Kriss Will

Kriss Will is the Managing Director of Kriss Will Consulting Pty Ltd, a consultancy firm which specialises in management consulting and training & development. Kriss has a Master of Business Administration and an honours Arts degree (double major in Psychology).

She has worked in professional services for over 20 years, holding in-house roles as an HR Manager, Marketing Manager and General Manager, and established her own management consultancy business in 1996.

Consulting work…

Kriss works as management consultant, trainer and facilitator for a number of organisations.  Much of her work involves advising and coaching partners and managers in the effective and productive management of people, organisational planning, and change management.   She is called upon for her strategic input as well as her operational expertise.

Project work includes organisational reviews, change management in relation to human resource management, co-ordinating mergers, reviewing and restructuring teams, training managers, partners, lawyers and support staff across a range of management areas, introducing performance appraisal systems which work, and facilitating retreats and business development workshops.    On a day to day basis, Kriss is called on by a number of clients to provide practical management advice, design and rollout policies, and work with partners, lawyers and managers to effectively manage their staff and organisational change.  She also provides advice and assistance in the prevention, investigation and resolution of internal grievances including alleged harassment, bullying and discrimination matters.

Kriss has also worked with clients to develop their strategic and operational plans, and she is often called upon to assist with preparation and facilitation of these planning processes.

Clients Kriss has worked with include
    Law firms of all shapes and sizes        Accounting firms
    Patent attorney firms        Member associations
    Architect practices        Government departments
    Insurance brokers        Consulting firms
    Ombudsman Offices        Not For Profits

Practical and entertaining trainer and presenter…
Kriss is known as a practical and dynamic presenter, with an engaging style that ensures audiences large or small are both entertained and trained during her workshops and conferences presentations.  Drawing on her practical day to day management experience, Kriss is able to offer real life solutions to real life problems.  Recently, Kriss’ presentations have included
    Workplace conflict  management and negotiation skills
    Benefiting from feedback – a practical approach for people managers
    Understanding and preventing sexual harassment and bullying
    Your people – your business ( a series of people management workshops)
    Effective recruitment – skills for busy managers
    Developing your influencing skills
    10 ways to become a better people manager and enjoy work more
    Networking skills for professionals
    Effective communication skills
    Why you should have more fun at work
    Workplace productivity for busy lawyers/support staff/management
    Taming your email – what works, what doesn’t and why you need to know the difference!
    How to work effectively with support staff
 
Recognition…

In November 1996, Kriss was awarded the National “Quality in Law” Award for her “outstanding contribution to the quality of management in the legal profession in Australia”.  In November 1999 she was awarded a Certificate of Service by the Law Institute of Victoria for her contribution to the development of management in law firms.  Kriss was made the inaugural life member of the Australian Legal Practice Management Association in December 2000 in recognition of her contribution to the association and to management within the professional service sector.  At the 2001 Annual Quality in Law dinner, her contribution to ‘best practice’ in management was recognised when she was awarded a fellowship.


Honorary work and memberships…

Kriss currently holds or has held the following honorary positions
•    Chair & Executive Committee Member, Law Council of Australia, Legal Practice Section
•    Board Member, Law Institute of Victoria, Specialisation Board
•    Executive & Committee Member, Australian Legal Practice Management Association
•    Member, Law Council of Australia, Recruitment and Retention Working Group
•    Chair & Executive Committee Member, Australian Law Firm Management Group
•    Member, International Advisory Board, Legal Management Journal (USofA)
•    Executive & Committee Member, Victorian Women Lawyers
•    Board Member, Stride Foundation

She is an active member of
•    Australian Human Resource Institute (Chartered Member)
•    Australian Legal Practice Management Association (Life Member)
•    Victorian Women Lawyers (Member)
•    Law Council of Australia (Member)
•    Law Institute of Victoria (Associate Member)


Published work….

Kriss has written articles for a number of Australian, New Zealand and American publications, mainly in the area of people management. She is the human resource expert columnist in the Australasian Law Management Journal (published by the Law Council of Australia) and has written the quarterly HR column since 2001.

Kriss’ abilities in this area were recognised when she was appointed as an international expert to the Legal Management (US management publication with a circulation of 25,000 plus) Editorial Advisory Board in 1998.

Kriss is also consulted by the media in relation to management and business success issues and stories.  She has contributed to both national and state based newspapers and radio programmes.


A few personal details….

Kriss enjoys her work, travel, new business ideas, meeting new people, food & wine, and spending time with her family and friends.  She is an avid reader of the Gourmet Traveller magazine, but tends to leave most of the cooking to her talented husband Noel.

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