I’ve got a house full of books, an office full of bookshelves, and 3 library memberships. I listen to book related podcasts. I even have a tattoo of a stack of books. I’ll be a diehard reader until the day I die. .. but even I will acknowledge that some things can’t be taught or learnt through reading and writing. Advocacy is one of them. At risk of this sounding like a real LinkedIn-y post, I was fortunate enough to do the Industrial Relations Society of Vic’s Advocacy course over the last few weeks. It’s an incredible course run by two extremely experienced IR veterans, Chris O’Grady KC and Brian Lacy, which culminates in the participants running mock hearings at the Fair Work Commission. Commissioners volunteer their time on Saturdays to preside over these hearings, giving feedback and insight into the way they run and consider matters that come before them. It was incredible. So helpful, and so interesting. Particularly for things like conciliations, which are generally held by phone and are of course confidential. There’s no transcript or decision to trawl for nuggets of wisdom. I know how I run them, and how the people I’ve worked with run them. But watching and learning from others, with commentary and debriefs from Commissioners and experienced counsel, is the kind of insight that you just can’t otherwise get. A lot of my job is really helping people to stay out of the Commission, but sometimes it can’t be helped. And for those times, this course was a great boost.?Absolutely worth re-scheduling a holiday for, and if you play in this space, worth checking out!
Fostering discussion, research and education within the field of industrial relations
Presenting: our new cohort of IRSV Advocacy Course graduates! We are enormously grateful to our volunteer FWC Commissioners: Nicholas Wilson, Leigh Johns OAM, Susie Allison, and Oanh Thi Tran for presiding over our mock hearings over the last two weekends. We are just as indebted to our volunteer witnesses for putting our budding advocates through their paces from the witness box: Niki Howells-Schramm, Lisa Anne Alcock, Reza Azimi, Peta Robinson, Nicole O’Reilly, Peter Lardner, Luke Rose, and Sally Williams. Last and certainly not least - Thank you Chris O'Grady KC and Brian Lacy for yet again sharing your knowledge and expertise for the betterment of our IR community in Victoria.
Senior Associate at Seyfarth Shaw LLP
6 个月Well said Allie!