Forensic evidence can make or break your case. Gain insight to navigate the forensic evidence required for your criminal law matters with exceptional leading barristers plus a panel of forensic experts. Covering the forensic evidence used in a myriad of types of criminal matters, unpack the admissibility and reliability of your forensic evidence, examine the expectations of expert medical legal evidence, forensic evidence in sexual assault matters and the psychological concerns in interviewing victims in these and other traumatic crimes. Plus, gain an understanding of the forensic evidence in foreign bribery and other corporate crime plus encryption.

Presenters

Sophie Anderson, Barrister, Commercial Bank Chambers
Sophie has extensive experience as a lawyer and advisor involved in criminal defence law. She appears in all criminal matters including Jury Trials, Sentences, and Appeals. She also has other legal experience having practised in areas including Employment, Discrimination and Industrial Relations law. Sophie has previously lectured and tutored at Southern Cross University; and additionally co-authored course materials. Sophie began her career as a solicitor, specialising in criminal defence work, having been recognised for her specialised knowledge in this area by the NSW Law Society in 2005, with accreditation. She initially worked with the Aboriginal Legal Service in both their metropolitan and regional offices from Redfern Sydney to Dubbo in Western NSW and finally Lismore in the Far North Coast of NSW. She was called to the Bar in 2014. After joining the NSW Bar in 2014, Sophie was the recipient of the Inaugural Christopher Gee Award for Advocacy in the 2014 Bar Course. She is an ongoing committee member on the Criminal Law Committee, and Wellbeing Committee with the NSW Bar Association since 2021. Sophie is also the Far North Coast Bar Representative for NSW. In 2025, Sophie was recognised by the Doyle’s Guide as a Recommended Barrister, the only recipient outside Sydney. Aside from being a member of the Bugmy Bar Book Committee, Sophie is also co-host on the podcast "5 cases Podcast" which reviews cases of interest to criminal practitioners each month; and is available on any podcast platform of your choice.


Associate Professor Lil Vrklevski, Principal Clinical Psychologist, Director Psychology SLDH
Assoc. Prof. Lil Vrklevski B.A (Hons);LLB; MClinPsych; MBA; Dip.Grad.Research; PhD; MAPS; FCCLP; MACPA; GAICD is the Principal Clinical Psychologist and Director of Psychology, Sydney Local Health District. Lil has over 30 years’ experience in law and clinical psychology. As a solicitor she has experience in family and criminal law. As a clinical psychologist she has worked clinically in the areas of sexual violence and mental health. Lil is particularly interested in the relationship between the legal and mental health systems as well as the impact of trauma work on professionals. Her research has been in the areas of vicarious trauma, root cause analysis, forensic patients and systems, professional identity and professional roles as well as the role of allied health in public mental health services. Lil developed the Vicarious Trauma Scale (VTS), a brief screening instrument for VT. Lil is a reviewer on Traumatology, The Journal of Patient Safety, International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, Australasian Psychiatry, Associate Editor on Clinical Psychologist and is the Co- Chair of the CRGH Human Research Ethics Committee as well as 9 years on the NSW Psychology Board. Lil is a clinical associate professor with ACU, clinical associate with the Departments of Psychology at USyd, UTS, WSU, Adjunct Fellow with MQ, UoW, lecturer at COPP and UNSW and casual academic with The Australian Institute of Health Service Management (AIHSM) UTAS and UNSW. She sits on the Industry Advisory Boards with The Schools of Psychology at ACU, UNSW, USyd, and UTS as well as the Academic Board of COPP. Lil is co-chair of the ACI Violence Abuse and Neglect Executive Committee. Lil was also appointed as a member of the Health Service Advisory Council with NSW Health in 2023. Lil is a thesis examiner with ACU and MQ Universities and clinically supervises provisionally registered psychologists and clinical psychology registrars from a number of universities as well as lecturing on law and ethics for psychologists.

Natalie Faulkner, Senior Managing Director, Risk & Investigations, Forensic and Litigation Consulting, FTI Consulting
Natalie Faulkner specialises in assisting clients with fraud, corruption and scam prevention, detection and complex investigations, as well as consumer remediation, contract cost recovery, accounting records reconstruction and litigation support. Natalie has assisted clients in responding to government agencies following regulatory breaches, fraud investigations and unreconciled accounts, including those related to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (‘ASIC’), the Australian Taxation Office (‘ATO’), the Australian Securities Exchange (‘ASX’), the Reserve Bank of Australia (‘RBA’), the Australian Mint and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (‘ICAC’). Natalie is a Chartered Accountant with more than 25 years of experience, including as a Partner in a Big Four firm. She has acted as an expert witness and consulting expert in civil and criminal matters, and her core skills include forensic accounting, obtaining insights from disparate data sources, data mining and complex investigations. She has worked in both Sydney and Perth, Australia and globally. Natalie’s experience covers various industries, including financial services, gaming, mining, government, telecommunications, construction, retail and technology.

Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC, Barrister and Mediator, Castan Chambers
Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC is a distinguished barrister, Professor of Law and Professorial Fellow in Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, and Honorary Professor of Forensic Medicine at Monash University. He is the Editor of the Journal of Law and Medicine and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. A Life Member of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and received the prestigious Prix Philippe Pinel from the International Academy of Law and Mental Health in 2024. Recognized in Best Lawyers in Australia for Public Law, Personal Injury Litigation, and Commercial Law (2021–2024) and listed in Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Administrative and Public Law Barrister (2021–2024), Dr. Freckelton continues to shape legal and forensic scholarship and practice. Dr. Freckelton has been listed by Doyle’s for Criminal Law, Commercial, Admin and Personal Injury Law. He is also the author of Expert Evidence: Law, Practice, Procedure and Advocacy (7th edition, 2024).

Dr. David Ranson, Adj Clinical Professor, Monash University, La Trobe University, Honorary Associate, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
David Ranson has been a forensic pathologist both in Bristol in the UK and, since 1988, in Melbourne, Australia. He has held a range of positions at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) including Head of Forensic Services (Deputy Director). He retired from the VIFM in 2024 but remains an active teacher, writer and researcher. Currently he is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at Monash Medical School and an Adjunct Professor in the La Trobe University Law School. David is actively involved in corporate and clinical governance consulting with a focus on medical law and law relating to the coronial jurisdictions. He is currently the forensic pathology adviser to the Chief Coroner in New Zealand and has worked with business consultants (inc. NOUS) and the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) in reviewing and accrediting forensic pathology services across Australia. David has a strong interest in Coronial law and procedure, expert medical evidence, forensic medicine in public health and related aspects of therapeutic jurisprudence. David has published widely including textbooks, editorials, research papers, forensic pathology technical/expert consultancy reports as well as forensic business consultancy reports.

Jae Gerhard, Principal Scientist, Independent Forensic Services
Jae Gerhard graduated with a Bachelor of Science (in Biomedical Science)(Honours) from the University of Technology, Sydney. She has been employed in the Forensic Sciences since 2002 and was previously employed as a Reporting Officer with the Biological Criminalistics Team with the Australian Federal Police specialising in the examination of items for biological evidence, DNA analysis and interpretation. Jae joined New South Wales Police Force as a Reporting Officer in the Forensic Biology Section of the Forensic Science Services Branch when the Section was formed in 2007 and was involved in the provision of laboratory and field based services for complex major crime., Jae has been accepted as an expert in the Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales and has reported cases from minor volume crime through to serious and complex cases such as sexual assault and murder. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS), The Sydney Forensic Medicine and Science Network, the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts (IABPA) and the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG). She is also a regular presenter at the biennial ANZFSS Symposiums and is co-author of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis in Expert Evidence published in 2011., Independent Forensic Services was founded in 2012 and provides an independent consultancy service for criminal matters in the area of forensic biology, DNA analysis and bloodstain pattern analysis.

Carla Liedtke, Managing Director, Risk & Investigation Forensic and Litigation Consulting, FTI Consulting
Carla Liedtke has more than 25 years of experience in corporate and criminal investigations, specialising in forensic investigations and business intelligence. Carla has led a range of complex, multijurisdictional and multidisciplinary matters involving forensic accounting, digital forensics, data analytics and business intelligence. Carla is an experienced consultant who works with clients across a wide range of sectors to advise on a range of investigative, compliance, crisis management and cyber security response matters. She is a skilled investigator with extensive experience in conducting diverse investigations and reviews. Her expertise includes in-house processes as well as providing support for civil, criminal and regulatory proceedings. Carla works with clients to assess fraud and corruption risks, to develop robust compliance programs and to develop and conduct compliance training. She also has extensive experience in assisting clients with gathering business intelligence on business partners, counterparties and prospective employees. She helps her clients to develop programs to assess and manage third-party risks such as sanctions, bribery and corruption, modern slavery and cybersecurity. Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Carla led the Forensics and Technology practice for Australia Pacific at Control Risks, where she spent 15 years in London, Hong Kong and Sydney. She began her career working as an intelligence analyst for the NSW Crime Commission working on a range of serious organised crime investigations.