Modules:

• Property

Biography:

Elena is an accomplished lawyer offering strategic counsel on a wide range of property-related matters. She has extensive expertise across sales and acquisitions, due diligence and general advice, and commercial and retail leasing. Her practice is defined by depth, efficiency and a strong focus on delivering commercially sound outcomes.

She also offers tailored and holistic estate planning services, and guides clients through probate and estate administration. Elena is adept at ensuring client requirements are clearly documented and their affairs are managed with care, compassion and precision.

Elena brings accuracy and strategic thinking to every transaction. Whether advising on property acquisitions, commercial leases, or estate planning, she delivers tailored legal solutions that align with her clients’ business and personal goals. 

Elena has experience in both the ACT and NSW jurisdictions. Elena’s collaborative approach and attention to detail enable her to navigate complex transactions with confidence.

Elena delivers thoughtful, comprehensive legal advice to a diverse client base including large corporations, builders, and private individuals. She has a keen eye for detail and is known for cultivating strong, collaborative relationships with clients and stakeholders, guiding them toward pragmatic and effective results.

Memberships

Law Society of ACT

Biography:

Meagan has over 15 years of dedicated banking and finance experience gained through roles with leading private practice firms acting for both financial institutions and sponsors. She has broad experience in all aspects of banking and finance including financial services regulation and compliance, structured property finance, and corporate finance. Meagan is admitted in the Supreme Court of NSW.

Contact

meagan.doak@lexisnexis.com.au

Modules:

• Construction

Biography:

Tom is a Barrister at Green’s Square Chambers. He has particular experience in dealing with document-heavy litigation with a substantial technical component, and with the cross-examination of technical experts.

Tom is also experienced at representing clients in mediations and has been asked to act as a mediator himself on a number of occasions.

Admitted as a solicitor in UK 1986 

Admitted as a solicitor in NSW 1992.

Practicing as a barrister in NSW since 1998. 

Modules:

• Commercial

Biography:

Alexandra is a corporate lawyer with extensive corporate and commercial on-the-ground business experience, bringing a pragmatic and commercial approach to legal problems and finding effective solutions.

Alexandra fosters collaborative partnerships with clients to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. Her relationship-centric approach allows her to grasp clients’ immediate and long-term objectives, enabling her to deliver strategic and proactive commercial and legal solutions.

Alexandra’s expertise encompasses a wide range of areas, including general corporate advisory, business restructures, M&A, IPOs, shareholder disputes, partnership disputes, debt disputes, employment and commercial contracting. With a diverse background across various industries, Alexandra has advised clients in sectors including resources, engineering, infrastructure and construction, manufacturing, logistics, travel and tourism.

Alexandra is committed to community engagement and has helped set up not-for-profit entities to enable them to continue philanthropic ventures, helped NFPs obtain charity and DGR status and worked with NFPs and social enterprises to deliver strategic and innovative commercial business solutions.

Modules:

• Commercial

Biography:

Kristy’s expertise encompasses both corporate and commercial law, with particular experience in the cross over between company structures and mergers, corporate governance and the impact on day to day commercial arrangements. 

Kristy works closely with the directors and executives of her clients to pro-actively help them manage legal issues associated with the operation and growth of their businesses. Focused on helping clients manage their legal risk across all areas of their business, she also has extensive M&A experience ranging from private sales and divestments to schemes of arrangement and takeovers. Kristy also advises on restructures, joint venture and partnership arrangements and assisting clients with emerging corporate structures such as B Corp certification and social enterprise.

Modules:

• Personal Injury QLD

Biography:

Anand joined the Bar over twelve years ago after practising as a solicitor for eleven years. Anand has appeared as counsel in the High Court, Queensland Court of Appeal, Federal Court and as trial counsel in all State Courts, the Federal Magistrates Court and many Tribunals. Anand has been elected by the Bar, on many occasions, to serve on the Bar Council (the Bar’s peak executive body).

Biography:

Mark is located in Melbourne and is integrally involved in the provision of business advisory and tax solutions for his clients. Mark is recognised as a technically astute and perceptive practitioner, who is focused on delivering tailored and practical outcomes to his clients. He does this by working closely with them to quickly gain a thorough understanding of their complete tax position, and then provides solutions that are technically sound, practical, and commercial.

He is a regular expert commentator and presenter on tax issues, having contributed significant tax commentary through media and publications including Lateline Business, The Australian Financial Review, The Tax Institute Journal, and the Australian Tax Forum.

Mark’s business experience, including as Director for various local companies (including subsidiaries of foreign parents), as well being Managing Partner for his predecessor firm, gives him strong insights into both the strategic and operational issues facing his clients, and provides relevance to the business and technical tax advice he delivers.

Mark has completed his PhD in relation to the taxation of SMEs in Australia and is one of the few tax practitioners whose work has been cited in Australia’s Parliament.

Mark was formerly appointed by the Federal Government to Australia’s Board of Taxation (2015 - 2021), providing real time policy advice in relation to the SME sector to the Federal Treasurer. This involved attending monthly Board meetings, including with the Commissioner of Taxation. Several of Mark’s tax policy recommendations have been adopted by the Federal Government. Mark is also a former member of The Tax Institute’s Victorian Technical Committee and was previously the former Chair of The Tax Institute’s National SME Sub-Committee, as well as being a former Victorian State Councillor.

Modules:

• Construction

Biography:

Andrew has acted in a substantial number of successful complex litigious matters in various State and Federal Courts and he has acted for and advised clients across a wide range of industries and professions including building and construction, engineering, defence and professional practice. Andrew advises clients strategically about their dispute and how best to achieve the outcome they seek. He regularly appears in Court as counsel on behalf of his clients. 

Andrew is skilled in achieving client outcomes through mediation, arbitration and other forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). He advises clients regarding the advantages and disadvantages on using ADR. Where ADR is used he often appears as counsel on behalf of his clients. Andrew is qualified in mediation and arbitration (domestic and international), was a National Councillor and National Treasurer of the Institute of Arbitrator and Mediators and was the Treasurer of the South Australian Chapter.

Awards and Recognition
Doyle’s Guide – Leading Construction & Infrastructure Litigation Lawyers – South Australia, since 2015 edition

Memberships
Nationally Accredited Mediator (NMAS) 
Grade 1 arbitrator (Resolution Institute) 
Fellow, CPA Australia 
Fellow, Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration 
Fellow, Resolution Institute 
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 
Fellow, Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution 
Fellow, Philippines Institute of Arbitrators 
Chair, International Legal Practice Committee – Law Society of South Australia 
Member, ADR Committee – Law Society of South Australia 
Member, LAWASIA ADR and Litigation Committee 
Founder & National Chair, Society of Construction Law Australia 
Member, Construction and Infrastructure Committee – Law Council of Australia 

Speaking Engagements
IPSANZ: 07/08/2024 - Perspectives from an advocate and an arbitrator 
Resolution Institute: 22/10/2024 - Will Arbitration Survive Two Momentous Decisions? 
Law Society of South Australia: 22/11/2024 – The High Court and Arbitration 

Biography:

A Partner at Sachs Gerace Lawyers, Anne is a highly skilled solicitor who has been practicing since 2008. Anne commenced her legal career working as a tipstaff to the Honourable Justice Slattery in the Supreme Court of NSW and subsequently worked for a top-tier law firm and a specialist strata law firm prior to working at Sachs Gerace Lawyers.

Anne specialises in all aspects of strata and building and construction law and has particular expertise in difficult building defect and strata litigation claims.

Anne gives solutions to navigate complex legal problems focusing on effective pathways to achieve the best outcomes to align with client needs.

Modules:

• Construction

Biography:

Charlie is Counsel in the Sydney office of White & Case and a member of the firm’s International Arbitration team. 

He advises and represents industry-leading, multinational companies, as well as States and State-owned entities, from a range of industries and business sectors, on complex, cross-border disputes (international arbitration and litigation). 

He has particular expertise in major infrastructure, energy and resources disputes and has appeared as counsel in international arbitrations (both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations) conducted under the rules of major arbitral institutions including the LCIA, the ICC, SIAC, HKIAC as well as ICSID and UNCITRAL. He has worked on disputes arising from projects across the globe from Africa, the Gulf States, the Middle East and Europe/UK to South-East and North Asia, Australia and the United States. 

Charles’ broad practice also includes acting on behalf of clients in complex, multijurisdictional, commercial litigation at both trial and appellate level, including arbitration-related litigation concerning challenges to awards or recognition and enforcement action.

Awards and Recognition
Recognised as ‘Rising Star’ in International Arbitration in Legal 500 UK (2024
Recognised as ‘Key Practitioner’ in International Arbitration in Legal 500 UK (2023)

Memberships
Member of LCIA YIAG, the ICC Young Arbitrator Forum, HK45, YSIAC, the Transnational Institute for Arbitration and ACICA 

Speaking Engagements
Presentation to the Law Association of Zambia on International Commercial Arbitration, Lusaka (April 2024)
Presentation to the Office of Attorney General of the Republic of Kenya on Investor-State dispute resolution, Nairobi (July 2024) 
Contributing author to International Arbitration in England: Perspectives in Times of Change (2022)
Contributing author of Zuckerman on Australia Civil Procedure (2018) 

Modules:

• Family

Biography:

Michael was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Tasmania in 1986. He became a director of Dobson Mitchell & Allport in 2004.

Michael has developed a considerable practice as a family lawyer, having practised almost exclusively in that jurisdiction since 1992. He is involved as both solicitor and counsel in the conduct of his own files in all areas of family law litigation and is often instructed by other legal firms in the capacity of counsel for opinions and/or representation in property/financial litigation and in parenting disputes. In 1998, Michael was granted accreditation as a specialist in Family Law by the Specialisation Board of Law Institute Victoria.

He is a member of the Family Law Practitioners Association of Tasmania, the body representing family lawyers in the State, and a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia.

Modules:

• Succession

Biography:

Brian Hor is the Principal and Legal Practitioner Director of WillWorks Pty Ltd, a boutique law practice specialising in providing sophisticated estate planning services.

Before establishing WillWorks Pty Ltd, Brian was a Partner with a "top tier" global professional services organisation and was a founder of its Private Clients Estate Planning practice in Australia.

Brian was also Chairman of the Financial Planning Association's Tax Committee and member of the FPA Public Policy Committee continuously from 1997 to 2004, and helped negotiate ATO concessions to assist financial planners' transition to the FSR regime, amend the PSI laws for the special circumstances of financial planners, and promote tax deductibility for tax advice given by financial planners. More recently Brian was an industry representative on the ATO's Alienation and Part IVA Working Group Review into the Alienation of Personal Services Income Rules in 2009.

Brian has published numerous professional articles, and regularly presents at professional training and legal education seminars on taxation, trusts, estate planning, asset protection and business structuring for organisations including The Taxation Institute, Television Education Network, LexisNexis, the Financial Planning Association, IBC Conferences, The Law Society of NSW, The CLE Centre, NSW State Legal Conferences, and The College of Law.

Modules:

• Commercial

Biography:

Jo specialises in M&A, joint ventures and capital raisings and works with clients to get “investor-ready” and “deal-ready”. She regularly helps clients with shareholder arrangements, governance arrangements that allow businesses to scale and grow as well as exits and acquisitions.

Jo is well experienced in working on both sides of the spectrum, working with both founders and private capital, and has a pragmatic and commercial approach in finding solutions for her clients. She also has extensive experience helping boards navigate regulatory environments, corporate governance and disclosure obligations for listed companies.

Jo has experience working with clients undertaking Energy M&A, particularly in renewable energy. Jo has extensive expertise working with clients across a range of other industry sectors including financial services, industrials and healthcare. She has previously worked in Hong Kong, where she enhanced her international capability helping clients implement their acquisition and divestment strategies in the Asian market and advised on listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Modules:

• Technology & Innovation

Biography:

Jeffrey works at Marque Lawyers in its Commercial and Content, Media & Technology teams. He is involved in drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts for clients, including in the media, entertainment, arts and technology space. Before joining Marque, Jeffrey had a background in journalism, economics and policy.

Modules:

• Succession

Biography:

Raymond is a Consultant at Moisson Legal.

Raymond has many years of experience providing comprehensive estate and business succession planning services including structuring, tax advice and the implementation of all relevant documentation. He has been able to utilise his taxation skills in advising and structuring a range of clients in business succession planning, personal estate planning and asset protection.

Biography:

Michelle obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University in 1996 and has been practising exclusively in Family Law since this time. Michelle has practised Family Law in Canberra, Sydney, Darwin and London before relocating to Griffith in 2011. Michelle is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law with the New South Wales Law Society.

Michelle is an experienced advocate who regularly appears in Family Court, Federal Magistrates Court and Children's Court.

Modules:

• Banking & Finance
• Commercial
• Corporations
• Insolvency & Restructuring

Biography:

Modules:

• Construction Consulting Editorial Board

Biography:

Josh provides legal services across the entire project lifecycle for both public and private sector clients in industries including road, rail, residential development and public infrastructure.

In his front‑end practice, Josh reviews all forms of construction and maintenance contracts, prepares tender documentation, develops precedent and drives efficiencies in legal process. Recent work includes:

• Head Contractor Agreement for a $110 million residential development
• Principal Design Consultant Agreement for a $115 million demolition, refurbishment and construction program
• panel arrangement under standing offer deed covering minor works across 12 works categories with an estimated program value exceeding $150 million
• HVAC Maintenance Agreement valued at $65 million
• Waste Management Services Agreement valued at $50 million

During project delivery, Josh provides both proactive and reactive legal advice and assists with the preparation and assessment of complex claims, including variations, delay, defects and latent conditions. He has significant experience working closely with technical and industry experts.

In his back‑end practice, Josh has experience in all major forms of dispute resolution, including arbitration, adjudication, expert determination, mediation and litigation. Josh’s key recent back-end work includes:

• A $40 million adjudication involving complex rail‑related delay damages and variations
• A high‑value, multi‑party arbitration arising from a PPP project
• A $15 million expert determination arising from a disputed defects claim

Memberships

Society of Construction Law Australia