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SPEAKERS

We are thrilled to announce the following esteemed speakers who will be headlining this year’s program.

The Hon Justice Andrew Bell

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW

The Hon Justice Andrew Bell

The Hon. Andrew Bell was sworn in as Chief Justice of New South Wales on 7 March 2022. Prior to being appointed as Chief Justice, his Honour was President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal having been appointed to that position on 28 February 2019. His Honour is also Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales and President of the Judicial Commission.

Since 2022, his Honour has been a member of the Council of Chief Justices of Australia and New Zealand. His Honour also holds the position of Chair of the Judicial Section of LAWASIA, convening the Biennial Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific. Since July 2023, his Honour has been a Honorary Bencher of Lincoln's Inn.

His Honour graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws receiving First Class Honours and the University Medal in both degrees and was also awarded the Sydney University Convocation Medal. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where he graduated in 1993 with First Class Honours in the BCL. He was awarded the Vinerian Scholarship for first place in the BCL. His Honour completed his doctorate the following year with his thesis forming the basis for his subsequent book Forum Shopping and Venue in Transnational Litigation. He is also co-author of Nygh’s Conflict of Laws in Australia and has taught and published extensively, especially in relation to private international law and transnational litigation.

His Honour was admitted to the Bar in 1995 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2006. During his time at the Bar, his Honour had a broad national practice at trial and appellate levels. At the time of his appointment to the Bench, his Honour was Senior Vice-President of the New South Wales Bar Association. He is also Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney where he taught part time for many years.

The Hon Justice Chris Shanahan

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania

The Hon Deputy Chief Justice Robert McLelland AO

Deputy Chief Justice, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia

The Hon Deputy Chief Justice Robert McLelland AO

The Honourable Deputy Chief Justice Robert McClelland AO was appointed as a judge of the Family Court of Australia, as it then was, in June 2015 and appointed Deputy Chief Justice in December 2018.

His Honour holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney. He is a Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales. He was admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales as a solicitor in 1982 and commenced working as an associate to Evatt J in the Federal Court of Australia. He has practised as a solicitor and barrister. His Honour was elected to Federal Parliament in 1996 as the Member for Barton and served as Commonwealth Attorney-General between 2007 and 2011. During that time he introduced amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) in respect to family violence and also in respect to de facto couples.

His Honour was served as Chair of the Family Law Council from December 2021 to December 2024. He was appointed an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the people and Parliament of Australia, to the law, social justice and law reform in June 2022.

The Hon Justice Nye Perram

Judge, Federal Court of Australia

The Hon Justice Nye Perram

Nye Perram is a judge of the Federal Court to which he was appointed in 2008. He is also the President of the Copyright Tribunal and a former part-time commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission. Prior to his appointment he practiced as senior counsel at the New South Wales Bar. He commenced legal practice in 1993 and was called to the Bar in 1994. He holds a BCL (Dist) from Oxford University, an LLB(Hons) from the University of Sydney together with a BA majoring in Pure Mathematics and English literature.

Ms Raelene Sharp KC

Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions

Ms Raelene Sharp KC

Raelene Sharp KC is the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth).

The Director has 25 years’ experience in both domestic and international legal domains, specialising in criminal law, investigative and administrative law.

The Director holds a Master of Laws in Public International Law (International Criminal Law) from Leiden University, and Bachelors of Law and Arts from Monash University (majoring in linguistics).

Before being called to the Victorian Bar in 2010, the Director practised as a solicitor for 10 years: at the Office of Public Prosecutions (Vic), at the (then) Australian Crime Commission and at the United Nations in Lebanon, where she worked on the investigation into the assassination of the former Prime Minister.

She was appointed senior counsel in 2022 and the Director in 2023.

As the Director, in addition to leading the CDPP (which has 10 offices nationally and 450 staff), she has appeared in the High Court and around Australia in intermediate appellate courts. She has also represented the Commonwealth Government in international fora and presented at the IAP and HOPAC (Heads of Prosecuting Agencies of the Commonwealth Conference).

Professor The Hon George Brandis KC

Former Attorney-General of Australia

Professor The Hon George Brandis KC

Former Attorney-General of Australia

36th Attorney-General of Australia

Mr Tim Game SC

Barrister, NSW Bar

Mr Tim Game SC

Tim Game is a Senior Counsel based in Sydney, practising principally in criminal law, trial and appellate. He has extensive regulatory experience having been an elected member of the NSW Bar Council for 13 years and President for 2 years (2019 to 2020). For most of that time he chaired one of the Association’s Professional Conduct Committees.

He also has had long involvement with the Law Council having co-chaired its Criminal Law Committee for close to 20 years. On behalf of both the Bar Association and Law Council he has had extensive involvement in the making of representations to government on proposed legislation, including in relation to the legislation under consideration in this session.

Ms Gail Furness SC

Inspector, National Anti-Corruption Commission

Ms Gail Furness SC

Gail has a BA (University of Queensland) LLB (Hons) and LLM (University of Melbourne). Gail was called to the NSW Bar in 1997 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2010. Her practice is in Administrative Law in particular Royal Commissions and Inquiries as counsel assisting and counsel for interested parties. She was appointed Inspector of ICAC in 2022 and Inspector of NACC in 2023

Ms Georgina Schoff KC

Barrister, Victorian Bar

Ms Georgina Schoff KC

Barrister, Victorian Bar

Georgina Schoff KC has practiced at the Victorian Bar since 1995. She was appointed silk in 2010 and served as President of the Victorian Bar Council in 2024.

She has practiced principally in media law, including defamation, contempt and applications with respect to the publication or suppression of information with respect to Court proceedings.

Ms Fiona Roughley SC

Barrister, NSW Bar

Ms Fiona Roughley SC

Fiona Roughley SC of Banco Chambers practises in commercial, public and international law. Her cases include class actions, investor/State disputes, foreign State immunity, constitutional law, competition, contracts, and general commercial and public law.

Fiona has combined practice at the Bar with research, completing a PhD in 2022 on the topic “Australia’s Attorney General: law, politics and history”. Previously, Fiona received an LLM from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She received her BA and LLB from the University of Sydney, graduating with the University Medal in Law, the University Medal in English, and the University’s Convocation Medal.

Prof David Rolph

Professor, University of Sydney Law School

Prof David Rolph

David Rolph is a Professor of Law at the University of Sydney Law School and an academic member at Level 22 Chambers. He is the author of multiple books on all areas of media law, including Contempt (2023) and Rolph on Defamation (2024, 2nd edition). He is one of the contributors to Gatley on Libel and Slander and is the editor of Landmark Cases in Defamation Law (2019). Professor Rolph is an assistant editor of the New South Wales Law Reports and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.

Mr Greg O’Mahoney

Barrister, NSW Bar

Mr Greg O’Mahoney

Dr Greg O’Mahoney is a barrister at New Chambers, who appears throughout Australia in all areas of commercial, public and regulatory law. He appears widely in public inquiries, including corruption inquiries and Royal Commissions. He has appeared in many inquiries before the NSW ICAC, including four as counsel assisting. He is currently appearing in criminal proceedings in Fiji in which corruption allegations are made against a former Attorney-General.

Before coming to the Bar, Greg was Associate to the Hon Murray Gleeson AC, Chief Justice of Australia. He studied as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, where he completed a BCL and DPhil. Since coming to the Bar, Greg has established and taught a Masters course at Sydney University on international securities market regulation and white-collar crime – a topic on which he has presented widely at conferences in Australia and overseas

Ms Róisín Annesley KC

President of the Australian Bar Association

Ms Róisín Annesley KC

Róisín Annesley KC (BA, LLB, M.Tax)

Róisín is President of the Australian Bar Association, former President of the Victorian Bar and a practicing barrister of 27 years. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2013.

Róisín has strong property, commercial and tax law experience. She practices predominantly in insurance and commercial litigation. She regularly appears in superior trial and appellate courts. She advises government authorities, publicly listed companies, professional firms and individuals.

Róisín is the author of the Good Conduct Guide, Professional Standards for Australian Barristers.

Mr Perry Herzfeld SC

Barrister, NSW Bar

Mr Perry Herzfeld SC

Perry has a wide ranging commercial and public law practice. He has appeared in the High Court, and in intermediate appellate courts and at the trial level in various jurisdictions. Perry was Associate to the Hon Justice Susan Crennan of the High Court of Australia in 2008-2009. Before his Associateship, Perry was a lawyer in the litigation department at Allens Arthur Robinson.

Perry has a First Class Honours law degree and a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne, and was awarded the Spero Wilson Memorial Scholarship for the student placed second on the Final Law Honours List. He is an author of the text Interpretation (3rd ed, 2024), which covers statutory interpretation, constitutional interpretation, the interpretation of private legal documents, interpretation of court orders and the rules of precedent. He has been published in national and international law journals, including in the areas of insurance, arbitration, private international law and constitutional law. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.

Ms Fiona Ryan SC

Barrister, Victorian Bar

Ms Fiona Ryan SC

Fiona has an extensive trial and appellate practice in areas including accident compensation, institutional abuse, medical negligence, general torts, coronial inquiries, administrative law and class actions.

Fiona was appointed Senior Counsel in 2021.

In 2023 Fiona appeared as senior counsel assisting the Board of Inquiry into historical child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other government schools.

Fiona read with Richard Niall KC, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Ms Gemma-Jane Cooper

Barrister, Victorian Bar

Ms Gemma-Jane Cooper

Barrister, Victorian Bar

Gemma-Jane was admitted to practice in 2006 and joined the Victorian bar in 2013. She specialises in claims arising from personal injuries including workplace & transport accidents, public liability, medical negligence, forced adoption, institutional abuse and coronial inquests. She acts for both plaintiff and defendant clients.

Mr Lachlan Molesworth

Barrister, Victorian Bar

Mr Lachlan Molesworth

Lachlan practices in revenue, foreign investment and commercial law. He specialises in taxation, complex commercial matters and the foreign investment (FIRB) regime.

He frequently acts for the Commonwealth as well as private clients.

Lachlan has appeared in a wide range of disputes in the High Court, Full Federal Court, Federal Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, as well as the Banking Royal Commission and the Police Informants Royal Commission. He also appears in international commercial arbitrations.

He advises on commercial and corporations law matters, including equity and trust law, contract, oppression and ASIC regulatory disputes.

Lachlan is the leading barrister in Australia on foreign investment (FIRB) matters, having been involved in drafting the current Act, is the co-author of ThomsonReuter's Foreign Investment Law publication, appeared in all recent Federal Court cases involving FIRB breaches and advised on over 800 FIRB application and compliance matters.

He advises on direct and indirect tax disputes, and focuses on transfer pricing, the general anti-avoidance regime, tax treaty disputes and other international tax matters.

Before coming to the Bar, Lachlan was in the Commonwealth Treasury Portfolio, covering taxation, foreign investment (FIRB) and corporations law. He was involved with the development of important Commonwealth legislative reforms, including the development of the Multinational Anti-avoidance Law and Diverted Profits Tax to counter avoidance schemes.

Prior to that he was a solicitor at an international firm advising on large commercial and taxation disputes in Australia.

He graduated with a Masters with Distinction from the University of Oxford, and Bachelors in Laws and Engineering from the University of Melbourne.

He is an executive board director of the Law Council of Australia and has been a member of the Victorian Bar Council.

He is Chair of the National Trusts of Australia and Deputy Chair of the National Trust of Victoria.

He is a Senior Fellow of the Melbourne Law School of the University of Melbourne, teaching corporations and taxation subjects in the Masters of Law and Juris Doctorate programs, including the Tax Avoidance masters subject taught jointly with former justices Hon Tony Pagone AM KC and Hon Jennifer Davies KC. He also takes the tax subject in the Bar Readers' course.

Lachlan is a member of Lincoln's Inn, London.

He is presently undertaking a dissertation in transfer pricing and tax avoidance at the University of Oxford law faculty.

Lachlan read with Eugene Wheelahan QC and Allan Myers AC QC.

Ms Ermelinda Kovacs

Barrister, NSW Bar

Ms Ermelinda Kovacs

Ermelinda is a specialist in tax and insurance law.

Before coming to the Bar, Ermelinda practised as a solicitor and held the position of Director at Ernst & Young in the Tax Controversy practice. She has over 20 years’ experience in tax law.

Ermelinda is frequently retained by the Commissioner of Taxation, the Chief Commissioner of State Revenue and a range of corporate and private clients in connection with Federal and State tax matters.

Ermelinda is also frequently briefed by local and foreign insurers as defence counsel. She has appeared in a range of cases concerning insurance and professional negligence matters and has widespread experience with respect to claims involving accountants and lawyers.