Interviews
We asked Cleardocs founder Christopher Balmford to answer some of your questions and concerns about Cleardocs. We have recorded his responses for you to listen to and you can do so by clicking on the links below.
About Christopher Balmford, Cleardocs founder
Christopher is an internationally recognised plain-language expert. He is the President of Clarity - An international association promoting plain legal language, see www.clarity-international.net. His clients include 8 major national law firms, 20 public listed companies, 16 government bodies, the ASX, the United Nations and the European Central Bank.
A former lawyer, Christopher has worked for his own company since 1999. Before then he worked as:
Head of the Plain Language Department, Phillips Fox, 1993-1999
In-house plain-language consultant, AMP on secondment from Phillips Fox, 1996-1999
Head of the plain-language business, Law Reform Commission of Victoria, 1990-1992
Part-time researcher, Law Institute of Victoria, 1990-1991
Property solicitor and articled clerk, Baker & McKenzie, 1987-1989.
Click on the question below to open a new window which will play the audio clip. If you'd like to download the clip so that you can listen to it anytime, simply right click on the link, select 'Save link as' and follow the instructions to save the file.
1. How can Cleardocs help me handle the requests from my staff, and the union reps affiliated to my business, for policies/procedures that ensure consistent, fair and equal treatment of employees across the business?
2. How can I use the internet to save money on HR needs?
3. What’s the difference between going to a lawyer and using the Cleardocs site?
4. Legal and HR documents can be so complicated – how can I make sure that my staff understand what’s in the documents and aren’t confused by what they have read?
5. So much about employing people is imposed ‘top-down’ from the government. We don’t have much choice about it. How can I painlessly get a grip of what I have to do as an employer?
6. Lawyers train for years, and do a highly regulated job in an equally regulated sector: you can’t tell me that a machine can do the same thing a lawyer!
7. How does the free legal helpline work?
8. How do I know that the information on the Cleardocs site is legitimate?
9. Why can’t I ask my friend - who also runs a small business, and employers about the same number of people ask me – to email me the contracts etc., that he uses? All I need to do is replace his employees names with my own in Word.
10. How was Cleardocs born?
11. What products do Cleardocs currently sell?