Senior Associate at Moray & Agnew in Newcastle, Joan Williams, has been awarded Specialist Accreditation in Personal Injury Law from the Law Society of New South Wales.
Specialist accreditation is a structured peer-to-peer assessment process enabling legal practitioners to be recognised for their expertise.
To gain status as an Accredited Specialist a Lawyer must pass rigorous assessments in communication, problem solving, client relations, as well as their specialist area of law.
Each year the Law Society runs the accreditation program for a select number of areas of law.
Joan said the course was not easy, but was a great way to expand her knowledge, which will ultimately help in her role at Moray & Agnew.
“The Specialist Accreditation course was hard work! But it was worthwhile,” she said.
“It’s a fantastic way of reinforcing my existing knowledge, but also of expanding into some areas I didn’t know so well.
“As always, it is humbling to be recognised by my peers in the profession and to be counted amongst the ranks of accredited specialists within Moray & Agnew, which houses some truly exceptional Lawyers.”
Chair of the Law Society’s Specialist Accreditation, Richard Harvey, said it is rare to receive this form of accreditation and the process is rigorous to promote the absolute best of the best to shine in the industry.
“Specialist Accreditation is held by less than six per cent of the profession here in New South Wales,” hesaid.
“We are proud that Specialists Accreditation is such a rigorous process and getting accredited is just the start.
“When a specialist retains their accreditation year on year their clients know the value of the advice they receive.”
Joan’s expertise focuses on public liability, product liability and professional indemnity claims arising from diverse circumstances, ranging from slips and falls, through to injuries on worksites involving multiple defendants and complex questions of indemnity and dual insurance, andinjury and damage from defective products and professional practices.
Her broad experience includes working for a time with the Australian Federal Police’s legal team in Canberra. Managing Partner at Moray & Agnew Newcastle, Sean O’Sullivan, said that the whole team were impressed by the accreditation and that Joan should be proud of what she has achieved.
“We’re very proud of Joan’s achievement, which is testament to her exceptional skills, talent and hardwork,” he said.
“The Law Society’s specialist accreditation program consists of meticulous assessments on both legal knowledge and its application in practice.
“Joan joins her colleagues Kim Ebbeck, Alwyn Gillis, Matt Huckerby, Mark Malley, Cathy Pares and Erin Woodward to achieve accreditation in this specialist area. In fact, Moray & Agnew’s Newcastle office boasts over 30 per cent of all personal injury Accredited Specialists in the Newcastle region,” he concluded.
IMAGE | Senior Associate, Joan Williams, receives honourable Specialist Accreditation.