Presenters

Paul Lewis, Senior Legal Counsel, Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers
Paul Lewis is a Senior Legal Counsel and one of Sydney’s most senior and well-respected Family Law specialists. Based at our Sydney and Parramatta offices, Paul acts for clients that live locally, in the regions and overseas. After attending Sydney University and becoming a solicitor in 1990, Paul was mentored by one of Sydney’s leading family lawyers (the late John Pollard) before becoming an Accredited Specialist in Family Law in 1999. Paul has been a practising mediator since 1994. He became an Accredited Specialist in Dispute Resolution in 2018, awarded on an honorary basis for his services to that area of the NSW Law Society’s Specialist Accreditation Scheme. Guiding clients through the uncertainty and stress of their changed family circumstances and helping them arrive at a new turning point in their lives is Paul’s reason for choosing family law as his specialist area. Paul was one of the first lawyers in Australia to be trained in Collaborative Law in 2005, and he includes the use of collaborative processes among the various “process choices” that are available to clients. Paul settles the vast majority of his cases (parenting and financial matters) and is known as a firm and pragmatic negotiator. He is a determined and wise litigator for those cases that require a decision by a Judge.

Dr Susan Bennett, Principal, Sibenco Legal & Advisory
Susan is a corporate governance and privacy lawyer who works with Boards, senior executives and cross-functional multi-disciplinary teams on governance and data-driven technology transformation projects to minimise risks, comply with regulatory requirements and deliver on organisational objectives. Recognised for her global thought leadership in information governance, Susan brings deep corporate expertise to enable robust governance to be implemented to safely achieve the benefits derived from new technologies while simultaneously reducing risks through integrated and holistic governance in response to the growing legal and regulatory compliance challenges. These include privacy, cybersecurity, AML and emerging AI and ESG regulations, which require that technology systems be properly integrated and monitored, and that data is accurate and reliable for internal decision-making and external reporting, and that it is adequately protected and disposed of when no longer needed. Susan’s PhD thesis is on Privacy and Data Protection: the interaction of meta-regulation and information governance. Susan’s articles and publications are available on the Sibenco and InfoGovANZ websites – www.sibenco.com and www.infogovanz.com.

Jeremy Morris SC, Barrister, Jack Shand Chamber
Jeremy Morris was called to the Bar in 1995. He previously worked for 4.5 years at Abbott Tout Russell Kennedy, initially as a commercial solicitor, then in commercial litigation. Since he came to the Bar, he has had a varied practice including appearances at inquests, criminal proceedings, common law personal injury cases, medical negligence cases, commercial cases, tax debt recovery proceedings and disciplinary proceedings for solicitors and medical practitioners. He spent four years on a New South Wales Bar Association Professional Conduct Committee and has served as a member of Bar Council. He has lectured for the New South Wales Bar Association to barristers seeking to sit the Bar examinations. He is on the Common Law Committee of the New South Wales Bar Association. He also has acted as tutor in the Bar Association Practice Course.

Peter Dombkins, Director, PWC
Peter is an award-winning expert in legal transformation, legal technology and legal project management, and has led complex legal transformation programs for some of Australia's largest companies and law firms. Peter is also a leading national voice on legal professional competencies and education, particularly in legal operations and legal project management. Peter has 16 years' international experience in organisational transformation and capability development, with over a decade in the legal sector - including as a practicing lawyer specialising in major projects. Peter is the first Legal Project Manager to be peer-accredited by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM), and is a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) with the UK Association for Project Management. Peter is also a nationally accredited AIPM project management assessor, and is Australia's first Adjunct Associate Professor in Legal Transformation, at the University of NSW Faculty of Law. Peter is Vice President of the Australian Society for Computers and Law, and is the Managing Editor of that society's journal.