Presenters

Paul Zapata, Legal Practice Manager, Shine Lawyers
Paul is driven by a desire to change people’s lives. He’s renowned for his caring approach to clients and unrelenting determination to win even the toughest fights on their behalf. Paul specialises in motor vehicle accident, workers compensation and public liability claims, securing millions of dollars in compensation for his clients during his time at Shine. He has secured settlements against government bodies, councils and large multinational corporations, all in the name of standing up for the little guy. Paul graduated from Queensland University of Technology in 2012, and has acted for survivors of sexual abuse, as well as volunteered at various community legal centres across Queensland.


Dipal Prasad, Director, Law in Check
Dipal is committing to working closely with, and being the voice for, individuals and businesses who have been charged unreasonable legal costs by a law practice. Reducing costs liability for such individuals and businesses is her priority. Dipal is also committed to educating law practices to comply with all their obligations so they avoid having their fees challenged by their clients. Dipal completed her Bachelor of Laws (Honours) with a Bachelor of Business and Commerce and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice in 2012. She obtained a Master of Laws in Corporate and Commercial Law from the University of London in 2020, with academic leadership from University College London and Queen Mary University of London. She is currently completing her MBA from the University of New South Wales. Having worked in building and construction, personal injury, insurance, motor vehicle accident, strata and property law prior to establishing herself in legal costing, Dipal’s litigation knowledge is broad and extensive. Dipal has a strong interest in every facet of legal costing with experience in costs disputes arising from the full spectrum of litigation in Family Court, Federal Court, High Court, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Victorian jurisdictions. As part of this interest, Dipal presents lectures on legal costing to law firms and legal organisations and contributes to legal costing academia through writing articles for the ‘Precedent’ journal, and articles for the Blackstone Brief and Australian Lawyer Alliance publications. Dipal is also a Court Appointed Costs Assessor (Supreme Court of Queensland).