Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Substantive Law
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Protecting the Assets of Religious Institutions: Legal Structures and Risk Management
- Identifying key risks to assets, including litigation exposure, financial instability and regulatory oversight
- Exploring the powers and limitations of statutory religious corporations
- Comparing unincorporated and incorporated entities: legal and operational implications
- Clarifying the legal relationship between statutory corporations and affiliated or subsidiary entities
- Strategic approaches to isolating risk while preserving charitable objectives
- Practical insights from recent legal developments, including:
- Presbyterian Church of Queensland receivership
- Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd v Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW) [2025] FCAFC 8
Presented by Vera Visevic, Partner, NFPs, Human Rights & Social Impact, Mills Oakley
Chair
Josephine Heesh, Partner, Carroll & O'Dea Lawyers
Presenters
Josephine Heesh, Partner, Carroll & O'Dea LawyersJosephine has built a distinguished 45year career as a solicitor, specializing in supporting religious, charitable, philanthropic and other not-for-profit organizations. Her expertise includes setting up their structures, designing and advising on their governance, long term planning to ensure their ongoing mission and charitable purpose and advising on tax and property law issues. Josephine's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney, followed by a Master of Laws. Her professional journey includes significant roles such as becoming a partner at Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has served on various boards, including The Catholic Weekly Newspaper and Kincoppal Rose Bay School, and chaired the Sancta Sophia College Council for a decade. Currently, she is a board member of the North Sydney Retirement Trust which operates James Milson Village at North Sydney and Woolwich and is a committee member of OLSH Overseas Aid Incorporated, demonstrating her ongoing commitment to community service.
Vera Visevic, Partner, NFPs, Human Rights & Social Impact, Mills Oakley
Vera has over 30 years’ experience in acting for numerous charities, religious and not-for-profit organisations. Vera provides a full suite of commercial services to not-for-profit clients, including protecting commercial arrangements through drafting services agreements, privacy policies, internal policies and procedures, and reviewing grant and other government agreements. Vera is a sought-after speaker throughout Australia. In the last year she has presented at the Better Boards Conference, and Legalwise and TENS seminars on not-for-profits. She has also authored a chapter within Charity Global Guide (2018), published by Thomson Reuters, and has authored a paper on lessons not-for-profits should learn from the recent Royal Commissions, published by Pro Bono Australia. Vera is a member of the Cannon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand.
