As the landscape of historical abuse litigation continues to evolve, gain critical insights into the future of the National Redress Scheme with the approaching sunset date for claims, the implications of the Christian Brothers' restructuring for survivors and practitioners, the growing evidentiary challenges in historical abuse litigation and recent developments in non-delegable duty and vicarious liability. Given the developments and change afoot, this timely and practical session will equip you to navigate the emerging risks, advocate effectively and prepare for the next phase in abuse claims.

Presenters

Angela Sdrinis, Director, Angela Sdrinis Legal
Angela Sdrinis graduated with an arts/law degree in 1982. She became a personal injuries accredited specialist in 1993. Angela did her first institutional abuse claim in 1997 and was one of a handful of lawyers in Australia who specialised in this area pre Royal Commission into Child Abuse (RC). Angela represented witness survivors at 5 case studies heard by the RC. She has been called to give evidence at multiple parliamentary and other inquiries into child abuse. Most recently, Angela gave evidence at the Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse. Angela has been involved in multiple organisations in the area of child abuse including In Good Faith Foundation, COIN and the Knowmore Legal Service. Angela established her own firm in 2014 which specialises in child abuse claims. Angela has pursued claims for many hundreds of survivors against dozens of institutions throughout Australia and her firm is currently running a class action in Tasmania with respect to the abuse of children in the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

Roger Marshall SC, Wentworth Chambers
Roger Marshall SC has over 25 years' experience as a barrister specialising in corporations, insolvency, and commercial matters. Roger also practises in equity and has significant experience in partnership disputes, succession and land law matters, as well as the law of trusts. He also advises and appears in commercial litigation involving banking and securities law, trade practices, professional liability and building. Roger regularly advises and appears in all aspects of those matters. This includes applications for and against liquidators, receivers, administrators, trustees in bankruptcy, financiers, directors, local governments, professionals, trustees, lessors and lessees.


Nina Vallins, Barrister, Owen Dixon Chambers West
Nina practices in common law with particular expertise in institutional abuse matters and Sentencing Act applications for compensation. Prior to coming to the bar, she was a solicitor at Angela Sdrinis Legal, a Judge’s Associate, and working in management and policy positions in community and international development.


Rachel Neil, Executive Director - Integrated Services, Knowmore
Rachel Neil is the Executive Director - Integrated Services at Knowmore Legal Service, based in the Brisbane office. Knowmore is a free, national community legal service providing assistance and referrals to survivors of child sexual abuse. Rachel has worked at Knowmore since 2019 and has worked in the community legal sector for many years in various roles. She has spent her legal career committed to helping vulnerable people to access their rights within a strong framework of trauma informed practice.

Greg Choat, Special Counsel, Koffels Solicitors & Barristers
Greg has practiced as a family, personal injury and general litigation lawyer over the course of nearly 20 years in the law. He currently works almost exclusively bringing historical sexual abuse litigation on behalf of plaintiffs.

Luke Geary, Partner, Mills Oakley
Luke has a particular expertise assisting institutions in responding to claims of child sexual abuse under a restorative justice framework and in accordance with best practice principles identified by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. In this regard, Luke appeared as a legal advisor in a number of public hearings before the Royal Commission, he participated in many of the Royal Commission’s roundtables (both public and private) for the development of policy positions and has appeared before the Australian Senate Committee and worked with the Commonwealth Redress Taskforce in its design of the National Redress Bill (which is anticipated to provide assistance in justice outcomes for approximately 60,000 Australians). Luke is regularly briefed by major institutions in the most sensitive and significant common law abuse claims and assists in their delicate resolution in a trauma-informed way. Additionally, Luke acts for survivors of abuse in claims against State government institutions, assisting them to obtain either common law or redress justice outcomes compassionately and giving them assistance in finding healing in their lives. Luke was named one of Australia’s Best Lawyers for Non-Profit/Charities Law in the 2023/2024 Best Lawyers list for the eighth consecutive year, including in both 2020/2021 and 2023/2024 being named as Australia’s Non-Profit/Charities ‘Lawyer of the Year’.