We've all now heard about the expected post-September "tsunami of debt", an "avalanche of insolvencies" and the "fiscal cliff". Will it or won't it occur?
In the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, who said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe", we've been taking the time during this working-from-home situation to train our lawyers on the finer points of debt recovery practice. It's often an unspectacular area of practice but an essential one, and one which we believe our clients will need over the next 12 months.
Our lawyers have each been given two mock debt recovery files to manage. One gets them thinking about debt recovery and enforcement through the Local Court, and potentially bankruptcy proceedings. The second file involves the niceties of District Court practice and/or statutory demand/winding-up processes.
Bonnie, one of our lawyers, has the role as supervising solicitor and is honing her skills in that capacity. The demanding and uncompromising clients are Keiran and Natale. Tean excels as overseer.
Here's what some of the lawyers are saying about the exercise:
Sam Rowling, Lawyer: "An innovative training tool that has given me the skills I need to help with debt recovery matters, particularly in light of COVID-19."
Andriana Nikopoulos, Lawyer: "An invaluable crash course in debt recovery, client management and lawyering in general."
Julia Nettle, Lawyer: "I'm feeling well equipped to deal with debt recovery, bankruptcy and winding up files when the government's moratorium is lifted."
Andrew Fischer, Graduate: "My so-called 'clients' are tough but they're preparing me for most of the scenarios I'll come across in practice."
Bonnie-Anne Talese, Lawyer: "I'm enjoying wearing the hat of 'supervising lawyer' and providing nuggets of wisdom such as 'your supervisor is not always right'."
We're sharpening the axe. We're ready to work with our clients to recover debts owed to them or to help resist debt recovery steps against them, and negotiate on their behalf, where appropriate.
All information on this site is of a general nature only and is not intended to be relied upon as, nor to be a substitute for, specific legal professional advice. No responsibility for the loss occasioned to any person acting on or refraining from action as a result of any material published can be accepted.
