Commercial litigation is evolving rapidly, with new risks, technologies, and legal challenges emerging across every stage of a dispute. This CPD conference brings together leading practitioners to deliver practical insights on fraud allegations, brand protection, directors’ liability, consumer law, contract interpretation, cybersecurity, and the impact of AI in litigation. Whether you're in court, advising clients, or managing risk, this is your opportunity to sharpen your skills, stay compliant, and stay ahead.

Presenters

Bronwyn Lincoln, Partner, Thomson Geer
Bronwyn is an international dispute practitioner and international arbitrator. She has a specific interest and expertise in disputes arising in relation to joint ventures and shareholder agreements and experience across a range of industry sectors including energy and resources, renewables, international trade and commodities, building and construction, technology, infrastructure, insurance, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. Her arbitration experience includes UNCITRAL, SIAC, ACICA, AIAC, HKIAC and ICC Rules. Bronwyn has experience advising private clients and State entities on international treaty and free trade agreement obligations, the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, foreign corrupt practices (including in the context of international investigations), obligations under Australia's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (including compliance) and foreign state immunity both in the context of enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and more broadly. Bronwyn is a Member of the AIAC Court of Arbitration and is empanelled with many leading arbitral institutions including AIAC, SIAC, NZIAC, HKIAC and KCAB International. She is a Fellow of ACICA, a director of ADC and a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration & ADR. She is regularly appointed as sole and presiding arbitrator in a range of commercial disputes.

Sally Armitage, Barrister and Mediator, Cedric Hampson Chambers
Sally’s career at the private bar has spanned various diverse practice areas with a focus on construction, mining and infrastructure matters. She has appeared in a variety of jurisdictions and dispute resolution processes including courts, tribunals, arbitrations, expert determination and mediation. Since 2012, Sally has regularly been named in junior counsel category of the Doyle’s Construction & Infrastructure Queensland Barristers List. She is an accredited AMDRAS Mediator.


Temple Saville, Barrister & Mediator, Svenson Barristers
Temple is a commercial barrister and nationally accredited mediator. She accepts briefs to advise, appear and mediate. Temple’s experience includes: Acting for parties in various bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings including public examinations, insolvent trading claims, preference payment claims, winding up hearings and creditors petitions. This area of Temple’s practice also includes acting in matters where there are claims for breach of directors’ duties. Temple also has a general commercial practice including domestic building disputes, JV disputes, retail lease disputes, property disputes, loan disputes, debt recovery and ACL disputes. Temple was a finalist in the Lawyers Weekly, Australian Law Awards and/or Women in Law Awards, Barrister of the Year category in 2021, 2023 and 2024.

Josh Groves, Associate, Thomson Geer
Associate at Thomson Geer working with Bronwyn Lincoln. Specialises in large scale complex litigation – with experience in both domestic and cross-border disputes. Has worked on matters before the Victorian Supreme Court, New South Wales and Supreme Court and Federal Court of Australia acting for a diverse client range of clients, including both Australian and international organisation.


Sarah Davies, Director, Sarah Davies Legal
Sarah Davies is a director of Sarah Davies Legal Pty Ltd, and specializes in commercial litigation for clients involved in agribusiness, financial services, property development and building & construction matters. She is an accredited specialist in commercial litigation, having received the highest achievement award when she completed her accreditation in 2010. She has experience with disputes involving commercial contracts, property transactions, joint ventures, corporations, trusts and managed investment schemes, public offer documents and issues relating to the provision of financial services. Sarah also chairs the board of a mutual banking institution.


Nola Pearce, Barrister, Chambers 33
Nola Pearce is a barrister at the private Bar, with a strong civil practice focussed on: professional negligence and regulation; high level insurance advice, including dual and successive insurer situations, policy review, outcomes from Royal Commissions; and commercial and contract disputes. She was called to the private Bar in 2018, after many years as an insurance and commercial litigation solicitor at mid- and top-tier firms. Nola’s particular strengths are her decisive advice and persuasive advocacy, combined with a practical, strategic and sensitive approach to civil disputes. She has been recognised in each edition of the Best Lawyers in Australia since 2021 for Professional Malpractice Litigation. She previously has been named a Woman Lawyer of the Year Award Finalist by the Women Lawyer’s Association of Queensland. She is a member of the Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee, a past Chair of the QLS Ethics Committee, and a contributing editor to the Law Society’s first edition commentary to the Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules. Nola loves animals, solo camping, antique treasures, and reading great novels.


Kirralee Sanders, Barrister, 13th Floor St James Hall
Kirralee Sanders was called to the Bar in 2013. Kirralee has previously worked with Minter Ellison and Allen & Overy LLP. In 2010, she was appointed as an Assistant Crown Solicitor for the New South Wales Crown Solicitor’s Office, managing the valuer general and revenue teams. Prior to coming to the Bar, Kirralee worked as a Commercial and Corporate solicitor specialising in corporate and technology matters. She has acted for large multinational clients predominantly in the technology, telecommunication, and defence industries and in respect to multinational outsourcing and technology deals. She was in-house counsel for Cybertrust Asia Pacific and was the lawyer who did the technology contracts for the first PKI-based electronic Australian passport. She is an Advocacy Coach, a member of the NSW Bar Association’s Costs Committee and also the Succession and Elder Law Committee. Kirralee appears regularly in commercial, equity and contested succession or elder law matters in various Courts and Tribunals across Australia. Kirralee holds a Master of Laws (Information Technology, Intellectual Property and Defamation) from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Newcastle. She has also been a Court-appointed Costs Assessor since 2011 and is now a Costs Review Panellist.


Daniel Johnston, Legal Practitioner Director, JHK Legal
Daniel Johnston is a Legal Practitioner Director at JHK Legal with more than 15 years’ experience across a range of large, and boutique commercial law firms. He has extensive expertise in commercial litigation, debt recovery, insolvency, and employment law, having supported clients through a wide variety of complex matters since being admitted to practice. Daniel has acted for a diverse client base, including small to medium enterprises, blue-chip companies, insolvency practitioners (both corporate and personal), bankrupt individuals, directors, shareholders, mercantile agents, creditors, debtors, employees, and employers. More recently, Daniel has been involved in numerous matters before both Federal and State Courts. His experience spans the carriage of matters involving shareholder disputes, intellectual property disputes, Australian Consumer Law disputes, as well as property and contractual disputes while preparing for, and appearing in and instructing counsel at trials in all State and Federal Courts.

Ms Clare Young, Special Counsel
Clare has over 20 years’ experience advising on all aspects of intellectual property law, with a particular focus on litigating and resolving disputes in the entertainment and arts industries. Clare has worked for major international law firms in London, Frankfurt and Sydney, and advised clients across a range of sectors including film & TV, music, book publishing, food and drink, and healthcare. Her litigation experience covers copyright, trade marks, contracts, confidential information, consumer protection and patents at first instance and appellate level in the Federal and Supreme Courts and the Copyright Tribunal. Clare has also advised national and international companies on brand protection and advertising clearance, commercial agreements and the IP aspects of corporate acquisitions. She is also admitted as a barrister and solicitor in the High Court of New Zealand.

Sebastian Tonkin, Senior Associate, Simpsons
Seb works closely with Director Adam Simpson and Special Counsel Clare Young in the Dispute Resolution and Intellectual Property teams. He has been a key member of the team on some of Australia’s most high profile recent intellectual property and entertainment industry disputes. He advises and has day-to-day care of a range of clients in both litigious and non-litigious matters regarding intellectual property, contract, defamation, confidential information and administrative law. Prior to joining Simpsons, Seb worked in the intellectual property team of a national law firm and as associate to a judge of the Federal Court of Australia.

Greg Smart, Partner, Wallace & Wallace Lawyers
Greg has been a commercial litigator for twenty years. He has a broad litigation practice spanning general commercial matters, mining and mining services litigation, equitable claims and insolvency. Greg was recognised by the Queensland Law Society as an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation in 2012, winning the program’s highest achiever award that year. He currently sits as the Chair of the Queensland law Society Commercial Litigation Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee. Greg regularly appears as a solicitor advocate running applications and trials in both State and Federal Courts.