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:

Suzanne is a high profile international corporate lawyer with previous roles as an executive, general counsel, corporate secretary, and board member. With Masters level qualifications in Law, and a former Queensland Telstra Business Women of the Year finalist, Suzanne is also recognised for her academic and professional success around Australia. She has received many prestigious awards including the Agnes McWhinney Award for Outstanding Contribution by a female solicitor to the Community, 2011; and the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association (ACLA) inaugural Australian In-house Lawyer of the Year Award for "Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility", 2010.

As an active member of ACLA, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the Executive Committee of LawAsia, and a Council member of the Queensland Law Society, Suzanne is highly respected by her peers in the legal community as well as, professionals working in other fields. Suzanne's legal background and extensive experience in working in member-based organisations, make her the perfect choice for CEO of Australia's leading alternative dispute resolution provider since 1975, the Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators Australia.

Modules:

• Employment

Biography:

Rachel is an experienced employment and industrial relations lawyer, having practiced since 2012. She is  dedicated to assisting employers in mitigating and managing a wide range of workplace issues and risks. Rachel is a highly sought after investigator, having conducted dozens of complex workplace investigations for a range of clients. Rachel is passionate about ensuring the investigation process is robust and fair for all parties.

Outside of investigations, Rachel partners with clients to address challenges such as bullying, discrimination and harassment claims, the management of difficult or ill employees unfair dismissal claims and general protection applications. She’s a highly experienced trainer, presenting regularly at seminars and training on a broad range of employment-related issues.

Rachel also delivers practical solutions, working collaboratively with her clients to create strategic and commercial solutions in the areas of business restructuring, collective bargaining and industrial disputes.

Awards & Recognition

• Recognised in Best Lawyers as “One-to-Watch” in 2026 (announced in 2025) and 2025 (announced in 2024).

Modules:

• Intellectual Property

Biography:

Anna is a barrister at 5 Wentworth Chambers where she specialises in intellectual property, consumer and media law. Her work has spanned all areas of intellectual property law, including copyright, trade marks, patents, privacy, advertising and consumer law. Prior to being called to the bar, Anna was a senior associate in the King & Wood Mallesons intellectual property team. In 2012-2013, Anna worked as Associate to the Hon Justice Annabelle Bennett AO at the Federal Court of Australia.

Biography:

Previously General Counsel and Commercial Director of UK Broadband Ltd (the UK subsidiary of PCCW Hong Kong) Louise was responsible for the legal, commercial and regulatory aspects of rolling out PCCW's pre-4G network in the UK.

Louise was also employed as a corporate lawyer at international law firm Lovells in London, and prior to that, at Minter Ellison in Melbourne.

Modules:

• Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Privacy

Biography:

John has acted for a wide range of financial services providers, including retail and wholesale fund managers, investment advisers, financial planners, stockbrokers, IDPS operators, and managed discretionary account providers. He has advised financial services providers on all aspects of managed investments schemes, AFSL licensing, disclosure requirements, and ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements.

John also has extensive experience in advising financial services industry participants in relation to the establishment and development of various financial products, as well as the preparation of disclosure documents such as financial services guides, product disclosure statements, and information memoranda.

John also has significant experience in a broad range general corporate commercial matters; from company establishment, shareholder agreements, mergers and acquisition and ASX listings.

More recently, John has taken a keen interest in Blockchain related matters and gained significant experience advising on, and establishing, crypto currency funds, reviewing Whitepapers for Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) and advising on the establishment of cryptocurrency exchanges including preparing AML/CTF Programs and terms of use and advising on conducting Security Token Offerings (STOs) in Australia.

John was recognised as a Recommended Lawyer in the 2018 Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

Other Roles

Trusted Adviser - Frank Lab (Hall & Wilcox Start Up Accelerator)
Director - Blockchain Australia
Director - Foundation of International Blockchain and Real Estate Expertise
Course Mentor - RMIT Blockchain Strategy Course
Cohort Mentor - REACH Australia
Blockchain Working Group - FinTech Australia
Mentor - Stone & Chalk

Modules:

• Criminal

Biography:

David began his career at Legal Aid Queensland is 1995 as part of the graduate intake of that year. He was admitted to the bar in November 1997. In 2000 he was appointed to the role Principal Lawyer and Mentor of the Graduate team with in the criminal law division of Legal Aid Queensland. In 2010 he was asked to take over the role of Principal Lawyer, Youth Legal Aid, a specialist youth justice team within the criminal division. David presents regularly on youth justice issues throughout Queensland to both lawyers and the general community.

Biography:

Sally has practiced exclusively in family law for over 14 years during that time has developed a strong practice with substantive experience in all aspects of family law, acting for a range of corporate, institutional, and private clients.

Modules:

• Intellectual Property

Biography:

Ben is a Patent and Trade Marks Attorney based in Melbourne. His practice focusses on patents and designs in mechanical and mechatronic technologies, with a particular emphasis on contentious matters.

Prior to joining the IP profession, Ben spent several years working in industry in both mechanical engineering and marketing roles. This includes many years of experience working at Kookaburra Sport, one of Australia’s best known sporting companies, where Ben oversaw the development and introduction of the “Pink Turf Ball” for Day/Night Test Cricket. Ben has a strong knowledge and interest in sports technology, and has worked with and alongside many leaders in this field.

Biography:

Ellie is an experienced workplace lawyer who has worked at the Fair Work Commission, before practising in employment law and industrial relations since 2014. She was listed in the Doyle’s Guide as a ‘Leading Employment Lawyer (Employee and Trade Union Representation) Qld’ in 2021 and 2022.

Contact

ellie.bassingthwaighte@lexisnexis.com.au

Modules:

• Construction

Biography:

Owen is a specialist strategic legal adviser on infrastructure and construction projects.

Owen has advised on many of Australia's most significant infrastructure projects, across all infrastructure sectors. He has advised all participant categories including government, sponsors, contractors, operators, subcontractors, suppliers, certifiers, equity investors, debt financiers and special purpose project companies.

As a former partner of top-tier Australian and international firms, Owen has graduated from the BigLaw scene. His firm – Infralegal – is specifically geared to providing top-tier strategic legal and commercial advice based on Owen’s lifetime of legal experience without the overheads and other baggage of a BigLaw firm.

Owen is also an acknowledged thought leader on privately financed PPPs and the infrastructure sector. He is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne where he teaches a course on PPPs as part of the Master of Laws Program.

Memberships

• Chair, National Construction and Infrastructure Committee, Law Council of Australia
• Board Member, Dispute Resolution Board Foundation, Region 3 (Australia and NZ)
• Australian Council Member, IPFA

Speaking Engagements

Owen is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne where he teaches a course on PPPs as part of the Master of Laws Program.

Owen is also regularly invited to lecture at the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales and University of Technology, Sydney.

Biography:

Recent transactions include:

• providing general compliance advice and corporate secretarial services to a number of Australian companies;
• conducting due diligence and providing advice in relation to business acquisitions; and
• providing a range of corporate and contracting advice to key clients.

Modules:

• Intellectual Property

Biography:

Matthew Swinn is a partner of King & Wood Mallesons and a recognised IP litigation specialist with a wealth of experience in the manufacturing, life sciences and consumer sectors, among others. Matthew is also the Managing Partner for KWM's Dispute Resolution & Tax teams.

Matthew is well known for his patent litigation expertise, having acted in patent disputes for some of the world's largest companies. His expertise also spans the entire range of intellectual property issues including contentious trade mark, copyright, trade secrets and consumer protection/passing-off matters.

He is a member and former Chair of the Law Council of Australia’s IP Committee, a member of the Federal Court of Australia’s IP User Group and President of the Australian chapter of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI).

Professional Organisations & Memberships

• King & Wood Mallesons
• https://www.kwm.com/en/au
• https://www.kwm.com/en/au/people/matthew-swinn
• Law Institute of Victoria
• Law Council of Australia, IP Committee
• International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property – President of AIPPI Australia
• Federal Court of Australia, IP Users Group

Awards & Recognition

• Intellectual Property: Patents in Australia, Band 1 –Chambers Global 2019, 2020 and 2021
• Intellectual Property, Band 1 – Chambers and Partners 2021 (Asia Pacific)
• 2022 Lawyer of the Year – Intellectual Property Law in Melbourne, Best Lawyers
• Patent Litigation Star and Trade Mark Litigation Star, Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars 2020/21
• Gold Band - Litigation and Global Thought Leader, IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2021
• Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific – Dispute Resolution Star (Intellectual Property) 2020

Professional Contact

Email: matthew.swinn@au.kwm.com

Modules:

• Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Privacy

Biography:

Andy is big-picture thinker with a passion for engaging with complex ideas. With over a decade of practice experience working in complex regulatory advice, disputes, and private sector consulting, Andy has a particular interest in anticipating and meeting emerging legal risks and in the intersection of technology and the law. He is deeply committed to building connections and supporting practitioners and clients to navigate legal complexity. Andy draws on this broad, cross-disciplinary background to develop cutting-edge, practice-oriented resources that assist legal professionals to engage and execute confidently amid rapid technological change.

Biography:

Jade practices in all areas of intellectual property law, including agreements and disputes, information technology, confidential information and privacy, competition and consumer law, and litigation. Jade also has experience in commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and regulatory compliance.

Jade acts for various entities from start-ups to large Australian and international corporations across a range of industries, including mining, manufacturing, construction, IT, life sciences and health. She assists clients in in preparing intellectual property and technology related contracts (including technology development, outsourcing arrangements and commercialisation), enforcement of intellectual property rights, and dispute resolution.

Jade has experience in a range of litigation matters in the Federal Courts of Australia, as well as State Courts.

Memberships

• Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand – Trans Tasman National Committee member (2023 – present)
• Law Council of Australia, Federal Dispute Resolution Section – member (2025)

Awards & Recognition

• Law Council of Australia Business Law Section, Federal Litigation Junior Lawyer of the Year Award, 2025

Professional Contact

jandrews@tglaw.com.au

Modules:

• Succession

Biography:

Erin studied law at the Australian National University from 2003 until 2007. She was awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws followed by a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice with distinction.

Prior to commencement of her University studies Erin worked at a legal practice in Canberra City and this experience confirmed her interest in the law. During university she worked for KJB Law as a paralegal in a variety of areas and positions and commenced full time work with KJB Law as a solicitor at the beginning of 2008.

Erin's areas of practice include, amongst other areas, estate planning including preparation of wills and enduring powers of attorney.

Modules:

• Construction

Biography:

Joanne is a Partner in White & Case’s Global Project Development and Finance practice and based in Sydney. 

Joanne is a project development lawyer with over 25 years of experience advising on a wide range of construction and project agreements in the infrastructure, utilities and real estate sectors. She advises on all types of developments, including commercial, industrial, domestic, and public-private partnerships and a wide range of development contracts, including the FIDIC suite of agreements and the Australian Standards. 

Joanne regularly advises and negotiates complex supply and procurement documents with contractors, suppliers and service providers (including OEMs) and operators in the mining, renewable (including power transmission and offshore wind sectors), and infrastructure (including water, waste, digital and social) sectors.  She also advises on project strategy and structuring, tendering, bid evaluation and bidder negotiation for government and private sector lenders and sponsors. 
 
Joanne has been a named individual in Chambers and Legal 500 independent legal directories.

Memberships
IPFA 
Law Society (NSW)

Speaking Engagements
Delivering Water Infrastructure Projects – opportunities and learnings – IPFA – Thursday 21st March 2024 

Modules:

• Personal Injury QLD

Biography:

Margaret Brain commenced legal practice as a solicitor in Brisbane in 1981 and has worked exclusively in the area of personal injuries.

As Special Counsel at Maurice Blackburn she specialises in medical negligence claims particularly those involving catastrophic injury.