Presenters

Richard Perry KC, 35 West Chambers
Richard Perry KC was admitted to the Queensland Bar in 1983 and took silk in 2004. Admitted to the High Court and Supreme Court of Queensland in 1983. Admitted as a Barrister in the following States and Territories: Supreme Court of New South Wales, 1987; Australian Capital Territory, 1994; Northern Territory, January 2000; He is a graduate of the University of Queensland and Queensland University o Technology and holds the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts (University of Queensland); Bachelor of Laws (Queensland University of Technology); Master of Laws (Queensland University of Technology) 1995; Mr Perry's practice is advocacy based: He has extensive commercial and civil litigation experience having conducted a very large number of major trials in all jurisdictions, and in various States, during the course of his career at the Bar; He appears regularly in the Court of Appeal and in the Full Court of the Federal Court; He appears as defence Counsel in numerous statutory prosecutions and has prosecuted medical disciplinary complaints; He has appeared frequently in the Fair Work Commission and the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission; He has appeared as defence Counsel in numerous statutory prosecutions; He has appeared frequently in the Fair Work Commission and the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, and He is frequently retained to advise, and appear for, Barristers subject to complaints to the Legal Services Commission. He has acted in numerous Commisions of Inquiry, most recently the Home Insulation Inquiry and has appeared as Counsel Assisting the Coroner. Mr Perry also has wide experience in diverse aspects of the legal system: He commenced his career at the bar practising in crime and has defended in both the Supreme and District Courts; He has appeared in a number of major Criminal Justice Commission inquiries eg Yock, Carruthers, Carter and Kimmins Inquiries. He was appointed as inaugural Public Interest Monitor in April 1997. Mr Perry served in that capacity for 3.5 years. In that capacity, he appeared in numerous applications by the Criminal Justice Commission, QPS and NCA for surveillance warrants. His duty was to ensure that the public interest was served in each and every instance, by weighing and reconciling issues of civil liberties with the imperatives of law enforcement; Mr Perry gave evidence to a Commonwealth Joint Standing Committee, regarding the NCA, concerning civil liberties issues and investigative bodies. He was appointed as acting Parliamentary Criminal Justice Commissioner for 12 months in 2001. He has acted, pro bono, on matters in the Magistrates Court for homeless persons, being on the PILCH list, and, at the request of the Registrar, in the Federal Circuit Court in a discrimination case; He was retained, by parties, to provide an expert determination concerning fuel prices at airports; He has conducted a very large number of mediations as mediator, generally in Supreme Court cases.

Yvette McLaughlin, Partner, Sparke Helmore
Yvette McLaughlin is an accredited specialist in personal injury law, with more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry. She has practised predominately in defendant insurance and has extensive knowledge of workers' compensation, motor accident and personal injuries proceedings. Her experience spans all Queensland Courts, the Court of Appeal, the AAT and the QIRC and she has contributed to policy formulation and education initiatives for clients. She is regularly involved in committees discussing ongoing issues such as management of litigated matters and the use of technology in claims management and represents clients at public stakeholder meetings. Her experience in both formulating and complying with the strict service level standards expected by her clients, and her commitment to the continuous improvement of claims management processes, has allowed Yvette to develop and implement claims management systems to efficiently conduct personal injuries claims while at the same time adhering to clients' service level standards and the relevant legislative timeframes. Yvette regularly chairs and presents industry seminars and provides client training.