The end-of-the-CPD-year crunch shouldn’t feel impossible. We have you covered. Make your 10 Points count with 10 experts and 10 areas of legal developments, and all in just one day. Unpack the current, timely legal issues with the experts in everything from family to commercial law, ethics and professional skills to practice management, join us for a carefully curated program that brings you not just the points, but expert insights. 31 March isn’t just a “deadline” with Legalwise Seminars —it’s a launch line to hear brilliant sessions from leading legal minds.

Presenters

Douglas Johnson, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
Doug practices in commercial litigation and international arbitration. He has particular experience in the areas of construction, insurance, and commercial law. Disputes arising from construction and engineering projects have been a core part of Doug’s practice, both before and after coming to the Bar. Doug has advised owners and contractors on complex claims for delay, defective work, and variations (including proceedings involving over $300 million in issue). He has also acted on disputes relating to the termination of contracts, urgent injunctions, misleading or deceptive conduct, and statutory adjudications. In the insurance space, Doug has represented insurers and self-insureds in proceedings involving public liability, property damage, and professional negligence claims. The cross-over between Doug’s experience with insurance and construction work makes him particularly well suited for disputes involving construction professionals, such as engineers, architects, and project planners, as well as public liability claims arising on major projects. Doug’s broader commercial experience (as a solicitor) covers a range of matters, such as: Contractual disputes. Corporations law matters, including claims of shareholder oppression. Royal Commissions and regulatory investigations. Joint venture disputes. Before joining the Bar, Doug worked in the dispute resolution teams at Jones Day and King & Wood Mallesons. He also practised in insurance litigation at Moray & Agnew.


Martin Dobson, formerly at Moray & Agnew
Martin Dobson was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor in 1980. He holds a Bachelor of Jurisprudence and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia. He has worked almost exclusively in litigation since 1981 and after working in a number of areas of practice, including acting for plaintiffs for a number of years, he has acted exclusively for insurers, self-insureds and employers for the last 25 years. He practices chiefly in the areas of workers' compensation and employer's liability (common law) claims but has also worked in the areas of motor vehicle personal injury claims, public liability and medical negligence. Martin is a member of the Australian Insurance Law Association. He is a partner at Moray & Agnew.,


Professor Stephen Owen-Conway KC, Barrister, Sir Lawrence Jackson Chambers
Stephen Owen-Conway QC specialises in commercial litigation and practices in the fields of competition Law, taxation, intellectual property; corporations law; maritime law and sports law. He appears in the Federal Court of Australia and other Commonwealth Courts and Tribunals. He also appears in the Supreme Court of Western Australia and in the Court of Appeal. Stephen was first called to the English Bar in 1973, then joining the Queensland Bar in 1975 and the Western Australian Bar in 1977 and was appointed a Queen's Counsel in the states of Queensland and Western Australia in 1992. He has held a number of academic positions throughout his career including visiting lecturer at Nottingham University, senior teaching fellow at the University of Western Australia and was a lecturer at the universities of Plymouth, Queensland and Western Australia. Stephen currently holds the position of adjunct professor of law at Murdoch University in Perth. Stephen has a particular interest in professional football and most recently was a director of Cardiff City Football Club in 2012. Stephen’s List Clerks are Svenson Barristers who are located in Melbourne


David Vilensky, Solicitor and Managing Director, Bowen Buchbinder Vilensky Lawyers
David is a corporate lawyer with a particular focus on mining and resources, mergers and acquisitions, telecommunications, corporate advisory, contractual disputes, specialist contract drafting and complex corporate transactions. David has more than 35 years experience in negotiating, advising on and drafting a broad range of commercial agreements including mergers and acquisitions, shareholder and management agreements, exit agreements, licence agreements, the sale and purchase of mining tenements, joint ventures and share sale agreements. He also advises on capital raisings, corporate governance, due diligence and corporate transactions generally and acts for both private and public companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. He regularly advises on directors’ duties and compliance with ASX Listing Rules including continuous disclosure. David is also an experienced public company director and currently sits on the boards of 3 ASX listed companies including one as its Chairman. David is also experienced in dispute resolution including mediations and arbitrations and in the resolution of commercial and contractual disputes. Over the years David has had articles published in various journals on subjects such as directors’ duties, the Trade Practices Act and law firm practice management issues such as ethical billing practices and value pricing on which subject he has frequently delivered papers at seminars in Australia and New Zealand. David has been a strong advocate of the value pricing model for law firms and was largely instrumental in replacing the billable hour model at BBV with a fixed fee model where fees are fixed and agreed with clients in advance and where time is not money.


Yikai Hoe, Founding Director, Provident Lawyers
Yikai is the founder of Provident Lawyers. Yikai practices in superannuation and tax law and assists business clients and professional advisers with a myriad of legal solutions on all types of superannuation, tax compliance and commercial matters. He also delivers tailored estate planning and succession strategies to high net worth clients and is a SMSF Specialist Advisor (SSA), Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) and Trusts and Estate Practitioner (TEP). He has presented on various superannuation, tax, estate and succession planning and commercial law topics.


Morgan Solomon, Director, Solomon Hollett Lawyers
Founding Director at Perth law firm Solomon Hollett Lawyers, Morgan is a well-established lawyer with many years' experience in commercial, business, wills and estates and estate litigation. Prior to opening Solomon Hollett Lawyers along with Craig Hollett in 2015, Morgan was Director at one of Western Australia's leading midsized law firm. Morgan has particular interest in Wills, Contested Estates, Contentious Probate and Administration matters and currently is the author of the Lexis Nexis practical guides on non contentious probate, administration and Wills in WA. His Will drafting is also informed by a very broad range of commercial, business and litigation law experience. In recent years Morgan has held the positions of Vice Chair and then Chairman of the prestigious Law Australasia group of leading independent law firms across Australia. A third generation West Australian lawyer, he also takes an active role in the State's cultural community having studied fine arts for four years before his studies in law. Morgan is Chair of the Perth Theatre Trust, a Founding Member of the WA Chamber of Culture and the Arts, and is also Board Member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation WA.


Cav. Maria Saraceni​​​​, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
Maria Saraceni is a barrister practising in regulatory and compliance law - particularly in workplace relations; employment-related matters and occupational safety and health. She is also an active non-executive director an accomplished public speaker and an Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University.


Marion Buchanan, Barrister, Murray Chambers
Marion practices in criminal, family, administrative, and disability law. She began her career at Dwyer Durack, then moved to the ODPP, where she prosecuted in all courts. Marion later focused on family law across Western Australia and Tasmania, including as the senior lawyer at the Mental Health Law Centre, representing clients with mental impairments facing criminal charges and challenging guardianship decisions. Before joining the Bar, she served as principal policy adviser to WA's Attorney General (2021–2023) and senior policy adviser to the Minister for Health and Mental Health (2018–2021). Her advisory work covered electoral law, end-of-life care, mental health, and disability issues. Notably, she was the senior adviser for the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019 and the principal adviser on the Criminal Law (Mental Impairment) Bill 2023. Marion holds an LLB (2001, UWA), a Graduate Certificate in Philosophy (2012, Murdoch), and a Masters of Bioethics (2021, Monash).


Debbie Clinch, Partner, Clairs Keeley
Debbie is an accredited Family Law Specialist with 29+ years of experience. She handles all family law matters, including children’s issues, child support, spousal maintenance, property settlements, and financial agreements. A nationally accredited mediator, family dispute resolution practitioner, and Independent Children’s Lawyer, Debbie excels in keeping disputes out of court. Active in professional organizations, Debbie is a former President of Collaborative Professionals WA and former Secretary of the Family Law Practitioners Association of WA. She holds leadership roles on various committees and is a member of the Law Society of WA, the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, Resolution Institute, and several other professional associations.


Michael Stork, Director, Stork Davies Legal Advisors
Michael is a seasoned commercial litigator with over 20 years of experience representing individuals, SMEs, and national and ASX-listed companies. His expertise spans contract, property, construction, wills and estates, employment, consumer law, insolvency, and debt recovery disputes. Michael has held leadership roles, including serving as Director of Governance and Legal for the WAFL’s East Fremantle Football Club and the Institute of Indigenous Wellbeing and Sport of WA. He has also mentored junior lawyers and instructed civil litigation courses at the Leo Cussen Centre for Law. Highlights of Michael’s cases include representing clients in Supreme Court lease disputes, construction contract adjudications, commercial arbitrations, and trust-related land disputes.


Melissa Ferreira, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers
Melissa Ferreira is a Special Counsel in Perth, specializing in dispute resolution, insolvency, and securities enforcement. With expertise in both contentious and non-contentious matters, she works closely with boards, in-house teams, and professional advisors to manage complex restructuring, enforcement, and commercial litigation issues. Melissa advises on Safe Harbour and turnaround planning, debt-for-equity swaps, and other restructuring strategies for distressed capital providers. She also represents insolvency practitioners, creditors, and stakeholders, including government departments, in contested insolvency processes and complex litigation. Her industry recognition includes being listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Litigation (2025), named a Rising Star in Commercial Litigation and Insolvency Law by Doyles Guide (2023-2024), and shortlisted for Senior Associate of the Year by Lawyers Weekly (2023). Melissa’s experience includes advising AGC Group on a successful restructure and acquisition by Altrad, representing Kipoi Holdings in complex insolvency proceedings involving USD$110 million in debt, and providing restructuring advice to Sun Cable in voluntary administration. She has also supported government agencies and significant creditors across sectors such as oil and gas, mining, construction, and health, navigating the complexities of insolvency law and enforcement strategies.


Dr. Robert Cunningham, Barrister, Murray Chambers


Professor Anthony Langlois, Stan Perron Dean of Applied Ethics,
Professor Anthony J. Langlois is the Stan Perron Dean of Applied Ethics in the Faculty of Business & Law at Curtin University. He is the founding director of the new Curtin Centre for Applied Ethics. Langlois is a distinguished specialist on Human Rights and International Ethics, with over 25 years of experience as an educator, author and public speaker. He has an international reputation for his human rights scholarship, published by presses such as Cambridge and Oxford, and in leading academic journals. Among other responsibilities, he is on the editorial board of The Journal of Human Rights and the European Journal of Politics and Gender and is a commissioning editor for Australian Outlook (Australian Institute of International Affairs). He was educated at the University of Tasmania and the Australian National University.