With workers compensation claims increasing rapidly and recent legislative reform in workers compensation and procedural reform in motor vehicle accident claims, bringing yourself up to date is not a “like -to” but a “must do”. Be guided by members of the PIC and personal injury experts and gain a comprehensive update on all the key developments and recent cases in workers compensation and motor vehicle accident law. Examine recent legislative amendments to workers compensation, practical issues around impairment aggregation, and the latest decisions from the PIC and courts as well as insights from the PIC on techniques to enhance your practice. Gain an in-depth analysis of recent MAD decisions, procedural updates from the PIC and judicial review of their cases in motor vehicle accidents.

Presenters

John Harris, Principal Member, Personal Injury Commission
John Harris is a Principal Member of the Personal Injury Commission. Prior to this appointment, he was appointed a sessional arbitrator in 2013 and subsequently a full-time arbitrator of the Workers Compensation Commission. The Principal Member was admitted as a Barrister in 1988 and practiced extensively in personal injury law prior to his appointment with the Workers Compensation Commission.

Mick Franco, Partner, Bartier Perry
As a Director and leader of the Insurance Division of Bartier Perry, Mick Franco advises employers and insurers on the most effective ways to manage and resolve employee claims including statutory benefits, work injury damages and recoveries. He also advises on employment issues arising from workplace injury including return to work and dismissal, WHS and Coronial inquests. He has a long history of representing self-insurers, specialised insurers and employers in the TMF, with a strong focus on the local and state government sectors. He has been a long-term honorary solicitor for the NSW Workers Compensation Self-Insurers Association Inc. Mick is widely recognised by the industry as an expert in workers compensation. He has contributed extensively to the debate on workers compensation in NSW and written extensively on the NSW system and schemes in other jurisdictions. He has been a member of numerous industry groups and appeared at parliamentary inquiries relating to workers compensation, representing the interests of employers and insurers. He was recognised as a leading Workers Compensation Lawyer from 2016 to 2019 and preeminent since 2020 by Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession.

Peter Lichaa, Partner, Bartier Perry
Peter began his legal career working for NSW Police, where he managed a high volume of workers compensation and employment related claims. Since then he has built over a decade’s worth of experience providing strategic insurance litigation advice. Peter’s strong focus on customer service has earned him a reputation for common sense, reliability and professionalism. His depth of experience in workers compensation provides him with the knowledge to work towards the best possible outcome, including in the most complex and sensitive disputes.

Tim Concannon, Partner, Carroll & O’Dea
Tim joined Carroll & O'Dea Lawyers in 1994 and became a partner in 2001. Tim has been an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law since 2000 and was an Assessor with the Claims Assessment and Resolution Service (CARS) from 2004 to February 2021. Tim was appointed Deputy Chair of the Injury Compensation Committee of the Law Society in 2020 and has been Chair of this Committee since 2021. He has played a leading role in drafting submissions to government agencies relevant to various areas of personal injury law and appeared on behalf of the Law Society at a number of government inquiries into the functioning of the workers compensation and motor accident schemes.

Peter Hunt, Consultant, McCabes Lawyers
Peter is the Practice Group Leader of the Statutory Insurance Group at McCabes Lawyers, specialising in compulsory third party insurance (CTP). In each year from 2019 to 2023, Peter’s team was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as a First Tier Defendant CTP Team. In the same years, Peter was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as either a Pre-Eminent or Leading Defendant CTP Lawyer. Peter has been the driving force behind a number of value-add initiatives, including the Proper Lookout Podcast series and the PIC Decision of the Week. Peter is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury and a member of the Law Society's Injury & Compensation Committee.

Matthew Jones, Barrister, Jack Shand Chambers
Matthew Jones was called to the Bar in 2020. Matthew regularly appears for executors, trustees and beneficiaries in deceased estate matters. He is recognised for his considered and pragmatic approach to legal problem solving. Matthew has a particular interest in Succession Law, and estate litigation in particular where he regularly represents executors, beneficiaries and interested parties in Succession proceedings. Matthew Practices in Succession law (Probate, Family Provision, Estate administration and advice and settling Complex estate planning instruments), General Equity Matters, Commercial litigation (Commercial leases and Contractual disputes), Administrative law (Judicial Review, Tribunal Matters and Statutory decision making), Disciplinary matters and Personal injury (Motor Accidents).

Amanda Bond, Partner, Gillis Delaney Lawyers
Amanda Bond is a partner of Gillis Delaney Lawyers who specialises in insurance claims. Amanda is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law and has over 20 years of experience in acting for government entities, insurers, self-insurers and corporations. In the last four years Amanda has been recognised by the Doyles Guide as a leading liability lawyer, pre-eminent and leading worker’s compensation lawyer and recommended lawyer in CTP demonstrating her breadth of experience.

Con Ktenas, Solicitor, Arbitrator and Notary Public, Con Ktenas Notary
Con has over 36 years of experience in litigation in every jurisdiction. He is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury. He is a former long serving member of the Law Society Injury Compensation Committee, a current member of the Accredited Specialist Advisory Committee and the President of the Law Society’s Commercial Arbitration panel. Con is a Local Court Arbitrator and a former District Court Arbitrator. He is a former President of the City of Sydney Law Society. He has practised in all areas of personal injury litigation including workers compensation, work injury damages, total permanent disability (TPD), occupiers liability, professional negligence, medical/dental negligence, asbestos litigation ,institutional sexual abuse; and toxic torts litigation such ionising radiation and the herbicide “Roundup”.

Peter Hunt, Consultant, McCabes Lawyers
Peter is the Practice Group Leader of the Statutory Insurance Group at McCabes Lawyers, specialising in compulsory third party insurance (CTP). In each year from 2019 to 2023, Peter’s team was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as a First Tier Defendant CTP Team. In the same years, Peter was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as either a Pre-Eminent or Leading Defendant CTP Lawyer. Peter has been the driving force behind a number of value-add initiatives, including the Proper Lookout Podcast series and the PIC Decision of the Week. Peter is an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury and a member of the Law Society's Injury & Compensation Committee.

Marie Johns, Division Head, Motor Accidents Division, Personal Injury Commission NSW
On 26 August 2020 Ms Johns was appointed as the Division Head of the Motor Accident Division of the Personal Injury Commission (PIC), which commenced on 1 March 2021. Ms Johns was previously appointed as the Principal Claims Assessor under the two CTP schemes in NSW (Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 and the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017) in August 2018. Ms Johns’ career spans more than two decades across regulatory and service delivery, within government and the community. She has held various positions including at CARS and DRS, the Workers Compensation Commission, ILARS – WIRO, as an immigration lawyer with Brett Slater Solicitors, and DLA Piper (formerly Phillips Fox) and with Mid Hunter Community Housing Association. She is a current committee member of the NSW Chapter of Council of Australasian Tribunals (COAT). Admitted as a solicitor in February 2005, she holds a Degree in Law from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Science (major in psychology) from the University of Newcastle.

Jnana Gumbert, Barrister, Jack Shand Chambers
Jnana Gumbert has an extensive practice in the areas of common law, insurance law, and administrative law (particularly in judicial review of administrative decisions within the NSW CTP scheme). She has over 20 years’ experience conducting personal injury litigation in the areas of motor accidents, medical negligence and civil liability. Jnana was awarded a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Sydney in 2009, focussing on the areas of tort law, healthcare law and administrative law. Jnana has been recognised by her clients and her peers as a preeminent Junior Counsel in New South Wales Insurance & Personal Injury Law (Doyle’s Guide 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023). Prior to being called to the Bar in 2012, Jnana was a litigation solicitor for over 6 years and a Director of Stacks/Goudkamp Lawyers, and was also a Law Society Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law and Assessor for Specialist Accreditation assessments. Jnana held the office of President of the NSW Branch of the Australian Lawyers Alliance from 2009 to 2015. She is a member of the Common Law Committee of the NSW Bar Association. She is a regular presenter at legal seminars and conferences, and has written many articles for publication in legal journals. She has also co-authored the Motor Accidents chapter of the Goudkamp and Morrison Personal Injury Law Manual NSW (Thomson Reuters) and The Law Handbook (Thomson Reuters).