1.30pm: Login/Welcome

1.35pm: Session 1 - Ethics & Safe Use of AI in Legal Practice: Understanding what ethical, compliant and professionally responsible AI use looks like in practice.

• How generative AI works, including limitations, hallucinations and reliability risks
• Benefits and risks of AI use in legal practice
• Professional and ethical obligations, including competence, confidentiality and disclosure
• Supervising junior lawyers and staff using AI tools
• Decision-making frameworks to evidence ethical and compliant AI use
• Recent case law, including AI misuse and copyright implications
• Regulatory developments, including implications of the National AI Plan

2.35pm: Stretch break

2.45pm: Session 2 - Governance & Strategic Implementation: Building practical, defensible governance structures for responsible AI adoption.

• AI governance models and organisational maturity levels
• Designing AI strategies aligned to business objectives and risk appetite
• Committees, accountability structures and escalation pathways
• Developing clear, practical AI policies for staff and contractors
• Data governance foundations, including data hygiene, residency and retention
• Cross-team alignment across IT, risk, legal, HR and operations

3.45pm: Stretch break

3.55pm: Session 3 - Operationalising AI: Frameworks, Controls & Risk Assessment: Turning governance principles into repeatable, day-to-day practice.

• AI risk assessment methodologies and practical templates
• Mapping AI use cases and assigning risk levels
• Human-in-the-loop oversight models based on task risk
• Vendor evaluation, security checks and data handling
• Ongoing monitoring, auditing and system updates
• Embedding a sustainable risk culture and continuous improvement

5.00pm: Close

This course is designed for lawyers, in-house counsel, practice managers, compliance and risk professionals implementing AI. Ideal for those responsible for governance, policy development, supervision, technology adoption and organisational risk management across legal, IT, HR and operational teams.

This webinar is produced in NSW and features NSW-based educators. It is available to all participants across Australia.  

All times listed for this course are Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). Please take note of any time differences if you are registering from QLD, WA, SA, NT or from outside Australia.  

The course complies with the mandatory requirements of practice management and business skills (2 points) and ethics and professional responsibility (1 point).  

If you intend to claim CPD units for this educational activity, please note that CPD activities are not accredited by the Law Society of NSW or any other equivalent local authority, with the exception of Western Australia. If you hold a practising certificate in a state or territory other than Western Australia and this educational activity extends your knowledge and skills in areas that are relevant to your practice needs or professional development, then you should claim one (1) "unit” for each hour of attendance, refreshment breaks not included. The annual requirement is ten (10) CPD units each year from 1 April to 31 March. Some practitioners, such as accredited specialists are required to complete more than ten (10) units each CPD year.

Practitioners holding WA practising certificates are eligible to earn CPD points for this course. For instructions to earn CPD points, please click here.  

Dr Tahlia Gordon

Dr Tahlia Gordon is a prominent strategic advisor, legal academic, accomplished lecturer, consultant, writer and lawyer. A Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, Dr Gordon is widely recognised for her leadership in Artificial Intelligence Governance, policy, ethics and regulatory reform.

Tahlia has held numerous influential positions. From 2013 to 2023, Tahlia was the co-founder and co-director of Creative Consequences Pty Ltd, a boutique advisory and consultancy firm established to provide high-level regulatory and policy assistance and advice to public and private organisations, including educational institutions, regulators of professions and industry groups, religious orders, and firms.

Before establishing Creative Consequences, Tahlia held the roles of inaugural Research & Projects Manager at the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC) in Sydney, Australia; Executive Director of the Legal Profession Advisory Council in Sydney, Australia; and Policy Officer at the NSW Bar Association in Sydney, Australia. Tahlia has also worked at the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Tahlia has a PhD in Law from the University of New South Wales; a Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Notre Dame in the United States where she graduated Magna Cum Laude; a Bachelor of Laws from the University of NSW; and a Bachelor of Social Science (Hons Class 1), from UNSW.

Tahlia has published numerous academic and professional articles in international journals and books on legal ethics, legal practice, and professionalism.

Tahlia’s dedication to the practice of law, ethics, integrity, and community connection has, for many years and continues to shape the organisations within which she serves positively.

Alison Laird
Director, Elevate Law

Alison Laird advises, guides, and assists law departments and law firms with innovative, data-driven initiatives that leverage technology, process optimisation, operational transformation, and change management to achieve lasting and impactful competitive, business, and strategic advantage. 

A pioneering figure in and frequent author on innovation in legal operations, Alison’s more than two decades of private and public sector experience includes her work as Pinsent Mason’s Head of Innovation and Legal Delivery, APAC and DLA Piper’s International Director of Implementation. Along with her extensive record of optimising legal service delivery, enhancing productivity, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Alison is an Advisory Board Member for the Centre for Legal Innovation and an emeritus Teaching Fellow at Australia’s College of Law.

Alison holds an MBA from the University of Melbourne and has advanced certifications in change management and business analytics from Prosci, the Australian Institute of Management, The Wharton School, and the Queensland University of Technology.

Please be aware that this course organised by the College of Law may be recorded for use on our websites, marketing materials and publications. By attending and participating in a College of Law Continuing Professional Development course, you consent to the College of Law photographing or recording and using your image and likeness and/or voice.