April 09 Around the States - Victoria

 

January through March

Black Saturday has certainly made the first quarter of 2009 a memorable period for most, if not all of us, for all the wrong reasons however it has also been uplifting to see the incredible generosity of the wider community to those who have lost property and/or loved ones. To aid in the recovery process, the ALPMA Vic Executive voted unanimously to make a $1,000 donation to the Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal on behalf of our members and we send our thoughts and good wishes to those affected both directly and indirectly.

With economists predicting gloom and doom on the financial front, a number of firms have recently taken action to better position themselves for the possibility of a slowdown in legal work. Measures to reduce staff-related costs reported to date demonstrate an element of creativity and foresight not widely seen during the last financial crisis and include offering staff more flexible work options such as career breaks, reduced hours and annual leave purchasing. By maintaining valuable experienced and committed staff and intellectual property wherever possible, firms will be in the best position to take advantage of new opportunities as we emerge from the current financial crisis.  As legal practice managers working in the current financial climate, we need to closely  monitor and reassess budgets and financial reports, strategic plans, HR strategies and so forth to ensure timely and appropriate decision-making. We hope that the services ALPMA provides have, and will continue to assist you in addressing these and other aspects of your role.

2009 Program

Garrie Dooley of Executive Team opened the 2009 Professional Development Program presenting Preparing for the upturn - now is the time to invest in your people. For some organisations, a typical reaction to tough times is to hold back on investing in the people until “there is an upturn in the market”.   Garrie looked at why now is the perfect time to invest in your teams, ensuring you are not only perfectly positioned to ride through the tough periods, but are also perfectly positioned to maximise opportunities during the recovery.

The March Seminar featured some familiar faces.  It was fabulous to welcome Richard Gibbs, Chief Economist with Macquarie Bank, back to the ALPMA program.  Richard’s economic forecasts in “plain speak” were absolutely spellbinding.  As a qualified lawyer, Richard was able to provide some valuable insights into the current economic climate and relate these directly to our audience.  John Chisholm and Nicholas Carr joined Richard for this panel presentation.  Nic was able use a graphic description of his own experience of retrenching staff during the last recession and Pyramid collapse to demonstrate the value of good practice management skills.  As CEO of Maddocks during the last recession, John shared stories of how partners were able to use the lean times as an opportunity to think ‘outside the square’ and subsequently prosper.  With John facilitating audience participation, many law firm managers shared  a wide range of tips and traps for trading through difficult times from their own experiences.  

MP3 recordings of both seminars can be downloaded from the Members Audio Library at the ALPMA web site.

Upcoming Events

The Super Productive Day – Dr Adam Fraser – 19 May
Business Evaluation and Succession – 16 June

A big thank you to Shirley Hamel who has recently stepped down from her position on the Executive Committee.  Shirley has a long history of association with ALPMA and we are indebted to her for her valuable assistance with our professional development program, her regular hosting of Executive Meetings and her steady contribution to the strategic planning of the Victorian Branch.

In June, we will be undertaking a vote of members on a proposal to amalgamate with the national association.  Each state-based association will be going through a similar process, with a view to winding up all state based associations on June 30, 2009 and operating after that date as a national association. ALPMA Vic will continue to operate but as a branch of ALPMA rather than as a separate association in its own right.

Why amalgamate? It’s a good question. Currently there are differences between the state-based associations and our ability to standardize has been to some degree impeded by state government legislation or the fact that we’re operating as separate entities.  Over the last two years, many administration duties have been gradually transitioned from a state-based function to a national function which has delivered savings on both financial and productivity fronts and efficiency gains.  We anticipate that through the amalgamation of the various state bodies into a single national association and a national approach to membership and marketing, ALPMA will be further strengthened and even better placed to deliver quality and valuable services to its members, “Adding value to the business of law”.

More information on amalgamation can be read in the President’s Page and an upcoming radio interview which will be streamed to ALPMA Members.

As always, we’re very happy to receive your thoughts on our program and the running of ALPMA.

Yours sincerely,
Valmai Trudgen
ALPMA Vic Convener