Presenters

Rob Knowsley, Managing Director-Principal, Knowsley Management Services
Rob Knowsley has spent the 49-plus years since his admission as a lawyer in early 1975 working with growth-oriented legal practices in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. He founded Knowsley Management Services (KMS) in early 1988. He is unashamedly passionate about assisting his fellow lawyers to build into their firms a strong ongoing capability to optimise their investments of money, education, experience and time, to produce proper profits, dramatically better profits than most assume possible. He is clear in his view that a profitable firm greatly increases options in terms of succession, a real problem for many partners in small-medium firms. Rob has a long track record of making vast improvements happen in relatively short periods of time in all manner of firms, and brings to his consultancy advice a wide experience from a range of legal roles, having practised as a Barrister and Solicitor, employed lawyer, partner and managing partner, sole practitioner, and in both private practice and Government. He has served on various State and Regional Law Society councils and committees, and Government committees, lectured and written widely on legal practice management, and is a skilled trainer and facilitator. Rob`s day to day contact with all manner of firms, especially those where he is retained on an annual basis as a practice coach, gives him a constantly updated flow of information about the changing practical problems the Legal Profession is facing. He has had significant consulting input into over 1385 legal firms, and greatly assisted his many thousands of seminar and workshop attendees. A significant part of every business day is spent advising lawyers by e-mail, by telephone, Zoom/Teams, or in person. Rob knows what`s needed, what`s possible, and exactly how to achieve it. His ground-breaking systems for planning and ensuring full utilisation of law firm human resources, developed originally in the late Eighties, have stood the test of time, being used to huge advantage in a multitude of firms to this day. Rob adheres fully to the Code of Ethics of the Institute of Management Consultants in Australia.


Amanda Comelli, Partner, Brown Wright Stein Lawyers
Amanda is a Law Society of NSW Accredited Specialist in Business Law and currently sits on the Law Society's Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee for Business Law. With more than 10 years' experience as a business lawyer, Amanda provides commercial and corporate law, tax law and estate planning advice to businesses and business owners. Amanda likes to keep her practice broad, to provide her clients with well-rounded and practical legal advice. Amanda has acted for a range of clients including both private and public companies, accountants, financial planners, retailers, business owners, manufacturers, individuals (including high net worth individuals) and not-for-profit organisations. She is also a founder of the Women in Tax Discussion Group, which is hosted monthly by Brown Wright Stein, as a forum for female tax professionals to meet and discuss recent key changes in tax law in a relaxed and supportive environment. Outside of work, Amanda enjoys travel, fitness, and spending time with her family. She has also represented Australia in several international karate tournaments!