You requested it, and here it is! Basking in the sun and relaxation of Cairns giving you the opportunity to earn your CPD points stress-free and in one day. We've curated 10 hot topics you will want to be across. Expand your practical knowledge in AI effectively, , fortify defences against cyber-attacks, and stay informed on the latest in commercial law, Conveyancing, PPSA, insolvency & debt recovery. Get insights from the Bench on what’s new from the Family Court, delve into recent cases in Wills and Estates, and receive practical tips derived from these cases. Additionally, delivering your ethics core mandatory CPD point will be Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC, along with a few more eminent guest surprises, that we will be revealing soon! Taking place at the Shangri-la Hotel, Cairns it is available for full-day or individual sessions, both in-person and live online. Secure your attendance for 10 points and a full day of learning, networking and enjoying 5* hospitality. Make it a day or a holiday.

Presenters

Christopher E. Taylor, Barrister-at-Law, Commercial Court Chambers – Cairns & Level 24 Chambers - Brisbane
For approximately 20 years prior to entering the legal profession, Christopher worked within the construction industry both in Australia and South-East Asia in various site and project management roles. During the late 1980's he developed an expertise in taking over distressed projects. As a result in 1990 he was called upon to advise on projects in South-East Asia, ultimately leading to his presence there for the majority of that decade heading up his own construction management company from 1994. His team was involved in projects in Thailand and Burma, and he was also invited to consult on projects in Singapore, the Maldives, India, the Middle East, the Philippines, and Guam. With the onset of the Asian economic crisis in 1997, Christopher closed his business in Asia, and deciding on a change in profession he returned to Australia in 1998 and to university ultimately obtaining his law degree. In early 2002 he was admitted as solicitor commencing his practice with the national law firm of Gadens Lawyers. For a short time he was a partner in their Cairns office. In late 2006 Christopher concentrated his efforts as a sole practitioner, leading to his call to the Queensland Bar in November 2011 where he now practises. Whilst his main area of practice is in building and construction law, he is also called upon to advise on and appear in general commercial disputes. Christopher has a particular focus on, and passion for, alternative dispute resolution, being an accredited mediator, arbitrator, expert determiner and registered adjudicator under the relevant Security of Payment legislation in QLD, ACT, SA, NT and WA. He also sits as a Sessional Member on the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal conducting hearings in the Building Dispute List, General Administrative Review List, and Guardianship and Administration List.


Ms Joanne Parisi, Director,
Joanne Parisi is a Director of Parisi Foley Law. Joanne has been practicing law for over 20 years in the areas of dispute resolution, building and construction, litigation and local government. Joanne has been helping her clients resolve disputes for in excess of 20 years and has recently completed the National Mediation Board Accreditation. She is well regarded by her peers and clients as a skilled lawyer passionate about her local community. When she is not practising law you will find her volunteering her time as a director of Cazalys, a Board member for the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation or on the Audit & Risk Committee of Tropical Tourism North Queensland.


Sally-Ann Hayward, Principal, Cairns Mobile
Sally is the Director and Principal Lawyer of Cairns Mobile Wills & Probate. Sally works exclusively in succession law, estate planning and estate administration. Sally prides herself on the quality of her work – whether she is drafting a simple will or undertaking a complex probate application. Sally has developed expertise in applications for court authorised wills, informal will and other complex probate applications and granny flat agreements. Sally’s mobile business provides quality service at a fair price, offering fixed price packages ranging from estate planning essentials to complex multi-testamentary discretionary trust wills.


Rhiannon Saunders, Managing Director, WGC Lawyers
Thrilled to be leading the team at WGC Lawyers as Managing Director since 2024, Rhiannon is committed to upholding the firm’s tradition of excellence and building upon its success. Her focus is on ensuring that clients are provided with the highest quality legal representation while fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment for the talented team at WGC Lawyers. Together with Director John Hayward, Rhiannon leads WGC Lawyers’ litigation and dispute resolution team. Rhiannon is a legal powerhouse with a diverse skillset. From navigating the complexities of body corporate issues to tackling insolvency challenges, Rhiannon thrives on communicating with clarity and finding solutions for clients across a broad spectrum. Whether it’s untangling a dispute between committee members or interpreting a confusing by-law, Rhiannon dives deep into the detail, leaving no stone unturned. However, her expertise is not limited to matters involving bodies corporate. Her skills and experience in property law and insolvency matters lead her to being a valuable asset to a vast number of clients involved in a variety of complicated disputes. Rhiannon’s commitment to excellence extends beyond disputes. She prioritizes efficiency and clarity, and she takes pride in delivering cost-effective and clear advice on legal matters to a wide range of clients – individuals, bodies corporate, businesses, and government bodies. She is also a constant learner, actively keeping her legal knowledge razor-sharp through ongoing learning and development programs. She shares her expertise, delivering informative presentations to diverse audiences


John Hayward, Director, WGC Lawyers
John Hayward is a Dispute Resolution Director at WGC Lawyers in Cairns. John is a Senior Counsellor with the Queensland Law Society, a member of the QLS Ethics Advisory Committee, the Deputy Chair of the QLS Litigation Rules Committee, and an Accredited Mediator with the Australian Mediator Standards Board. Over the past two decades, John has carved out a career assisting large and small organisations with every aspect of lawfully and effectively starting, running and closing a business. He has extensive experience in promptly and cost-effectively resolving disputes, including contract disputes, partnership, shareholder and director disputes, defamation, and competition and consumer law. John has effectively represented clients before the State Courts, Federal Courts, Fair Work Commission, and a variety of State Tribunals, including the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. He is actively involved with the AICD and the Fair Work Commission’s Workplace Advice Service, and assists many not-for-profit and charitable organisations.


Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC, Barrister, Professor of Law and Professorial Fellow in Psychiatry,University of Melbourne
Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC, Barrister; Professor of Law and Professorial Fellow in Psychiatry, University of Melbourne; Honorary Professor of Forensic Medicine, Monash University; Editor, Journal of Law and Medicine, Elected Fellow, Academy of Law, AAcademy of Health and Medical Sciences, Academy of Social Sciences; Doyle’s Guide, Leading Senior Counsel: Criminal Law, 2019, 2020;Administrative and Public Law 2021, 2022, 2023; Best Lawyers, Administrative and Government Law, 2021, 2022, 2023; Author: I Freckelton, Expert Evidence: Law, Practice, Procedure and Advocacy (7th edn, Thomson Reuters, 2024).


Mr. John Swinson, Professor - School of Law, The University of Queensland
John Swinson's principal interests are intellectual property law, Internet law, privacy law, cybersecurity law and the application of law to new technologies. John commenced as a part-time professor at the T.C. Beirne School of Law in November 2017. John graduated from the T.C. Beirne School of Law in 1998 with a University Medal. He also has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in computer science from The University of Queensland and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School where he studied as a Fulbright Fellow and a Frank Knox Scholar. From 1999 until 2017, John was an adjunct professor at QUT. John was a partner at the law firm King & Wood Mallesons from 1999 to 2021. He was also Chairman of the auDA Policy Review Panel, which made recommendations to the auDA Board to revise Australia's domain name policies in 2019. Since 2000, John has been an arbitrator for the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva, and has decided over 350 disputes regarding the ownership of domain names.


Dr. Graeme Edwards CFE, Director, CYBER I Pty Ltd
Graeme Edwards is a Detective in the Queensland Police Service Fraud and Cyber Crime Group in Brisbane, Australia. Edwards has been a member of the Queensland Police Service since 1999, having previously been a Detective in the New Zealand Police Service. He has been a specialist investigator of financial and cyber crime for approximately 12 years. He has conducted numerous investigations into financial and cyber crime; its effects on their victims and identifying new methodologies on how criminals are using the internet. Currently, he is in the final stages of completing of Doctorate of Information Technology with a thesis on investigating cybercrime in a multi- jurisdictional environment.


Dr. Adrian McCullagh, Principal, ODMOB Lawyers
Adrian has degrees in Computer Science and Law as well as a Ph.D. in IT Security. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Information Security Research Centre at the Queensland University of Technology. He has been practicing in IT law for more than 30 years being one of the pioneer IT lawyers within Australia. He is a member of the Queensland Law Society and a member of the American Bar Association and participate in the Information Security Forum. In 1999 he was the QUT Faculty of Information Technology Alumnus of the year. Even though in private practice he continues to undertake research matters with academics at the Griffith University and the University of Queensland and has published in a wide variety of academic journals in the USA, UK and Australia. He is a member of the Intellectual Property and Information Technology Committee for the Queensland Law Society. Adrian’s current research interests include Telecoms security, IT security, IT governance, cryptocurrencies, Blockchain and its uses in supply chain management, Decentralised Autonomous Organisations and Identity Management. He is also investigating the impact of autonomous vehicles and machine learning and their policy considerations.


Matt Mullen, Director, Grant Thornton
Matt is a Chartered Accountant who is currently a Director within the Financial Advisory. Recovery & Reorganisation division in the Grant Thornton Australia Limited Cairns office. Matt has worked in the insolvency and restructuring professional services sector for over 16 years in both Australia and the United Kingdom which has allowed him to gain invaluable experience across a wide range of engagements. Matt's role with Grant Thornton Australia Limited offers him the opportunity to work in both the personal and corporate insolvency areas including all types of formal engagements.


Kay Feeney, Director, Feeney Family Lawyers
Kay has been an expert in family law for more than 35 years. She was admitted as a solicitor in 1985 and has been the director of Feeney Family Law since 2011. Kay is an accredited Family Law Specialist. She combines her Family Law expertise with an understanding of her clients’ issues and expectations to promote a safe, calm, and respectful rapport. She possesses a high level of legal technical competency and holds a clear tenacity of purpose. She ensures that her clients feel supported and are not vulnerable to any imbalances of power. Kay boasts extensive litigation experience with particular interest in mediation, collaboration, and arbitration. She is a Nationally Accredited Mediator and Arbitrator for family law matters and a qualified Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. Her wisdom and experience as a mediator are highly requested. She has experience in property matters involving high value and working in complex corporate structures. She is also an expert across a range of other family matters, including parenting disputes complicated by parental deficits and special needs children. She also has vast experience as an Independent Children’s Lawyer. Kay comes recommended in the Doyle’s Guide of Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers in Brisbane for 2022. She has presented “How to limit conflict in Family Law matters” at two US conferences and presented at two European conferences “Family Lawyers & Legal Professional Privilege” and “Property Settlements & Spouse Maintenance for the Elderly”.


Alice Ruhe, Partner, SMB Advisory
Alice has practiced in the Insolvency and Corporate Recovery Industry for over 15 years and is a Registered Trustee in Bankruptcy and a Registered Liquidator. Alice is a member of both the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA) and has experience in all forms of corporate and personal insolvency administrations.


Mr. Roland Taylor, Director, Statewide Conveyancing
Roland was admitted as a solicitor in 1993. He was made a partner of Mckays Solicitors in 2003. He has been in charge of Statewide Conveyancing, the conveyancing division of Mckays Solicitors since 2000. Statewide incorporated in 2011 and Roland was the managing director until January 2024 when he sold out of the business. Roland is currently studying a masters of applied law. Roland has practised in property law and commercial litigation, with a focus on Residential property since 2000. Roland has presented at over 50 Legal seminars since 2004. He is also the author of the legal textbook "Agent's Handbook".


Chris Ryall, Barrister, Maritime Chambers
Chris Ryall has practised as a member of the private bar in Cairns since 1999. His practice as a barrister has been principally in the areas of commercial litigation, personal injuries, and estates. Chris has appeared in disciplinary matters involving solicitors and other professionals before various tribunals. In addition, he has experience in dealing with ethical and regulatory issues while a member of the Council of the Bar Association of Queensland.


Mr. Corey Jenkins, Judicial Registrar,
Senior Judicial Registrar Jenkins was appointed by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia as a Registrar and commenced with the Court in August 2021. He primarily undertakes interim hearings including as an Evatt List Senior Judicial Registrar, list work for both Division 1 and 2, and facilitates Dispute Resolution Events across all registries in Australia. Mr Jenkins commenced working in Family Law in South East Queensland and commenced running his own practice on the Sunshine Coast in 2013 as Jenkins Lawyers Pty Ltd. In 2016, Mr Jenkins relocated to Far North Queensland and commenced with Legal Aid Queensland undertaking various roles including separate representative and Independent Children’s Lawyer, assisting with the implementation of the FASS program, as well as a focus on dispute resolution. Mr Jenkins has attained a variety of qualifications including a Bachelors of Laws and a Bachelors of Arts (Majoring in Criminal Justice), as well as post graduate qualifications with both a Masters in Family Law and a Masters in Business Administration.