Presenters

Claire O’Connor SC, Villeneuve Smith Chambers
Claire O'Connor SC is a barrister practising in criminal, family and civil work, (predominantly personal injuries, inquiries and inquests) Aside from the usual practice of car accidents, murders, rapes and family disputes over children, assets and pets, those areas entail she is also well known for her refugee and detention centre work acting for the plaintiff in Al Kateb v Secretary dept. of Immigration in the High Court, for Cornelia Rau in relation to the Palmer Inquiry into her unlawful detention (and her subsequent rescue from Jordan where Ms Rau was detained under their mental health provisions), and in the inquest into the sinking of the SIEV 221 off the coast of Christmas Island in 2010 where she appeared for the survivors and families of the deceased. She worked on many Aboriginal justice issues including the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Hindmarsh Island Royal Commission, at Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement as an in-house counsel, and juniored Julian Burnside AO QC into first and so far only successful stolen generation case of Trevorrow v The State of South Australia. Claire has also acted for many asbestos victims in litigation against employers and suppliers of asbestos in particular in the successful test case in this State of Parker v BHP. She has developed a keen interest in gender equity issues in the last few years in particular and is the Law Society of SA representative on the Law Council gender committee, a member of the SA Bar Women at the Bar committee and a member of the Law Society's own gender equity working group. She was on the establishment committee some 20 years ago for the women's legal service and served for many years on its management committee. Her legal employment experience has been in private practice, the community sector and in the government sector in SA and the UK before, in 2005, she went to the bar. She was appointed a senior counsel in 2014.


Andrew Meiliunas, Associate Director, Nevett Ford Lawyers
With over 17 years experience gained while working for several of Australia’s leading wills and estates firms, Andrew specialises in wills, estates, trusts, and financial elder abuse disputes. Andrew is committed to providing clients with expert legal advice and compassionate support during some of life’s most challenging times. A significant part of Andrew’s practice involves addressing financial elder abuse disputes. Andrew is well-versed in the nuances of elder law, advocating for the rights of vulnerable older Australians. Andrew’s expertise in identifying and resolving cases of financial elder abuse has led Andrew to become a trusted advocate in this vital field, ensuring that the dignity and well-being of seniors are upheld. Andrew is a member of the Law Institute of Victoria’s Succession Law Executive Committee and he sists of the Course Advisory Committee of the La Trobe University Bachelor of Laws(Hons) and Juris Doctor. Andrew is committed to the mentoring and training of the next generation of lawyers and lectures in Succession Law at La Trobe University.

Presenters

Claire O’Connor SC, Villeneuve Smith Chambers
Claire O'Connor SC is a barrister practising in criminal, family and civil work, (predominantly personal injuries, inquiries and inquests) Aside from the usual practice of car accidents, murders, rapes and family disputes over children, assets and pets, those areas entail she is also well known for her refugee and detention centre work acting for the plaintiff in Al Kateb v Secretary dept. of Immigration in the High Court, for Cornelia Rau in relation to the Palmer Inquiry into her unlawful detention (and her subsequent rescue from Jordan where Ms Rau was detained under their mental health provisions), and in the inquest into the sinking of the SIEV 221 off the coast of Christmas Island in 2010 where she appeared for the survivors and families of the deceased. She worked on many Aboriginal justice issues including the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Hindmarsh Island Royal Commission, at Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement as an in-house counsel, and juniored Julian Burnside AO QC into first and so far only successful stolen generation case of Trevorrow v The State of South Australia. Claire has also acted for many asbestos victims in litigation against employers and suppliers of asbestos in particular in the successful test case in this State of Parker v BHP. She has developed a keen interest in gender equity issues in the last few years in particular and is the Law Society of SA representative on the Law Council gender committee, a member of the SA Bar Women at the Bar committee and a member of the Law Society's own gender equity working group. She was on the establishment committee some 20 years ago for the women's legal service and served for many years on its management committee. Her legal employment experience has been in private practice, the community sector and in the government sector in SA and the UK before, in 2005, she went to the bar. She was appointed a senior counsel in 2014.


Andrew Meiliunas, Associate Director, Nevett Ford Lawyers
With over 17 years experience gained while working for several of Australia’s leading wills and estates firms, Andrew specialises in wills, estates, trusts, and financial elder abuse disputes. Andrew is committed to providing clients with expert legal advice and compassionate support during some of life’s most challenging times. A significant part of Andrew’s practice involves addressing financial elder abuse disputes. Andrew is well-versed in the nuances of elder law, advocating for the rights of vulnerable older Australians. Andrew’s expertise in identifying and resolving cases of financial elder abuse has led Andrew to become a trusted advocate in this vital field, ensuring that the dignity and well-being of seniors are upheld. Andrew is a member of the Law Institute of Victoria’s Succession Law Executive Committee and he sists of the Course Advisory Committee of the La Trobe University Bachelor of Laws(Hons) and Juris Doctor. Andrew is committed to the mentoring and training of the next generation of lawyers and lectures in Succession Law at La Trobe University.