Presenters

Elizabeth Devine, Principal Solicitor and Workplace Relations Consultant, Devine Law
Elizabeth Devine is a specialist in employment law and conflict management. Elizabeth is the Founder of Devine Law at Work, a law firm and consultancy which specialises in employment law, workplace relations and conflict management. Elizabeth is an Accredited Specialist in Employment and Industrial Law. Her other qualifications include a Masters of Dispute Resolution, a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts. She has been practicing law for 35 years and has specialised in all aspects of Australian employment law, workplace relations and conflict management for 30 years. Prior to founding her own firm, Elizabeth worked for the Australian Government Solicitor, in a peak employer body and in private practice. Elizabeth provides services to employers in the public and private sectors and in a broad range of industries. Her approach is a holistic one, combining skills and expertise in the law, communication, systems, mediation, facilitation, conflict coaching, education and workplace investigations. These services focus on prevention and minimisation of risk, transformation of workplace issues into learning opportunities and long-term solutions and the enhancement of expertise within the workplace, including the professional development of leaders, managers and internal advisers. Elizabeth is passionate about enhancing the knowledge of others about workplace law and conflict management and has regularly presented to Legalwise Seminars’ events for more than 20 years.

Lucy Shanahan, Partner, Kingston Reid
Lucy helps clients create a better future for their businesses by helping them successfully navigate their most difficult and complex employee issues and industrial challenges. She is an experienced investigator and is regularly engaged to facilitate and report on complex and sensitive employment-related investigations. A highly experienced litigator, Lucy assists clients on a range of contentious employment and industrial relations issues. These include applications relating to bargaining and industrial action, unfair dismissal and bullying claims, actions by senior executives, and post-employment restraint matters. She has appeared in the Federal Circuit Court and Federal Court in multiple adverse action and harassment claims. Clients value Lucy’s intrinsic ability to contemplate a myriad of strategic legal issues whilst guiding them through the day-to-day employment matters that come with running often complex, multi-faceted businesses with many employees in multiple jurisdictions. She takes pride in building exceptional relationships with her clients, and knowing them and their businesses inside and out. Her advice is practical, timely and concise, and reflects her deep expertise as well as her focus on remaining on top of legislative and regulatory changes that may affect her clients. Her successful practice is focused on the financial services, government, electricity, retail, transport and health industries. Lucy is highly regarded for her strong communication skills and engaging presentation style. She has extensive experience as a trainer and presenter and is often called upon to help train, inform and educate at client and industry forums.