Learn from the best. Elevate your advocacy with this specialised training for criminal lawyers from some of Australia’s most experienced criminal law KCs, senior barristers and criminal law specialists. Explore effective techniques for persuasive addresses, strategy and tactics for cross-examination, appeals and post-trial advocacy plus drafting persuasive sentencing submissions. Stay across the most pressing emerging issues in evidence, including vulnerable witness testimony and forensic evidence. Plus understand the issues in complicity & criminal attribution. 

Presenters

Andrew Tiedt, Director, J Sutton Associates
Andrew is a Director and Principal of J Sutton Associates. He is a Law Society of NSW Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law. Andrew has acted for thousands of clients who have been accused of criminal offences, including appearing for persons charged with murder, sexual offending, fraud, serious driving offences, drug supply and possession, violence, and internet-based offences. He is an experienced trial advocate and frequently appears without counsel in indictable matters, including jury trials. Andrew has been recommended by the Doyle’s Guide for both criminal and traffic law since 2019. Andrew is also the curator of the popular reference website www.trialdirections.com.au

Karen Espiner, Partner, Hugo Law Group
Karen has been a criminal defence lawyer in private practice for over 10 years. She is an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law (NSW). In 2015 she co-founded Younes + Espiner Lawyers, a Sydney-based firm that in 2021 merged with Canberra-based firm McKenna Taylor. Now known as Hugo Law Group the firm operates four offices across NSW, the ACT and WA, currently employing 20 lawyers. In 2023 she moved to WA to lead the opening of Hugo’s Perth office. She continues to maintain a practice between Perth and Sydney, representing clients who have been charged with serious criminal offences.

Shirley Casey, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
Shirley is a Barrister at Francis Burt Chambers. Prior to joining Francis Burt Chambers, she was a Barrister at Albert Wolff Chambers. Shirley has worked mainly in criminal defence and represents clients in all courts throughout WA. Shirley was regarded in Doyles Guide as a leading criminal barrister 2024.

Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC, Castan Chambers
Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC is a distinguished barrister, Professor of Law and Professorial Fellow in Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, and Honorary Professor of Forensic Medicine at Monash University. He is the Editor of the Journal of Law and Medicine and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. A Life Member of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and received the prestigious Prix Philippe Pinel from the International Academy of Law and Mental Health in 2024. Recognized in Best Lawyers in Australia for Public Law, Personal Injury Litigation, and Commercial Law (2021–2024) and listed in Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Administrative and Public Law Barrister (2021–2024), Dr. Freckelton continues to shape legal and forensic scholarship and practice. Dr. Freckelton has been listed by Doyle’s for Criminal Law, Commercial, Admin and Personal Injury Law. He is also the author of Expert Evidence: Law, Practice, Procedure and Advocacy (7th edition, 2024).


Professor Felicity Gerry KC, Crockett Chambers
Dr Felicity Gerry KC is an international King's Counsel at Crockett Chambers (Melbourne) and Libertas Chambers (London), also admitted before the ICC and Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague and the DIFC in Dubai. Her engagement with legal technology spans three decades, from her early days as a junior in digital abuse cases through her 2014 paper "Using Innovative Technology in International Legal Education" (Sino-Australian Law Deans' Meeting) to published research on digital tools against human trafficking (Computer Law & Security Review; UNODC cybercrime module) and dealing with digital evidence in complex terrorism trials. As counsel in the Al Hassan defence at the ICC, the team faced challenges on admissibility of digital material from other jurisdictions. She is also instructed in an ECHR challenge to the admissibility of EncroChat evidence. Recognised for her insights at the intersection of law, AI and cybercrime, and holding a PhD and Honorary Professorships at Salford and Deakin Universities and as a visiting professor at DLSU in the Philippines, she brings practical, technically fluent and global insight to this discussion on AI-generated evidence.

Tom Percy KC, Albert Wolff Chambers
Tom Percy KC was admitted to practice in 1978 after graduating from UWA. He was elected to the WA Bar Association in 1984 and took silk in 1997. He practices primarily in the area of Criminal trials and appeals. He is a former National Director and State President of the Australian Lawyers Alliance. He won the WA Civil Justice Award in 2006, The WA Law Society Community Service Award in 2007 and the WA Lawyer of the Year award in 2013. He is currently Head of Chambers at Albert Wolff Chambers in Perth.

Clayton Wallis, Consultant Crown Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Clayton Wallis is a Consultant Crown Prosecutor with the Queensland Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). He commenced his career with the ODPP in 2007 before taking on the role of Crown Prosecutor in 2009. Since that time he has prosecuted a wide variety of criminal and quasi-criminal matters across the State from the Magistrates Court to the High Court of Australia. Before his appointment to the position of Consultant Crown Prosecutor in 2022, Clayton was responsible for the management of a number of regional and Brisbane based prosecution Chambers, supervising a diverse range of criminal litigators and administration staff. In his 15 years of prosecuting he has prosecuted almost the entire gamut of criminal offences in the Criminal Code including homicide, violence, sexual and property offences both as prosecutor, counsel for the appellant and counsel for the respondent. In recent times Clayton was responsible for the management and supervision of the ODPP Appeals unit and has appeared in the Court of Appeal on approximately 100 occasions as lead counsel and as both as a junior and lead counsel in the High Court of Australia for both special leave applications and full hearings.

Melinda Walker, Melinda Walker Criminal Lawyer
Melinda is an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist with more than 25 years’ experience. Admitted to practice in 2000, she commenced sole practice in 2003 and attained Accredited Criminal Law Specialisation in 2014. Melinda practises exclusively in criminal law and represents clients at all levels of Victoria’s criminal justice system, appearing in the Children’s, Magistrates’, County and Supreme Courts, including the Court of Appeal. Her practice encompasses bail applications, pleas, trials, appeals, driving offences and breach proceedings. Melinda is a member of the Executive Committee of the Criminal Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria and has maintained a longstanding commitment to advocacy for people involved in the criminal justice system

Sharyn Hall SC, Samuel Griffith Chambers
Sharyn Hall SC is a Senior Counsel with extensive experience in criminal law, coronial inquests, inquiries and royal commissions, Land and Environment Court Class 5 proceedings, and high-risk offender applications. She was admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 1999, became a barrister in 2007, and registered as a practitioner of the High Court of Australia in 2008. In 2021, Sharyn was appointed Senior Counsel in recognition of her expertise and professional achievements. Sharyn holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney. Her early career included work as a solicitor at the Western Aboriginal Legal Service and Legal Aid NSW, where she developed a strong commitment to social justice and advocacy for vulnerable clients. She also contributes to the legal profession as an advocacy instructor for the NSW Bar Association and the Australian Advocacy Institute. Sharyn is an active member of the NSW Bar Association’s Legal Aid Committee, supporting efforts to improve access to justice for disadvantaged communities. Known for her professionalism, advocacy skills, and dedication, Sharyn provides high-quality legal representation in complex and challenging matters.