This is your opportunity to finish 2024 with a roundup of Workers Compensation and Motor Accident law with a comprehensive consideration of significant changes at the Personal Injury Commission and an update from the Independent Review Officer, as well as practice and procedure, legislation and case law updates. Hear directly from the Personal Injury Commission and the Independent Review Officer. All in one day.

Presenters

Peter Hunt, Principal, McCabes
Peter is the Practice Group Leader of the Statutory Insurance Group at McCabes Lawyers, specialising in compulsory third party insurance (CTP). In each year from 2019 to 2023, Peter’s team was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as a First Tier Defendant CTP Team. In the same years, Peter was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as either a Pre-Eminent or Leading Defendant CTP Lawyer. Peter has been the driving force behind a number of value-add initiatives, including the Proper Lookout Podcast series and the PIC Decision of the Week. Peter is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury and a member of the Law Society's Injury & Compensation Committee.


Paul Macken, Partner, Leigh Virtue & Associates
Paul Macken BA LLB is a partner of the firm of Leigh Virtue & Associates. He is an accredited specialist in personal injury law (since 1993) and has over 38 years' experience acting for workers and employers in work injury disputes. He has particular experience in representing a large number of self-insured employers in all types of work injury claims and in related industrial disputes. He is an honorary legal advisor to the NSW Self Insurers Association, the immediate past Chairman of the Medic-Legal Liaison Committee, a member of the Injury Compensation Committee, and the personal injury specialist accreditation board of the Law Society of NSW.


Glenn Capel, Division Head, Workers Compensation Division, Personal Injury Commission
Glenn Capel was a partner of Hicksons for 12 years, and in a career that spans over 40 years, he has acted for numerous private insurers, scheme agents and employers. He was appointed as an Arbitrator in the Workers Compensation Commission in 2010 and as a Senior Arbitrator in 2017. He became a Senior Member of the Personal Injury Commission on 1 March 2021, and he was appointed Division Head on 4 March 2022. Glenn has experience in liability, dispute resolution, workers compensation litigation and employment issues. He regularly appeared as a solicitor in the Workers Compensation Commission and its predecessors, the District and Supreme Courts, and the Court of Appeal. He has sat on Medical Appeal Panels in the Commission and has national accreditation as a Mediator under the NMAS Accreditation system.


John Harris, Principal Member, Personal Injury Commission
John Harris is a Principal Member of the Personal Injury Commission. Prior to this appointment, he was appointed a sessional arbitrator in 2013 and subsequently a full-time arbitrator of the Workers Compensation Commission. The Principal Member was admitted as a Barrister in 1988 and practiced extensively in personal injury law prior to his appointment with the Workers Compensation Commission.


Jeffrey Gabriel, Acting Independent Review Officer, Independent Review Office
Jeffrey Gabriel is the Acting Independent Review Officer. Prior to that he was Director of Solutions at IRO, a role he has held since March 2017. Before that, Jeffrey was employed by WIRO in the ILARS team, joining WIRO after a career in private practice, where he represented both claimants and insurers across a range of personal injury jurisdictions. Jeffrey is also an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law.


Amanda Bond, Partner, Gillis Delaney Lawyers
Amanda Bond is a partner of Gillis Delaney Lawyers who specialises in insurance claims. Amanda is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law and has over 20 years of experience in acting for government entities, insurers, self-insurers and corporations. In the last four years Amanda has been recognised by the Doyles Guide as a leading liability lawyer, pre-eminent and leading worker’s compensation lawyer and recommended lawyer in CTP demonstrating her breadth of experience.


Marie Johns, Division Head, Motor Accidents Division, Personal Injury Commission NSW
On 26 August 2020 Ms Johns was appointed as the Division Head of the Motor Accident Division of the Personal Injury Commission (PIC), which commenced on 1 March 2021. Ms Johns was previously appointed as the Principal Claims Assessor under the two CTP schemes in NSW (Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 and the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017) in August 2018. Ms Johns’ career spans more than two decades across regulatory and service delivery, within government and the community. She has held various positions including at CARS and DRS, the Workers Compensation Commission, ILARS – WIRO, as an immigration lawyer with Brett Slater Solicitors, and DLA Piper (formerly Phillips Fox) and with Mid Hunter Community Housing Association. She is a current committee member of the NSW Chapter of Council of Australasian Tribunals (COAT). Admitted as a solicitor in February 2005, she holds a Degree in Law from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Science (major in psychology) from the University of Newcastle.


Tim Concannon, Partner, Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers
Tim joined Carroll & O'Dea Lawyers in 1994 and became a partner in 2001. Tim has been an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law since 2000 and was an Assessor with the Claims Assessment and Resolution Service (CARS) from 2004 to February 20221. Tim was appointed Deputy Chair of the Injury Compensation Committee of the Law Society in 2020 and has been Chair of this Committee since 2021. He has played a leading role in drafting submissions to government agencies relevant to various areas of personal injury law and appeared on behalf of the Law Society at a number of government inquiries into the functioning of the workers compensation and motor accident schemes.


Matthew Jones, Barrister, Jack Shand Chambers
Matthew was called to the Bar in 2020. Matthew practices in matters involving personal injury, motor accidents and Judicial Review. In addition, he practices in commercial litigation, commercial leases, disciplinary law, Tribunal matters and administrative law, Matthew regularly appears for executors, trustees and beneficiaries in deceased estate matters. He is recognised for his considered and pragmatic approach to legal problem solving.


Jack Isackson, Barrister, Jack Shand Chambers
Jack Isackson was called to the Bar in 2022. Jack practices in all jurisdictions across a variety of practice areas.


Will Murphy, Partner, Bartier Perry
Will is a partner at Bartier Perry. He practices in industrial accident law: workers compensation, common law claims and Work Health and Safety. In his personal injury practice Will acts exclusively for insurers and self-insurers. Will was one of the first accredited specialists in personal injury law in NSW.