One of Australia’s youngest law firm CEOs has also been elected president of the Australasian Legal Practice Management Association (ALPMA).

35 year old Anthony Bleasdale, who was also recently appointed as CEO at Sydney’s Makinson d’Apice Lawyers, will take up the ALPMA presidency from outgoing president and Coleman Greig general manager, Warrick McLean.

“Tony is part of the new breed of law firm leaders.  His experience in technology, business development and general management will help ensure ALPMA continues to provide the learning and development program and industry connections that our members need,” McLean said.

Bleasdale said that the most critical issue facing law firm managers was sustaining the value of law firms. He said that firms need to be innovative and invest more strongly in their management and support staff, as well as lawyers.

“The recent Great Place to Work Institute Australia study shows that participating law firms invested an average of 43 hours per employee per year on professional development for their largest occupational group – lawyers – while the Top 50 best workplaces are investing more than double this amount – 88 hours per year on average,” he said.   “And I suspect that investment is even lower for non-fee earners at law firms.”

“It is imperative that legal practice managers keep up-to-date with the latest in management thinking, industry best-practice and developments in technology, so they have the know-how to successfully lead their firms in this challenging environment,” he said.

Bleasdale said he was committed to extending and improving the accessibility of ALPMA learning and development programs and enhancing its on-demand learning program.

ALPMA will launch a new initiative specifically focused on helping small firms adapt to the changing legal landscape in the New Year, using the latest in live streaming technology to reach firms across the country.

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