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Midlands event opens 2025 cluster programme

Law Society Skillnet’s regional CPD cluster programme for 2025 will start with the Midlands General Practice Update next month. 

The event will take place at the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise, Co Laois on Thursday 8 May (10am to 5.30pm). 

The update is being organised in collaboration with Laois Solicitors’ Bar Association, Kildare Bar Association, Midland Bar Association, and Carlow Bar Association.

Networking opportunity 

Attendance will yield 2.5 general CPD hours, 1.5 for professional development and solicitor wellbeing, and 1.5 for client care and professional standards. 

The conference will provide an opportunity for practitioners to update their knowledge in areas of law relevant to general practice. 

There will also be an opportunity to network with colleagues over lunch and an evening drinks reception. 

Topics and speakers 

Topics include: 

• Recent developments in conveyancing,
• Cyber-crime: insights into identifying and preventing fraud,
• Employment-law update – including injunctions and protective disclosures,
• How to respond and not react,
• Legal costs, and
• Tailte Éireann. 

The speakers are: 

• Morgane Conaty BL,
• Emily Gough (Bank of Ireland Fraud Customer Experience and Communications),
• Sorcha Hayes (Head of Practice Regulation, Law Society),
• Áine Hynes SC (partner, St John Solicitors; chair of Mental Health and Capacity Task Force; and member, Law Society Litigation Committee),
• Emer Kilroy (case manager, Tailte Éireann, Roscommon),
• Deborah Leonard (solicitor secretary to Law Society Conveyancing Committee),
• James McElwee (President, Laois Solicitors’ Bar Association,
• Margaret Mulpeter (solicitor and relationship mentor), and
• Denis Shelly (Denis Shelly Legal Costs Accountants).