About

The Piddington Society returns to London for an afternoon and evening of continuing professional development and collegiality, held in the Court Room at Daly’s on Thursday 10 September 2026.

Building on last year’s gathering, this year’s program brings together leading practitioners and scholars from both across the profession for four sessions spanning the full range of CPD competencies. Dr Holli Sargeant of Cambridge and Kate Mann of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer open proceedings with a session on artificial intelligence, the justice system, and professional liability. Jeremy Sher of DLA Piper and Ayla Ronald of Clifford Chance follow, with sessions on AI case law and lessons from international practice. Paul Gott KC then leads a walking tour of Middle Temple, exploring the history and ethical traditions of the Inns of Court.

The afternoon closes with “Lawyer Lessons from the West End,” in which voice coach Madeleine Joyce and barrister Nicholas van Hattem share what lawyers can learn from the stage and the world of professional hospitality — followed by drinks.

Attendees can earn four CPD points, one in each competency area. All are welcome!

3:00pm - Registration

3:30pm – 4:30pm

Dr Holli Sargeant — AI and the Justice System: An Evidence Gap

Kate Mann — Professional Liability

Chaired by Mike Workman

1 point - Practice Management & Business Skills

— 10 minute break —

4:40pm – 5:40pm

Jeremy Sher — Lessons from a Career well travelled 

Ayla Ronald — Can I Ask AI? AI Case Law Update

Chaired by Sophie van Hattem

1 point - Substantive Law

— 10 minute break —

5:50pm – 6:50pm

Paul Gott KC — Walking Tour of Middle Temple - A historical and ethical exploration

Chaired by Alex Snell

1 point - Ethics & Professional Responsibility

— 10 minute break —

7:00pm – 8:00pm

Maddy Joyce (Voice Coach) and Nicholas van Hattem (barrister and sandwich shop owner) — Lawyer Lessons from the West End

1 point - Professional Skills

Note:

Practitioner ID numbers are issued by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia. Information from the Board is available here. We require these to issue CPD certificates. If you do not provide us with one then we may contact you following the event.

Cancellations:

For cancellation and refund details, please see our Cancellation and Refund Policy.

Like all Piddington events, your attendance, engagement and support goes toward supporting funding Piddington's access to justice projects. These are: the Piddington PLT Fund, which supports the community legal centres (CLCs) that host Piddington PLT graduates to complete their hours required for admission; the Piddington Justice Fund for CLCs, to cover costs that they otherwise cannot meet; and, Kaartdijin, our First Nations Legal Education Fund. We also fund the Christine Wheeler PLT Scholarship and John Chaney Award for new law graduates and law students.

This program is delivered by The Piddington Society, an accredited CPD Provider approved by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia. CPD schemes in other Australian jurisdictions do not accredit or pre-approve providers or courses. As a result, practitioners outside Western Australia must self-assess this activity against the CPD rules in their home jurisdiction and determine whether it meets their professional development obligations. Certificates of completion are issued to assist with record-keeping, but the final decision as to compliance rests with the individual practitioner and their local regulator. Participants should also note that some jurisdictions impose caps on certain delivery modes (e.g. South Australia limits 5 units per CPD year for web-based/recorded programs).

Date

Location

The Court Room, 210 Strand, Temple, London

Contact Event Organiser