Our Speakers
Featured speakers
The Honourable A.S. Bell AC
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Honourable Elisabeth Peden
Judge, Supreme Court of NSW
Deputy President Gregory Sarginson
NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Monique Hitter
Chief Executive Officer
Legal Aid NSW
Isabelle Reinecke
Founder and
Executive Director
Grata Fund
Elijah Buol OAM, MAICD
Community Advocate
and Chief Executive Officer
Asylum Seekers Centre, NSW
Gemma McKinnon
Principal Solicitor, Closing the Gap
Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT
Dr Chris Maylea
Professor and Associate Dean, Partnerships
La Trobe Law School
Anna Fischer
Growth and Wellbeing Manager
Law Society of NSW
Dr Marlene Longbottom
Associate Professor and Australia Research Council DAATSIA Fellow at
James Cook University
Speakers in alphabetical order
Amanda Brooker
Senior Solicitor
Combined
Civil Specialist Housing Team
Legal Aid NSW
Andrew Padayachy
Peer worker
Justice Health NSW
Anna Goulston
Senior Solicitor
Mental Health Advocacy Service
Legal Aid NSW
Ben Fogarty
Barrister
Black Chambers
Bridget Akers
Senior Solicitor Workplace Rights Service
Legal Aid NSW
Brodie Purdon
Senior Solicitor Children's Civil Law Service
Legal Aid NSW
Checker McCarthy
Solicitor
Mental Health Advocacy Service
Legal Aid NSW
Chris Maylea
Professor and Associate Dean, Partnerships
La Trobe Law School
Clare O'Donnell
Associate Director, Greater Sydney Family Law
Legal Aid NSW
Dana Beiglari
Manager, Consumer Law Practice Group
Legal Aid NSW
David Maloney
Associate Director, Greater Sydney
Civil Law
Legal Aid NSW
Danille Abbott
Senior Manager, Indigenous Outreach Program
Australian Securities and Investments Commission
Delphine Bellerose
Principal Researcher
Law and Justice Foundation of NSW
Eleanor Holden
Senior Solicitor Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT
Emily Williams
Solicitor
Mental Health Advocacy Service
Legal Aid NSW
Jackie Finlay
Acting Executive Director Civil Law
Legal Aid NSW
Jahnvi Singh
Senior Case Worker
Children's Civil Law Service
Legal Aid NSW
Jean-Anne Searson
General Member
NSW
Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Jennifer Chen
Project Manager
With You Training
Legal Aid NSW
Karina Inostroza
Solicitor
Fines and WDO Service
Legal Aid NSW
Kate Davies
Research Director Law and Justice Foundation of
NSW
Kimberley Hamer
Director Aboriginal Services
Aboriginal Services Unit
Legal Aid NSW
Ma'ata Solofoni
Senior Solicitor
Disaster Response Legal Service
Legal Aid NSW
Laura Johnson
Registered nurse
North Coast Population and Public Health
HARP Services
Melanie Becktel
Principal Lawyer
Becktell and Associates
Melanie Bradfield
Civil Law Practice Manager, Coffs Harbour,
Legal Aid NSW
Merinda Dutton
Senior Solicitor Aboriginal Services Unit
Legal Aid NSW
Michael Brogan
Principal
LexEthica Consulting
Midya Bari
Lived experience expert
Olivia Todhunter
Solicitor
Housing Specialist Team
Legal Aid NSW
Paul Batley
Barrister
Frederick Jordan Chambers
Paul Mathers
Solicitor
Mental Health Panel
Peta McGilivray
Lawyer and Yuwaya Ngarra-Li Senior Research Fellow
University of NSW
Rachel Holt
Senior Executive
investigation and Conciliation Services
Australian Human Rights Commission
Rebekah Doran
Manager Strategy, Policy and Projects
Civil Projects Team
Legal Aid NSW
Rhiannon O'Donoghue
Senior Solicitor
Your Voice, Children's Out of Homecare Service
Legal Aid NSW
Sara Herniman
Senior Case Worker
Immigration Team
Legal Aid NSW
Sharlene Naismith
Acting Associate Director Civil Law
Legal Aid NSW
Sophie Wenderoth
Solicitor
Human Rights Group
Legal Aid NSW
Sue Phillips
Community Engagement Manager, Civil Law Service for Aboriginal Communities
Legal Aid NSW
Tabitha Lean
Lived experience expert
Taylah Gray
Solicitor in Charge (Civil and Family) Legal Aid NSW
Therese Aroyan
Product Manager, family lawyer and university lecturer
Featured speaker biographies
The Honourable A.S. Bell AC, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of NSW
The Hon. Andrew Bell AC 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 Division of LAWASIA, convening the Biennial Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific.
The Honourable Elisabeth Peden, Judge, Supreme Court of NSW
Justice Elisabeth Peden was admitted as a legal practitioner in 1994. Her Honour was appointed Senior Counsel in 2019. In April 2022, her Honour was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. She is also professor emerita at the University of Sydney. She is currently the Commercial & Technology and Construction List Judge, having previously sat as the Real Property List judge.
Deputy President Gregory Sarginson, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Gregory Sarginson was appointed Deputy President of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Division Head of the Consumer and Commercial Division on 11 September 2024. Deputy President Sarginson holds the degrees of BA LLB and LLM from the University of Sydney. He was a Solicitor specialising in insurance and commercial litigation between 1994 and 2003. Between 2003 and 2021 he was practicing at the NSW Bar.
He lectured at the Law Extension Committee from 2005 to 2023 and was a subject Examiner and Revising Examiner until 2025. He was a part time General Member of NCAT (and its predecessor, the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal) from 2012 to 2016; a part time Senior Member between 2016 and 2021; a full time Senior Member from 2021 to 2024; and a Principal Member in 2024. He has authored a large number of Tribunal decisions at first instance, and decisions of the Appeal Panel of the Tribunal.
Elijah Buol AOM, Community Advocate and CEO, Asylum Seeker Centre, Newtown
Elijah Buol OAM is the CEO of the Asylum Seekers Centre NSW and a nationally recognised advocate for human rights and community safety. Having spent his early years in a Ugandan refugee camp before arriving in Australia as an unaccompanied humanitarian minor in 2002.
A respected community champion, Elijah’s advocacy played an instrumental role in the removal of children under 18 from adult prisons in Queensland. His contributions have been recognised with multiple honours, including the Medal of the Order of Australia (2019). Elijah holds tertiary qualifications in law and human services, including a Juris Doctor, Master of Laws, and a Master of Justice (Intelligence) from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Australian National University (ANU).
Monique Hitter CEO, Legal Aid NSW
Monique is the Chief Executive Officer of Legal Aid NSW and has served in this role since November 2021. Prior to that she was the Deputy CEO and was the Director of the Civil Law Program for 11 years.
Monique has been practicing law since 1997 and also served as a Senior Member on the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in the Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division.
Anna Fischer Growth and Wellbeing Manager, Law Society of NSW
Anna Fischer is the Growth and Wellbeing Manager at the Law Society of New South Wales. As a solicitor and trauma specialist, Anna is an experienced professional consultant, training coordinator, and keynote speaker who works to make the legal profession safer for practitioners and clients.
Have a question? Contact us at events@legalaid.nsw.gov.au