Friday, 23 April 2021
Hearsay 08-2021
Hearsay is the Law Society's fortnightly e-newsletter, sent out to all members. Reproduced here is the news section of Hearsay — other sections have been omitted.
Farewell Stuart Alexander Imrie
The Law Society was saddened to learn of the untimely death of Stuart Imrie, who died on 30 March 2021 aged 57. Stuart was a long-standing adviser to IP Australia, both as a partner at HWL Ebsworth and following his move to Ashurst, where he was a consultant in their digital economy practice.
Our condolences to his family and friends.
Email hack hits local firm
Members should note that another scam has affected a local firm.
Fraudsters gained access to the firm’s email account and impersonated a staff member. The law firm’s accounts department received what they believed was a valid request from an internal staff member to pay trust monies to a client. The email included all the appropriate forms and Director approval for the funds to be processed to the external bank account. Funds in excess of $470K were transferred, and it was only later discovered that the email received by the accounts team was fraudulent.
It is not only client emails that can be hacked. We urge firms to take extra precautions and revisit their internal processes before transferring funds to external bank accounts.
Trust Year ended 31 March 2021: notification of external examiner
Many law firms still need to notify the Society as to who their appointed external examiner is. Firms should arrange to do so as soon as possible. Read More +
Seeking feedback on electronic filing in ACT Courts
The Law Society is planning a CPD session on the progress of the electronic filing system in the ACT Courts and we need your help to identify useful content. We invite members to provide feedback about electronic filing, whether you are using it, and your experience in doing so. Please email your comments to committee@actlawsociety.asn.au.
Courts update
As of 1 May 2021, the Courts will return to pre-COVID security screening procedures, including the return of x-ray screening. Members of the Law Society will not be required to remove their shoes if they display their Solicitor ID to the Security Team. If you need a Solicitor ID Card, please visit your Member Dashboard and select 'Order a Solicitor ID card' under 'Submit forms to the Society' in the left-hand menu.
Practising Certificate renewals starting soon!
Please make sure your contact details are up to date on your member dashboard before the practising certificate renewal period commences in May. It's vital that we have your current contact details so we can email you your renewal instructions.
In line with the Law Society's ongoing commitment to sustainability, practising certificates will now be issued electronically as the default (however paper copies will still be available on request, and you can always download a PDF for your own records).
Simply log in and follow the instructions on your Member Dashboard.