Uncover the pressure points facing conveyancers in 2026. Where are the hidden costs and exposures that are hiding in your conveyancing matter? Take a deep dive into property taxes including CIPT, vacant land tax and stamp duty, contract clauses and caveats. Understand how real estate been used to wash money and what patterns or red flags you should spot and the triggers for AML penalties against you. From case law reshaping breach, rescission and specific performance to developing skills in understanding the subdivisions process and the risks to your practice in the AML reforms and cyber risks in settlements, this is a day not to be missed by any conveyancers.
Thursday, 26 March 2026
Early Bird Discount ends 19 Dec 2025
11.00am to 11.15am Morning Tea
Session 2: Skills for Conveyancers: Navigating SMSFs, AML and Subdivision
4.00pm to 4.15pm Afternoon Tea
Professional Skills
4.15pm to 5.15pm Subdivision Practice and Risk Management: Navigating the Process
- Overview of Planning Permits, Certification and Statement of Compliance
- What rights, restrictions, and responsibilities can be created by a plan of subdivision i.e.common property, easements, restrictions, MCP’s, s173 agreements
- When are amendments to a preliminary plan of subdivision required and when are they considered material?
- Following SPEAR applications and the progress of a subdivision
Presented by Tom Champion, Surveying Director, Reeds Consulting
10.00am to 11.00am Contract Clauses, Caveats and Red Flags: Getting the Conveyancing Contract Right in 2026
- Draft and review special conditions carefully for off-the-plan sales, builder insolvencies and delayed settlements, aligning with recent VCAT and Supreme Court decisions
- Manage early deposit releases under s 27 Sale of Land Act and ensure vendor disclosure complies with the 2023 Regulations
- Avoid liability traps in allocating GST, adjustments and FIRB conditions within contracts
- Identify and prevent invalid caveats: understanding current case law on caveatable interests and misuse penalties
- Detect transactional red flags: nominee purchasers, SMSF or trust buyers, inflated valuations, and rapid resales
- Integrate digital verification, CIPT and vacant land tax changes into contract clauses and due diligence processes for 2026
Presented by Rochelle Castro, Principal Lawyer, RC & Co Lawyers
Session 1: Conveyancing Hotspots: Cases, Contracts, FIRB and Stamp Duty
Chair: Kelly Young, Principal, Estate Conveyancing
11.15am to 12.15pm FIRB in Conveyancing
- Understanding FIRB thresholds and exemption categories relevant to Victorian residential and commercial transactions
- How to identify and manage foreign investor risks within standard conveyancing workflows
- Practical implications of FIRB approvals, conditions and timing on contract drafting and completion
- What conveyancers must disclose: interaction between FIRB obligations, due diligence and vendor warranties
- Recent FIRB enforcement trends and lessons from 2025 compliance actions
Presented by Benjamin Adams, Special Counsel, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Practice Management & Business Skills
2.00pm to 3.00pm Cyber-safe Settlements, E-Conveyancing & Risk Management in 2026
- Identifying commonly overlooked security requirements in the end-to-end process of conveyancing, from contract to closure
- Cyber security best practice and steps toward overall transaction ‘hygiene’
- Overview of the E-Conveyancing process from signed to settled – risks, tips and traps
- Risk Management overview – audits, data storage, and the everyday practitioner
Presented by Leila Chalk, Principal Solicitor, Forty Four Degrees Pty Ltd and Cassandra Maggi, Solicitor, Forty Four Degrees Pty Ltd
Description
Attend and earn 7 CPD units including:
4 units in Substantive Law
2 units in Practice Management & Business Skills
1 unit in Professional Skills
This program is based on VIC legislation
12.15pm to 1.15pm Stamp Duty and Emerging Taxes: What You Need to Know
- CIPT
- Vacant Residential Land Tax
- Land Tax
- SRO
- Duty tips and traps
Presented by Chris Henderson, Special Counsel, Colin Biggers & Paisley
9.00am to 10.00am Update with Recent Conveyancing and Property Law Cases
- Analyse the latest Victorian decisions reshaping conveyancing practice and property
- How recent decisions on breach, rescission and specific performance are shifting contract dynamics
- How courts are approaching disclosure, title issues and allocation of risk between vendors and purchasers
- Actionable takeaways: risk mitigation and future practice
Presented by Anastasia Aslanidis, Principal, Prisma Legal; Llecturer in property law, Melbourne University
Practice Management & Business Skills
3.00pm to 4.00pm New Anti-Money Laundering Challenges and Opportunities for Conveyancers
- How has real estate been used in money-laundering schemes and what specific red flags should conveyancers look for during property transactions?
- What actions did lawyers take or fail to take that breached the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act or allowed suspicious transactions to proceed?
- AI tools for customer risk ratings: can these technologies improve the precision of CDD assessments in conveyancing, or do they introduce new risks and biases practitioners need to manage?
- There’s often tension between being thorough with AML checks and maintaining a good client relationship. How can conveyancers strike the right balance without compromising compliance?
- From your experience, what are the most common gaps or weaknesses in how conveyancing firms apply risk ratings, and what practical steps can be taken to strengthen these processes before the Tranche 2 reforms take effect?
Presented by Katherine Shamai, Partner - Risk Consulting, Grant Thornton; Editorial Advisory Chris Hender Board, Fraud Magazine (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and Internal Auditor Magazine, (Institute of Internal Auditors (US))
Presenters
Leila Chalk, Principal Solicitor, Forty Four Degrees Pty LtdLeila Chalk is the Principal Solicitor at Forty Four Degrees Legal; a firm passionate about bridging the gap between new technology and bespoke service. Leila has practiced in the areas of Property, Commercial, Family, and Criminal law. She has a LLM from ANU focusing on innovation in the legal profession and a particular interest in the marketing and management of businesses.
Rochelle Castro, Principal Lawyer, RC & Co Lawyers
Rochelle Castro is a strata, construction and conveyancing lawyer and owner of RC & Co Lawyers. Prior to practicing law, she was a university instructor before dedicating her service to law. Whilst working to further improve her legal skills, Rochelle saw that she could better serve her clients by not only advising and advocating for them, but also educating them. She works with her team at RC & Co Lawyers, through constant rigorous training, so that they could provide effective, resourceful and clear legal service to clients. Rochelle appears in tribunals and various court jurisdictions to advocate her clients’ rights. She presents papers on strata, construction and conveyancing in local and international forums. Rochelle is a committee member of a few organisations including Law Institute of Victoria Building and Construction committee and Property Law committee. She is also the current president of the diverse association Filipino Australia Lawyers Association. Rochelle is also active in social media to provide bite size tips to those who are in need of guidance about contract law and legal disputes. Rochelle believes that good practice of law requires effective communication and education to achieve for clients the best result.
Kelly Young, Principal, Estate Conveyancing
Kelly Young is a fully unrestricted Conveyancing Licence holder and director of Estate Conveyancing, located in Macleod. Kelly and her staff at Estate Conveyancing prides themselves and providing education to clients and referrers alike. Kelly has been working in the legal industry for 20 years with experience in the property fields of settlements & conveyancing in Victoria and Western Australia and residential and commercial lending. Starting out as a junior paralegal in stamping, registration, and settlements, moving onto residential mortgages, Conveyancing and also Commercial Lending, Kelly has a background working in accountant firms, law firms and conveyancing offices in Melbourne city, rural areas of Victoria and is also qualified within Settlements in the state of WA.
Katherine Shamai, Partner - Risk Consulting, Grant Thornton
Katherine is a governance, compliance, internal audit and risk management expert with over 17 years' experience supporting federal, state and local government agencies, not-for-profits, ASX-listed and private companies. She specialises in governance reviews, risk assessments, internal control reviews, and drafting policies and procedures. Her expertise spans Board maturity assessments, governance structures, succession planning, internal audit programs, compliance reviews against legislation and agreements, enterprise and project risk assessments, and anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) services from advisory to independent reviews. Katherine has led AML/CTF risk assessments for government agencies, designed compliance programs for the National Disability Insurance Agency, developed internal audit programs for public and not-for-profit entities, and conducted Board governance reviews for major national organisations. She’s also managed reviews of third-party suppliers for multinationals and led analyses of legislative misapplications at public sector agencies. Katherine’s blend of industry and professional services experience ensures her recommendations are both pragmatic and effective.
Chris Henderson, Special Counsel, Colin Biggers & Paisley
Seasoned Property Lawyer with over 10 years of dedicated experience. Passionate about helping individuals navigate the complexities of property disputes. Committed to providing expert legal advice with empathy, clarity, and integrity. Your lawyer for the best possible outcomes in the most challenging circumstances.
Anastasia Aslanidis, Principal, Prisma Legal
Anastasia's passion for property law has driven her legal career since her admission to practise in 2000. She furthered her expertise in 2013 by achieving an accredited specialisation in this field. Anastasia has a diverse legal background having practiced in numerous private firms, served as in-house counsel for a managed investment scheme, and successfully operated her own practice. She has had the privilege of assisting a wide range of clients with their property law needs and understands that every property matter is unique. Anastasia joined Prisma Legal, a BCorp certified commercial and governance firm, in August 2024 as a Principal enjoying work/life harmony. Anastasia is a member of the LIV Property and Environmental Law Section Committee and a member of the LIV AS Property Law & Commercial Tenancy Committee. She also lectures on property law at Melbourne University.
Tom Champion, Surveying Director, Reeds Consulting
Tom has a broad range of experience in complex building subdivisions, engineering surveying and consulting on issues relating to land status and development. His experience and expertise provides invaluable assistance to the consultants and construction teams throughout the various stages of the project. Tom is responsible for managing the expectations of clients and providing them with professional advice. He also instructs survey staff in project matters and regularly deals and consults with Council, Service Authorities, Government Departments and Project Stakeholders.
Benjamin Adams, Special Counsel, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Benjamin Adams is a special counsel in the Commercial Real Estate Group. He advises on structured property transactions, joint ventures and the acquisition, development, lease and sale of industrial, commercial and mixed use developments and Australia's foreign investment laws. Benjamin is involved in property law reform and sat on the New South Wales Law Society's Property Law Committee from 2015 to 2018 and previously chaired the NSW Young Lawyer's Property Law Committee. He sits on the Baker McKenzie Sport and Social Committee, Innovation Committee and Women's Committee.
Cassandra Maggi, Solicitor, Forty Four Degrees Pty Ltd
