"Change is very frightening to people. Using new technology which requires people to master new skills can be viewed as an attempt to provide additional work to people who are already overworked. We need people to take a look at technology not as a threat but as an opportunity. ... People have to learn to live between trapezes. That means they have to be prepared to let go of the old and reach for the new. One can either have technology be embraced and used as a positive force, or feel that one is always behind the curve with regard to technology. "

Donald Cohn, Corporate Counsel, Dupont

DAY 1 - Radical enhancement & scaling of Amicus Attorney 7 - Fri 17 February

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

The first day is aimed at Amicus Attorney users, and those who want to see why it is so popular with 225,000+ users. While Version 7 still has all the familiar features users know, it introduces several major enhancements with new modules such as Amicus Accounting and Document Management. The new "industrial strength" platform (Microsoft SQL Server) scales to support the needs of even the largest firms and their clients!!

That is why we have devoted a full day to the radical changes affecting Amicus, with the opening video address by Ron Collins, the president of Gavel & Gown. For more info on Ron, see the President's Message at:

Take the opportunity to meet other Amicus users some of whom are doing extraordinary things expanding their firms though innovative uses of IT.

Pre-Dinner drinks 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Conference Dinner6:30 pm

DAY 2 - Amplifying your performance - Sat. 18 February

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

The emphasis will be personal productivity/effectivenss of lawyers addressing issues of creative thinking, work flow, revenue enhancement, marketing, and the application of technology to support these functions.

A highlight of Saturday will be an video presentation by the inspirational Peter C. Hart, regarded by many as the "father" of legal IT & document assembly.

Session 1 Keynote: Peter C Hart - The New Environment or Web 2+Law = Law 2

Session 2 Simon Lewis, Richard Ure & John England - Platforms, Processes and Precedents. A Lawyers Workstation can involve using proven methods with a variety of established and new tools. Every lawyer is different, and has evolving requirements. Getting the balance right and knowing when to use a pen, and when to use a mouse is but one of the challenges.

Session 3 Kate Greenwood & Fabian Horton - Legal Minds - Getting More From Both Yours, and the Collective Legal Mind. The massive amount of information that is available to the lawyer or legal researcher is becoming staggering. AustLII alone has over 178 databases of primary and secondary legal materials, and all for free. The next step in the evolution of online legal research is the creation of new methods and tools that assist in the collection and analysis of all this information.

Session 4 Liz Harris and Julian Ehrlich - Better Billing: "What Your Bills Say About You - Marketing Tool or Timebomb"?

Session 5 Michael Perkins, Tom Morgan & Kate Hart. Building with IT: Developing New Service Areas In Your Practice And The Systems To Support Them.

Session 6 John Smartt & Kevin Currie - Facilitating Best Practices: Show The Results For The Best Clients And Staff. Making Change Happen. What do you do when you can see what needs to happen, but others don't share your view? How does successful change really happen in organisations? Share some lessons learned from a range of organisations, both large and small, about getting agreement for change and making it work.

Session 7 Greg Bray & Ron Collins - OS IT: "Hot Legal IT Topics from OS: Electronic court filing, document management systems, scanning, and some 'eye opening' lessons you need to learn from Hurricane Katrina"

Session 8 Future IT Roundtable: The Next 5 Years & How To Prepare For IT.