Take a full-day deep dive into every litigator's essential skills - evidence and advocacy. Refine your courtroom skills, work with technological shifts and master the nuances of presenting and challenging evidence. Whether you're a seasoned advocate or building your litigation toolkit, gain invaluable insights and practical tips from an experienced panel of expert barristers and litigators.  Be guided through Admissibility and challenges of expert evidence, hearsay and working effectively with the exceptions and navigating the use of AI and evidence. Gain strategies and insight on effective oral and written submissions, advocacy in interlocutory hearings and more.

Presenters

Michael Williams, Partner, Gilbert + Tobin
Michael is the head of Gilbert + Tobin’s Technology and Intellectual Property (IP) Group, headquartered in Sydney. He is recognised in the legal community as a market leader in IP and technology law, with three decades of experience advising on complex legal tech issues and running test cases in the Courts, including appeals to the High Court (Self Care, Calidad, Roadshow Films and IceTV). He holds leading rankings in Chambers Asia Pacific, Legal 500, Best Lawyers and Doyle’s Guide. He was named Intellectual Property Partner of the Year at the Partner of the Year Awards, in 2019 and 2021 and his team has won Intellectual Property Team of the Year numerous times. Always fascinated by technology and its interaction with legal policy, Michael is a specialist on AI. He has closely followed the rise of AI systems and the legal implications of AI created imagery, text and synthetic information. He has witnessed first-hand the rapid changes in legal technology and the practice law and has a track record of experimenting with technology to bring advances to legal advice and legal services. Michael is widely published on IP law in leading journals and periodicals and a regular speaker and commentator on IP law and developments in the use of technology and AI in legal practice.

Tomislav Bicanic, Barrister, Trust Chambers
Following his admission to the legal profession in 2017, Tomislav was called to the NSW Bar in 2018. He practices primarily in NSW but accepts briefs in other jurisdictions and regularly appears in Queensland. Tomislav has a busy first instance practice and appears led and unled in the Court of Criminal Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and other intermediate appellate courts. Tomislav has a particular interest in serious indictable crime and is briefed in complex fraud and commercial crime proceedings for individuals and companies. Tomislav also accepts briefs by prosecuting bodies and advises and appears in proceeds and confiscation proceedings (State and Federal), corruption inquiries and related proceedings.


Irina Hoskinson, Barrister, Latham Chambers
Irina commenced private practice in 2011. Irina was called to the Bar in 2016 and takes briefs to appear in Supreme Court, Federal Circuit and Family Court and other courts and tribunals. She appeared in family provision, probate, bankruptcy, corporate insolvency, general equity and family law matters. In 2020 Irina took a break from the Bar for 14 months and held a position as Probate Registrar in the Supreme Court of NSW. In that role she was making decisions in relation to complex probate and administration matters; she also sat as a Common Law and Equity Registrar and presided over corporations’ examinations. Upon her return to the Bar, Irina currently practices mainly in probate and family provision matters. Irina is a costs assessor and an associate lecturer at College of Law.

Vera Culkoff, Barrister, 2 Selborne Chambers
Vera Culkoff graduated in law from the University of Technology, Sydney in early 1990 with First Class Honours and the University Medal. Her practice is in commercial law and equity, with an emphasis in building and construction disputes. Such proceedings have commonly involved complex contractual disputes, misleading and deceptive allegations and the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW). She also practices in the area of wills, probate and family provisions disputes, involving complex issues and large estates. She has experience in class actions, having been involved in commercial class actions against Westpac, ANZ, AMP and GIO. Vera has been involved in litigation on both sides of the fence: having worked at Clayton Utz doing defence work before joining Cashman & Partners and becoming an equity partner (now Maurice Blackburn). She remained a partner of the new firm until 2000, responsible for commercial and product liability litigation. She was called to the Bar in 2000. Vera was joint General Editor of the Australian Product Liability Reporter (from 2006 to 2011) and has conducted presentations at seminars on class actions and, whilst at the Bar, in building and construction law.


Alexander Vial, Barrister, 5 Wentworth Chambers
Alexander maintains a national practice in complex commercial and regulatory matters. He is recognised by Legal500 as a Leading Junior (Band 1) for competition law (2024, 2025, 2026), as a Leading Junior (Band 1) for white collar and regulatory matters (2024, 2025, 2026), and a Leading Junior for commercial disputes (2025, 2026). He is also recognised as “One to Watch in Australia” for competition law (2025, 2026) and commercial law (2026) by Best Lawyers. Alexander specialises in commercial and regulatory litigation that covers competition and consumer law, trade practices including franchising, class actions, insolvency, intellectual property, and employment law. Alexander regularly advises on and appears in regulatory investigations and enforcement matters, as well as in Royal Commissions and inquiries. Before being called to the Bar, Alexander was a Senior Associate at Clayton Utz in Sydney where he specialised in competition, consumer law, and regulatory investigations and litigation. Earlier in his career, Alexander served as the Associate to the Honourable Chief Justice Doyle AC of the Supreme Court of South Australia and, after his Honour’s retirement, the Associate to the Honourable Chief Justice Kourakis AC. Alexander’s education includes a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) with First Class Honours from the University of Adelaide. Alexander is a founding author of Zuckerman on Australian Civil Procedure, a leading text on Australian civil procedure that is now in its second edition. He regularly publishes articles in a number of practitioner and academic journals.


Fabian Di Lizia, Barrister, 5 Wentworth Chambers
Fabian accepts briefs in a wide range of areas of law. He has a particular experience and interest in all areas of commercial law (including corporations, real property, insolvency, trade practices and private international law), equity and public law (including judicial review and administrative law). Prior to being called to the bar, Fabian was the Associate to the Honourable Justice Farrell of the Federal Court of Australia. He later worked in the litigation practice groups of Gilbert + Tobin and Arnold Bloch Leibler and as a secondee to the Dispute Resolution Group of the ANZ Bank. His work spanned matters in commercial litigation, judicial review, white collar crime, regulatory investigations and commissions of inquiry. Fabian has a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge (with Honours) as well as a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) and a Bachelor of Laws (with Honours) from the University of Sydney. He achieved numerous academic prizes and scholarships during his studies. His work has been published in leading publications including the Australian Law Journal and the University of Western Australia Law Review.


Michelle Painter SC, 9 Selbourne Chambers
Michelle practices primarily in commercial law, involving all manner of commercial disputes, as well as equity and trusts, and family provision and probate. She also has extensive experience representing directors and corporations in regulatory enforcement matters. Michelle has been a barrister since 1998 and took silk in 2013. She has been involved for many years with the NSW Bar Association’s Bar Practice Course, where she presents on the art (and the slog) of cross examination.


Talitha Fishburn, Barrister, 4 Wentworth Chambers and Black Chambers
Talitha was called to the Bar in 2012. Previously she was a solicitor at Allens Linklaters and Legal Counsel at Westpac. She has a broad practice with special interest in equity, trusts, property, civil litigation and family law. Talitha was educated at the University of Sydney (BA, LLB, LLM).


Youssef Maksisi, Principal Director, Maksisi Lawyers
Youssef Maksisi has developed a wide-ranging practice in the heart of the Sydney CBD legal community. Youssef has sought to create a Law Practice in Maksisi Lawyers that emphasises “personal. quality. service’ to clients. Maksisi Lawyers combines high-level CBD-style expertise with personal approach of a boutique firm. Youssef’s development of a wide-ranging practice has allowed him to successfully represent clients, whether corporations or individuals, in a range of legal areas, achieving exceptional results. He regularly appears in the various Court’s throughout Sydney. Youssef also appears in Courts throughout regional New South Wales. Youssef’s clients commend his diligent and professional approach to matters. His devotion to his clients’ interests ensures they receive optimum representation. Youssef is an experienced and confident legal advocate and prides himself on his ability to engage a diverse range of clients and types of matters.