Presenters

Mark Trowell KC, Barrister, Albert Wolff Chambers
Mark Trowell joined the independent Bar in Western Australia in 1989 after having been admitted to practice eight years earlier. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2000. He, together with Tom Percy QC, founded Albert Wolff Chambers. Despite some time in commercial and common law, he was ultimately attracted to the challenge of the criminal law and has since practiced exclusively in that jurisdiction. He has for the most part acted as defence counsel not only in WA, but also NSW, and from time to time also prosecutes for the DPP (WA). Mark has appeared as counsel at two Royal Commissions, and several notorious CCC inquiries. He is co-chair of the Criminal Law Standing Committee of LAWASIA. He was also involved in negotiations at the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg on behalf of the owners of a foreign vessel seized by the Australian Customs for allegedly poaching the prized Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. In December 2006, Mark Trowell was appointed by the Australian Government to undertake a review of the legislation governing the Australian Crime Commission (ACC). His report was later tabled in the Federal Parliament.Since 2004, Mark has attended as an international observer at controversial criminal trials in Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka on behalf of several organisations, including LAWASIA, the International Commission of Jurists, the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Australian Bar Association, the Law Council of Australia, Commonwealth Lawyers Association and Paris-based Union International des Advocats. He is the author of two best-selling books on the recent criminal trial and appeals in the Malaysian courts concerning the former deputy prime minister and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, which attracted international attention.


Leah Clemens, Principal, LB Lawyers
Leah completed her post graduate law degree in 2004 after serving as an officer in the Navy. After being admitted, Leah worked in civil litigation at a boutique maritime law firm before joining Legal Aid servicing many clients for over a decade in criminal law, family law and civil litigation, often being referred unusual or tricky cases where jurisdictions overlap. Leah was the supervising solicitor in care and protection matters for and undertook ICL training in 2008. Leah returned to private practice in 2019, heading up a commercial litigation practice, family law practice and more recently criminal law practices. She advocates for both applicants and respondents in Restraining Order matters and has a very detailed technical understanding of the law. Her area of specialty is the “trifecta” where clients are subject to criminal complaints, have restraining orders afoot and are a party to Family Court proceedings. She has succeeded in opposing serial family violence offender applications and is no stranger to making submissions to parliament on aspects of legislative reform. Leah has just commenced practice as Principal Lawyer at LSC Legal, which is a general practice. She appears in all Courts and Tribunals in WA including the SAT, Federal Court and the High Court of Australia. She as appears as counsel in interstate matters involving historic sexual abuse cases.

Presenters

Mark Trowell KC, Barrister, Albert Wolff Chambers
Mark Trowell joined the independent Bar in Western Australia in 1989 after having been admitted to practice eight years earlier. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2000. He, together with Tom Percy QC, founded Albert Wolff Chambers. Despite some time in commercial and common law, he was ultimately attracted to the challenge of the criminal law and has since practiced exclusively in that jurisdiction. He has for the most part acted as defence counsel not only in WA, but also NSW, and from time to time also prosecutes for the DPP (WA). Mark has appeared as counsel at two Royal Commissions, and several notorious CCC inquiries. He is co-chair of the Criminal Law Standing Committee of LAWASIA. He was also involved in negotiations at the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg on behalf of the owners of a foreign vessel seized by the Australian Customs for allegedly poaching the prized Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. In December 2006, Mark Trowell was appointed by the Australian Government to undertake a review of the legislation governing the Australian Crime Commission (ACC). His report was later tabled in the Federal Parliament.Since 2004, Mark has attended as an international observer at controversial criminal trials in Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka on behalf of several organisations, including LAWASIA, the International Commission of Jurists, the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Australian Bar Association, the Law Council of Australia, Commonwealth Lawyers Association and Paris-based Union International des Advocats. He is the author of two best-selling books on the recent criminal trial and appeals in the Malaysian courts concerning the former deputy prime minister and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, which attracted international attention.


Leah Clemens, Principal, LB Lawyers
Leah completed her post graduate law degree in 2004 after serving as an officer in the Navy. After being admitted, Leah worked in civil litigation at a boutique maritime law firm before joining Legal Aid servicing many clients for over a decade in criminal law, family law and civil litigation, often being referred unusual or tricky cases where jurisdictions overlap. Leah was the supervising solicitor in care and protection matters for and undertook ICL training in 2008. Leah returned to private practice in 2019, heading up a commercial litigation practice, family law practice and more recently criminal law practices. She advocates for both applicants and respondents in Restraining Order matters and has a very detailed technical understanding of the law. Her area of specialty is the “trifecta” where clients are subject to criminal complaints, have restraining orders afoot and are a party to Family Court proceedings. She has succeeded in opposing serial family violence offender applications and is no stranger to making submissions to parliament on aspects of legislative reform. Leah has just commenced practice as Principal Lawyer at LSC Legal, which is a general practice. She appears in all Courts and Tribunals in WA including the SAT, Federal Court and the High Court of Australia. She as appears as counsel in interstate matters involving historic sexual abuse cases.