong digital presence as your practice's virtual shopfront and better understand legitimacy in the social space        

•    Create meaningful content tailored to various experience levels, considering resource allocation and ethical considerations

•    Develop a unique brand identity that resonates with your target audiences and supports database growth

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Join us during the lunch break for a short film screening of the upcoming short feature film Millie, followed by a Q&A with the film's Executive Producer, Darren Mort.

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Millie the Movie: Produced by Darren Mort, Millie is a poignant story about a 10-year-old girl named Millie. The narrative explores themes of family dynamics, her life, her relationships with her parents, and her rich inner world. The film is a rich and powerful resource for parents, children, and family law professionals.

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In an increasingly consumer-driven Australian legal market and with Gen AI providing the opportunity to produce services more quickly, traditional hourly billing models are facing pressure from clients in favour of fixed-fee or value-based pricing models. During this session, Melissa Lyon, Executive Director & Experience Designer, Hive Legal, will introduce value-based pricing as an alternative model.

Key Takeaways:

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•    How to define value         

•    How to communicate value to clients

•    The wide-ranging benefits of ‘value’ versus ‘time’

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In a rapidly-changing tech environment and with IP now becoming an extremely valuable asset on business balance sheets (think of the top 10 companies in the world now!), we are seeing a huge increase in the need for lawyers and business owners alike to know what business IP they have and what steps they should take to protect it. Once assets become more valuable, there is a greater need for the legal documentation to concentrate on those assets as the consequences of not defining, identifying or dealing with them properly becomes high-risk legal and commercial areas or even fatal if not done properly. In this session, Ian Aldridge, Principal Lawyer Director from Progressive Legal (20 years PQE), will show you:

• Different forms of IP that a business/firm has;
• Practical legal steps to protect the various forms; and
• Main areas of risk and how to minimise.

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Australian legal firms are frequently encouraged to adopt new technology in a bid to drive productivity while future proofing the business. While technology does present a wealth of productivity benefits, many firms fail to see these benefits due to a range of common implementation mistakes. In this session, hear from Fiona McLay, Author, The Tech Enabled Lawyer, about the five crucial mistakes to be wary of when implementing new technology in your firm.

Key Takeaways:

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• Key questions to ask before adopting new technology
• How to implement an adoption strategy that sets you up for success
• How to quantify the impact of your new technology

Are you ready to take your conveyancing practice from good to great? In this session, hear from Laura Vickers, Principal Lawyer & Director, Nest Legal, who will explore how modern tools like online intake forms, smart precedents, and automated workflows can streamline your processes, enhance accuracy, and save valuable time.  You’ll also learn about how tools like generative AI can support you through key stages of your matters.

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Key Takeaways:

• How to implement online intake forms for efficient client onboarding.
• Using smart precedents and workflows to streamlines processes
• How generative AI can help with tasks such as drafting special conditions, client correspondence, marketing and proofreading

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In this session, hear from Kim Wiegand, Director, Client Growth and Innovation, Ashurst, about how you can create exceptional client experiences that set your law firm apart. This session explores strategies for designing client journeys that build trust, foster loyalty, and drive referrals. Whether you’re aiming to improve retention or elevate your reputation, this session will provide actionable insights tailored for small Australian law firms.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding the drivers of an outstanding client experience.

• Techniques for mapping and improving the client journey.

• Strategies to enhance client communication and trust.

• Value of technology to support your team to deliver a seamless client experience.

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‍‍In this session, join Smokeball's Chief Executive Officer, Hunter Steele, and Chief Product Officer, Adele Hoyle,  for an exclusive insight into newly released and upcoming feature updates that will elevate the way you use Smokeball in your law firm.

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Key Takeaways:

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• Early access insights into the exciting Smokeball updates you haven’t seen before
• An overview of how these features can empower your practice through each stage of your matter life cycles
• Live product demonstrations and teasers

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