Modules:

• Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Privacy
• Technology & Innovation

Biography:

Stephen is a corporate technology lawyer based in Sydney. His practice focuses on advising businesses, funds and strategic investors/buyers in relation to M&A and investment work in the tech sector. He has extensive networks with VCs, private equity funds and banks. Prior to joining Norton Rose Fulbright, he was a senior in-house counsel to UK’s largest listed investment manager.

Stephen has also represented the Federal Government, investment and commercial banks, funds and companies in various corporate finance and securitisation matters. In addition, Stephen has led and overseen teams working on international and domestic bond transactions, leveraged loan deals, mergers & acquisitions, litigation, complex restructurings and dealings with local regulators, governments and The IMF.

He was an advisory board member for: xbullion, a blockchain settlement layer; Shape History, a for-purpose social impact consultancy; and was a guest lecturer at London Business School. Stephen is admitted as a solicitor in NSW, Australia and in England & Wales.

Professional Organisations & Memberships

• Norton Rose Fulbright Australia
• Stephen Fang | LinkedIn
• Outside of work, Stephen has served on a number of boards, including Shape History (an organisation that drives positive social awareness) and The P3 Network (an LGBTI network for working parents) where he was one of the founding board members.

Professional Contact

Email: stephen.pattersonfang@nortonrosefulbright.com

Phone: +61 2 9330 8536

Biography:

Rowena McNally completed her Bachelor of Laws in Queensland in 1988 and is admitted as a solicitor in Queensland. She has practised as a lawyer with a major law firm and as an in-house lawyer in both the corporate and semi-government sectors.

Rowena has experience in managing both legal and non-legal organisational sections. Her expertise is in the area of directors' and officers' duties and corporate governance. She is an experienced company secretary and company director. Rowena is a past Queensland and National President of ACLA. She is the former Sugar Industry Commissioner and has served as a director of a number of companies including the Mount Isa and Gladstone and Burnett Water Boards, Queensland Law Society, Cerebral Palsy Queensland and Cerebral Palsy Australia, Catholic Health Australia, WorkCover Queensland and the Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia.

Modules:

• Personal Property Securities

Biography:

Renee has extensive experience in banking and finance, specialising in corporate and property finance, portfolio acquisitions and asset finance (with recognised specialisations in aircraft, rolling stock and yellow goods).

She represented Allens in making submissions to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the Personal Property Securities Act – recent reforms that have significantly changed banking and commercial law in Australia. She now regularly advises corporate and financial institution clients about how the reform impacts their business and designing processes to address the changes. Renee has been recognised as a leader in her field by Chambers Asia-Pacific 2015.

Modules:

• Criminal

Biography:

Julia began her career working as a taxation and management accountant in major accounting firms, investment banks and public companies both in Australia and London. She then spent 7 years working as a Senior Financial Investigator with the WA Police and the Crime and Corruption Commission in Brisbane, primarily focusing on organised crime and confiscation proceedings.

Julia commenced practice as a criminal lawyer in 2007 at a boutique criminal law practice. In 2014 she established a criminal law division within an existing firm. She represents clients in all areas of criminal law with a special focus on financial and white-collar crime.

In 2014 Julia successfully completed the program run by the Queensland Law Society to become an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law.

Modules:

• Family

Biography:

Justin has specialised in family law since 1987 and has an excellent understanding of the family law system having been employed as the Senior Registrar of the Parramatta Registry of the Family Court, then as Regional Registrar of the Court with responsibility for NSW and the ACT. His past and current legal experience includes very complex family law cases, including matters that comprise offshore assets and children's issues.

Biography:

David focuses on complex commercial and contractual disputes in various Australian jurisdictions. His practice includes damages claims for breach of contract, injunctions for specific performance or to prevent a breach, debt recovery and enforcement of guarantees and securities, as well as statutory causes of action under company and consumer protection laws. David also advises clients on a range of defamation, contempt and related media issues.

He has significant experience in a number of industries, including banking and finance, telecommunications and petroleum (downstream).

David regularly advises clients on dispute resolution strategies, which often involve engaging in different forms of alternative dispute resolution both prior to and after the commencement of proceedings, such as representing clients in mediation or facilitation.

David was recognized as one of Australia's leading lawyers in the Best Lawyers in Australia list published in 2013.

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:

• Criminal

Biography:

Kylie Bell is currently Executive Director of Regional Services at Legal Aid Queensland, a role which leads and manages service delivery of LAQ’s 13 regional offices.

Immediately prior to that Kylie was the Director, Practice Management, Criminal Law Services. Kylie has practiced in criminal law for over 20 years, predominantly practicing in the area of serious crime – representing clients on charges which include Murder, Manslaughter, Importation of Border Controlled Drugs, Trafficking, Rape, Torture and complex Fraud offences. Kylie has also represented clients at Inquests, compulsory hearings and in proceedings under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003.

Kylie was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2001, and is on the High Court Register of Practitioners. Kylie also appeared as a criminal law duty lawyer for over 20 years.

Biography:

Trish Hyde is the current CEO of the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association, having joined the association in 2010.

Trish has over 15 years corporate leadership, communications and marketing experience across FMCG, telcos, aviation, retail, infrastructure, financial services, education and health.

She has worked in some of the most issues rich and stakeholder diverse environments and ACLA is her second CEO not-for-profit role.

Trish has held three Directorships, has a Masters in Corporate Leadership, and is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute.

Modules:

• Immigration

Biography:

Chris is a Partner of the Australian Practice of Fragomen. Chris is an Accredited Immigration Law Specialist and has practiced immigration law since 1995.

Chris has extensive experience in providing immigration advice and assistance to Australian and global corporations in industry sectors such as construction and engineering, education, electricity and gas, mining, financial and insurance, retail, information technology and telecommunications. His extensive experience extends to representing individuals, as well as local and multinational corporations seeking to establish and/or operate in Australia.

Chris is a committee member of the Migration Law Committee of the Law Council of Australia and Chris also Chairs the Migration Law Committee of the Law Institute of Victoria.

Biography:

Alison is Head of Workplace, In House and Technology Group – Practical Guidance and is responsible for the strategy and content development of Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy, Employment, Work Health Safety, In House Advisor and Governance. She has over 17 years of experience at leading international and national firms, including Allens, Henry Davis York, and Maddocks, as well as in-house at the Australian Securities Exchange Limited (ASX). After a diverse career in commercial litigation, in-house, and workplace investigations and conduct reviews at her own practice, Alison now managers a team of legal writers all with direct practice experience, dedicated to ensuring the content of Practical Guidance reflects the latest developments in law and practice .

Alison is a regular commentator for LexisNexis. Some recent examples include:

Blog series: Help! I need to create an NFT. Where do I start? A Step-by-step guide. | LexisNexis® Australia
Webinar: Crisis Scenario Planning with LexisNexis Practical Guidance - YouTube
Webinar: Consumer Data Rights: What Australian Businesses Need To Know? - YouTube
Masterclass: This Is My MASTERCLASS | Decrypting crypto: Are you prepared to advise on the digital economy? - YouTube
Podcast: China’s new Personal Information Protection Law–Key issues for Australian business | LexisNexis® Australia
Blog: It’s election time! Will the increase in applications being made under the Government Information (Public Access) Act continue? GIPA and the objective of balance | LexisNexis® Australia

Contact

alison.cripps@lexisnexis.com.au

Modules:

• Personal Injury VIC

Biography:

Since coming to the Bar Arushan has worked mainly in the occupational health and safety, administrative law and personal injuries fields. Within the personal injuries arena he particularly practises in the areas of medical law, dust diseases and general liability.

Prior to signing the Bar Roll Arushan practised as an employee lawyer for 7 years. He worked primarily in civil litigation dealing with insurance, personal injuries and commercial matters.

He also worked as the principal solicitor to the public service commission of Vanuatu as part of the Australian Government’s youth ambassadors’ programme. In his role with the commission Arushan provided administrative law advice and assisted with legislative drafting. He returned to Australia in 2001 and represented one of the parties involved in the Cole Royal Commission into the building and construction industry.

He has represented numerous statutory bodies including the Medical Panels Victoria, Nurses Board of Victoria, the Victims of Crimes Assistance Tribunal and the Legal Aid Commission. He also has an established practice representing people before their professional disciplinary bodies and VCAT.

Arushan completed the National Institute of Trial Advocates (NITA) Trial Skills Program at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, USA in 2011.

He has appeared in his stated practice areas in all jurisdictions.

Modules:

• Property

Biography:

Andrew completed his tertiary education at Flinders University in Adelaide before returning to Darwin in 2014 to commence practicing. Andrew's core areas of practice are all aspects of property law (including EOI for acquisition of freehold and leasehold sites), large scale construction and development projects (including procurement), banking and finance, commercial contracting (including supply and services agreements), mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring and compliance work for businesses. Andrew possesses complementary tertiary qualifications in commerce (finance major) and business experience.

During his career, Andrew has worked on a number of significant development and infrastructure projects in the Northern Territory across a broad sector of the economy. Further, Andrew has maintained strong community involvement acting on volunteer boards, and in advisory roles, in the following sectors: music and arts, racing, sports, hospitality and legal services.

Professional Organisations & Memberships

• HWL Ebsworth, Lawyers
• https://hwlebsworth.com.au/people/andrew-giles/
• Secretary, Law Society of the Northern Territory (2017-2018)
• Council Member, Law Society of the Northern Territory (2015-2018)
• Commercial Law Committee, Law Society of the Northern Territory
• Governance Committee, Law Society of the Northern Territory
• Sub-Committee Member, Law Council of Australia
• Property Council of Australia, NT Chapter

Modules:

• Dispute Resolution

Biography:

Craig has over 20 years of experience in commercial litigation and class actions. His impressive track record includes landmark judgments like the Worley shareholder class action and settlements in several class actions including the OZ Minerals and Macmahon shareholder class actions and toxic foam contamination class actions against the federal government.

Craig now leads a team pursuing claims against major corporations, financial institutions, and governments, including A2 Milk, AMP Insurance, Nuix, and the NSW and WA governments in relation to First Nations child removals. His previous leadership roles at ASIC and prominent law firms like ACA Lawyers and Allygroup Legal Consultants further solidify his expertise in securing compensation for those impacted by corporate misconduct.

Professional Organisation

Shine Lawyers

Modules:

• Construction
• Construction Consulting Editorial Board

Biography:

Kate is a Partner in White & Case’s Global Commercial Litigation Practice and is based in Sydney. 

Kate has a deep expertise across the infrastructure, property and energy sectors, advising clients across a wide range of subject matter issues. She advises on and is responsible for the management and resolution of high-value, complex commercial and project disputes in all dispute forums.  

Prior to joining White & Case in 2020, Kate was General Counsel at Lendlease Construction Australia. She brings a unique blend of commercial and legal expertise from over 20 years’ of conducting disputes in relation to some of Australia’s largest and most high-profile infrastructure, commercial, property and project developments. 

Awards & Recognition

Kate has been a named individual in the independent legal directories - Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal, Doyles Guide 

Modules:

• Technology & Innovation

Biography:

Emma works at Marque Lawyers in its Commercial Litigation and Content, Media & Technology teams.

Emma sits on the boards of the Copyright Society of Australia and the Communications and Media Law Association (CAMLA).

Emma has a specific expertise in the entertainment industry, particularly: music, media, fashion and film/TV production. Emma also specialises in navigating the hazy intersection of law and AI.

Emma work across intellectual property and general commercial litigation as well as assisting companies in respect of both front end and back end IP, from startups to larger corporates.

Memberships

• Board Member of the Copyright Society of Australia
• Board member of the Communications and Media Law Association (CAMLA)
• Member of Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA)

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker at SXSW Sydney

Modules:

• Criminal

Biography:

Ian practices in criminal law and has appeared in all of the major Australian jurisdictions. Essentially a trial advocate, Ian has also appeared before State Appellate Courts and in the High Court. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1997.

Ian has appeared in many major criminal trials including lengthy and complex "white-collar" fraud trials. Such appearances have been before the Supreme Courts of Victoria, NSW, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

He also practices in Sports Law having been formerly a member of the AFL Tribunal and the Chairman of several AOC Appeals Boards.

Ian also teaches advocacy workshops in PNG, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Nauru.

Biography:

Catherine Gu is a NSW-qualified lawyer in the White & Case’s Global Project Development and Finance practice. She is currently based in the firm’s New York office. 

Catherine has extensive experience advising sponsors, lenders, borrowers and governments on the procurement and development of large-scale infrastructure and energy projects across the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region and is also experienced in advising on mergers and acquisitions in the renewable energy space. Catherine has experience across various industry sectors including renewable energy, telecommunications, transportation (road and rail), utilities, social infrastructure and defence. 

Catherine advises on all aspects of the project lifecycle, including the provision of strategic advice regarding procurement and contract documentation, the preparation and negotiation of project documentation as well as project delivery. Catherine has significant experience working as the lead associate on various deals both in respect of project development and mergers and acquisitions.

Memberships
Law Society NSW