1. law, govt and politics

an introduction to
adlawgroup
the future in law
TM
adlawgroup: what are we?
new concept law firm to launch in
July 2015
adlawgroup is an exciting new law firm opening its
doors in Adelaide in July 2015. The adlawgroup
concept has been developed to fill a critical gap in
the employment market for graduate lawyers in
South Australia.
a vibrant retail presence
adlawgroup is a modern, vibrant, inner city legal
practice offering a full range of legal services at
competitive rates. Located near the law courts
precinct in Adelaide, adlawgroup is accessible,
inviting, friendly and customer focussed.
predominantly staffed by new
lawyers; an affordable alternative
Predominantly staffed by new lawyers, under the
supervision and guidance of expert senior
practitioners, adlawgroup has a fresh, energetic,
youthful and innovative approach to the provision of
legal services. adlawgroup is an affordable
alternative to the traditional firm adding a new
dimension to the matrix of legal service offerings in
Adelaide.
adlawgroup mission
The adlawgroup mission is to become a thriving
hothouse for new legal talent in South Australia.
providing opportunity to learn the
craft while delivering real value to
the legal services market
adlawgroup is about opportunity. Our values are
driven by;
! passion and motivation,
! diversity,
! energy,
! innovation and renewal,
! support and mentorship,
! quality, and
! integrity.
The concept behind adlawgroup is to provide
young lawyers with the real opportunity to invest in
their future and learn their craft while delivering
quality and value to our clients.
Why adlawgroup?
huge pool of law graduates enter
the employment market
There is a huge pool of law graduates entering the
market with few prospects of finding employment as
a lawyer in South Australia. In South Australia alone
there are currently in excess of 2000 law graduates
who have no immediate employment prospects.
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opportunities are few; most
employers seek 2-3 years post
admission experience
There are very few employment opportunities in the
legal profession for recent law graduates in South
Australia. Most law firms are unwilling to employ
graduate lawyers with no experience. They
generally seek practitioners with at least 2-3 years
post admission experience. The same barrier
applies to other employers of new legal talent such
as corporations and government agencies.
graduates staying in university
and out of productive workforce
It is increasingly common for graduates to return to
university to pursue advanced degrees in law and
related studies (e.g. Masters degrees and
Doctorates) incurring additional costs and spending
more time out of the productive work force.
pursuit of legal careers abandoned
Many graduates give up on pursuing legal careers
altogether; abandoning their investment in a legal
education. Some may undertake tertiary studies in
another field entirely. For a significant number the
only option has been to seek employment in the
general job market. Law graduates are found
employed in retail, hospitality and fast food outlets
or driving taxis and labouring. Some will complete
their higher education only to collect unemployment
benefits.
wasted investments in legal
education
The consequence is a significant waste of
investment (time, money and resources) by the
student and by the government. Highly educated
people become disillusioned and de-motivated at a
high personal cost and cost to the community.
“Catch-22” – need experience to
get work; need work to get
experience
To get an unrestricted practising certificate and
have the ability to practice as principal, the graduate
lawyer has to have two years supervised postadmission experience in a legal practice
environment. Without a job in a law firm, or
equivalent, the graduate lawyer cannot get the
requisite
experience;
without
the
requisite
experience the graduate lawyer cannot get the
opportunity to pursue his or her chosen profession,
the classic “Catch-22” situation.
the adlawgroup concept
large number of employment
opportunities created
adlawgroup will provide a large number of
graduate lawyers with immediate employment as
junior lawyers without applying the constraints of
academic and social prestige to the selection
process. The adlawgroup concept is designed to
attract graduates from diverse backgrounds,
different socio-economic groups and levels of
academic achievement.
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contract for prerequisite
supervision term
The junior lawyer will be under a two year contract
with adlawgroup; being the supervision period
prerequisite for a legal practitioner to practice on
their own account or in partnership.
continuous movement through
firm
The period of the contract is limited to ensure that
adlawgroup continues to serve its primary purpose
continuously making room for new intakes of
graduate lawyers.
adlawgroup employee will not be
locked in for the two year term
In the event that the adlawgroup lawyer is offered
a position elsewhere the employee will not be
locked in for the two year term. adlawgroup
actively encourages its employees to seize
opportunities as they are presented; adlawgroup is
fundamentally about opportunity.
adlawgroup employees undertake
a variety of work
The adlawgroup experience will expose the
graduate to a greater breadth and depth of legal
work, as well as opportunity for personal
development, than is typically experienced through
traditional graduate programs.
more experienced employees
support newer employees
As the graduate lawyers progress through the
adlawgroup system they will, in turn, provide
mentoring and support to newer members of the
team.
education and development
adlawgroup will run a comprehensive education
program to support employees’ development and
ensure that they are equipped with the legal
practice and business skills to make a valuable
contribution to the legal profession as a whole.
initial intake of 10-15 new legal
practitioners
At its launch, in July 2015, the initial intake will be
approximately 10 to 15 post-admission new legal
practitioners with a second intake planned for
September. It is anticipated that adlawgroup will
be able to sustain a growing intake of graduate
lawyers each year. However, growth will be
managed to ensure maintenance of quality of legal
supervision and professional service to clients.
financial investment in future
The newly admitted lawyer will be investing in their
future in law. There are initial mandatory costs that
need to be funded by the employee before they can
start the “adlawgroup getting started in law”
program. The adlawgroup employee will derive his
or her income through fees earned.
cost effective alternative
The adlawgroup getting started in law program
is a cost effective alternative to higher legal
education or the pursuit of alternate tertiary
qualifications.
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adlawgroup getting started in law
program
Participation in the adlawgroup getting started in
law program includes the cost of the practicing
certificate for that employee, access to the panel of
mentors and the comprehensive continuing
education programs.
employees encouraged to
introduce clients
Junior lawyers employed by adlawgroup will be
encouraged to introduce clients to the practice and
grow their marketing and business development
skills supported by adlawgroup’s marketing
initiatives.
the adlawgroup mentor program
The adlawgroup mentor program will comprise a
panel of selected specialist senior practitioners and
respected members of the business community.
Each mentor has a passionate commitment to the
provision of opportunities for young lawyers
harvesting the benefits of the investments made in
legal education and creating a new future in law.
new lawyers will have leading
experts to provide guidance
adlawgroup employees will have access to
selected senior legal practitioners with speciality
practices in all areas of law, including; commercial,
family, criminal, litigation, industrial relations,
property, wills and estates. These mentors will work
closely with the adlawgroup junior lawyers to
ensure that the practice delivers high quality legal
services; maximising the growth opportunities for
the young lawyers and minimising the risks to the
consumers.
fostering informal professional
relationships
The purpose of the mentor program is to foster
informal professional relationships between very
experienced and new practitioners. The mentors are
able to share their insights about the profession and
business experiences to better prepare the
adlawgroup lawyers in their developing careers.
full supervision of new lawyers
The work of the adlawgroup lawyers is overseen
by dedicated senior practitioners as supervisors.
The number of supervisors is proportionate to the
number of new lawyers in the adlawgroup getting
started in law program Our management style is
highly supportive, providing supervision, mentorship
and guidance to adlawgroup lawyers who learn
their craft by doing not watching; they do not
develop their skills through osmosis.
firm will be funded through fees
adlawgroup is self funding through fees earned by
the lawyers employed by the firm. Initial investment
and short term financial support is being provided
by the owners of adlawgroup with some support
from service providers. All ongoing costs associated
with running the practice will be serviced from
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income received through fees.
the benefits of adlawgroup
gateway opportunity for young
lawyers
adlawgroup is a gateway opportunity for young
lawyers in South Australia; it will significantly grow
the employment market for law graduates. We
present an additional option for graduates to explore
and offer a viable alternative to additional,
unnecessary, tertiary studies or the wasting of
investments already made in higher education. In
addition to legal practice experience, the
adlawgroup lawyer will gain business, marketing
and practice management skills providing more
flexibility for future employment.
access to affordable professional
legal services
The adlawgroup client has access to affordable
professional legal services. Young people, in
particular, will be targeted to encourage them to
seek professional advice and support in a timely
manner. adlawgroup is another option in the
market for potential clients.
growth in job market
The wider community benefits from the growth in
the job market and the reduction in wasted
investment in higher education. In future there could
be more niche market legal practices established
servicing the specific needs of segments of the
community.
source of new and experienced
lawyers
Lawyers who have interned with the large firms tend
to remain with those firms for a long time with no
incentive to practice in their own right and/or set up
in partnership. For smaller firms in particular, there
will be another source of new and experienced
lawyers in the market.
confident young lawyers ready to
set up rural and regional legal
practices
Regional and rural South Australia may experience
increased access to young talent; adlawgroup
employees leave the firm with more confidence to
establish practices in their own right or to join
smaller firms and may look to the regions for future
opportunity.
the adlawgroup getting started in law program
equips employees with legal
practice and business skills
The adlawgroup getting started in law program
is the total experience afforded to adlawgroup
employees including a comprehensive education
program to support employees’ development and
ensure that they are equipped with the legal
practice and business skills to make a valuable
contribution to the legal profession as a whole.
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organisational structure of adlawgroup
practice managed by managing
supervisor
On a day to day basis the practice is managed by
the Managing Supervisor supported by a number of
supervisors.
management roles are hybrids of
traditional roles
The adlawgroup management roles are hybrids of
traditional roles with some delegations normally
undertaken by a business manager, or managing
supervisor, reserved to the partners; and the
partners have less operational involvement than
usual.
work of young lawyers overseen
by dedicated supervisors
The adlawgroup employees are supported by
dedicated practitioners as supervisors; the number
of supervisors determined by the number
employees participating in the adlawgroup getting
started in law program. Participants are not
assigned to specific supervisors; the structure of
adlawgroup has been established to be more fluid
and collegial.
access to mentors overseen by
supervisors
The panel of experts will work closely with the
adlawgroup junior lawyers; access to the selected
senior legal practitioners is in accordance with
guidelines and overseen by a supervisor.
advisory committee
The mentors act as an advisory committee to the
partners; sharing their experience and insights as
adlawgroup evolves.
development and delivery of
adlawgroup programs
The partners more significant role is in the
development and delivery of the adlawgroup
programs such as the adlawgroup getting
started in law program.
adlawgroup – organisation chart
adlawgroup
partners
adlawgroup
adlawgroup
mentors
mentors
Managing
Supervisor &
Supervisors
adlawgroup lawyers
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the adlawgroup brand
the brand is the future in law
The brand is about becoming “the future in law”.
adlawgroup wants to become the springboard for
next generation in innovative and niche market
firms. adlawgroup will act like an incubator for
new legal talent which will be seen as a premium
resource pool from which talent can be sourced.
adlawgroup aims to earn a reputation in the
market for being a leading provider of basic, high
quality and affordable legal services. We want our
customers to experience real value in their
relationships with adlawgroup and for our lawyers
to enjoy the experience of delivering that value.
a retail like presence for a modern
inner city practice
adlawgroup has selected high visibility and
accessible premises located near the law courts
precinct in central Adelaide; a retail like presence
for a modern inner city practice. The intention is to
move away from the “ivory tower” image projected
by many of the more traditional practices.
open plan workspace to
encourage free exchange of ideas
Members of the team are not to be locked behind
the hard walls of individual offices. They share
banks of hot desks to enable maximum flexibility,
the free exchange of ideas and mutual support and
growth. With the deployment of the latest
information technology, adlawgroup people are
mobile.
providing mentorship and
guidance
adlawgroup is building a cultural persona around
being forward thinking; the future in law. Our
management style is to be highly supportive,
providing mentorship and guidance rather than
prescriptive tuition. adlawgroup lawyers learn their
craft by doing not watching.
our people are diverse, forward
thinking and passionate
adlawgroup people are diverse; the mentors are
diverse, the graduate lawyers are diverse and the
clients are diverse. Our people are passionate and
self motivated having already demonstrated their
willingness to invest in their future in law. The
adlawgroup seeks out and develops new legal
talent that is adventurous, innovative, inquisitive,
willing and well rounded.
relationship with clients is
professional and commercial
adlawgroup is a law firm; it is not an imitation or
substitute for community law services. Our
relationship with our clients is on the same
professional and commercial standing as with any
other law firm except that our rates reflect the
experience of our talented junior lawyers.
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grow demand for legal services
We aim to grow demand for legal services by
attracting new clients to the profession; in particular
those younger clients who have traditionally been
reluctant to call on professional support in a timely
manner.
professional online presence
adlawgroup will have a professional on-line
presence with access to professional and
individualised advice to meet this market demand
and avoid the risks associated with amateur legal
advice and interpretation.
targeting new markets
adlawgroup will be targeting this potential market
in addition to new and existing market opportunities.
These markets are unlikely to be attractive to the
larger, more established, firms. Generally, the
adlawgroup clients will not be the premium clients
sought after by those larger firms.
growing talent pool and client
base
adlawgroup is a new and different presence in the
legal services market growing the talent pool and
client base for the benefit of the profession as a
whole.
continuous improvement, growth
and opportunity
adlawgroup is building an environment of
continuous improvement, growth and opportunity.
The website and on-line presence will evolve post
launch in response to market demand and
feedback. The current website is informational
moving to a sophisticated interactive site soon. The
website can be visited at www.adlawgroup.com.au
adlawgroup is excited to
introduce this new concept in
legal opportunities
The partners of adlawgroup, its sponsors and
supporters are pleased and excited to introduce this
new concept in legal education and development.
There is a pressing need for the opportunities
created by adlawgroup to fill the critical gap in the
employment market for students completing their
studies at Adelaide’s three law schools.
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