Attend 9 info packed sessions and walk away with a repertoire of estate planning and litigation tools. Explore complex estate litigation and derivative equitable claims, case management and perfect an important skill of crafting affidavits. Evaluate constructive trust claims, estoppel and mediation in estate disputes. Learn 4 key tools for estate planning success relating to blended families, statutory and mutual wills and testamentary trusts and be guided through interpreting company statements. 

Presenters

Ms. Michelle Painter SC, Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers
Michelle practices primarily in commercial law, involving all manner of commercial disputes, as well as equity and trusts, and family provision and probate. She also has extensive experience representing directors and corporations in regulatory enforcement matters. Michelle has been a barrister since 1998 and took silk in 2013. She has been involved for many years with the NSW Bar Association’s Bar Practice Course, where she presents on the art (and the slog) of cross examination.


Mr. John Armfield, Barrister and Mediator, Second Floor Wentworth Chambers
John specialises in estate litigation. Regularly advising and appearing for plaintiffs and estates in relation to matters in the Equity Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. John has extensive experience in representing clients at mediations and informal settlement conferences. He has also acted as a court-appointed mediator with respect to family provision claims. His practice has a strong emphasis on probate, family provision applications and will construction. He has also appeared in applications seeking a review of orders allowing commission to executors. John regularly presents papers at legal conferences in relation to wills and succession law.


Ms. Renee Bianchi, Barrister, 13th Floor St James Hall Chambers
Renée Bianchi commenced practice as a barrister in 2013. Before being called to the Bar, Renée was a litigation solicitor, specialising in public liability, product liability, and professional indemnity matters. Since being at the Bar, she has built up a diverse practice in equity, common law, and commercial matters. She appears regularly in a variety of jurisdictions in New South Wales, and interstate. Renée graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws/Diploma of Legal Practice. Renée is currently the Vice President of Australian Women Lawyers and Co-Vice Chair of the Women Barristers Forum. She is also a member of the Law Council of Australia’s Equal Opportunity Committee. She is a Past President of NSW Young Lawyers and the Women Lawyers Association of New South Wales, and a Past Chair of the Young Lawyers Committee of the Law Council of Australia. She is also a volunteer with Girl Guides Australia and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts; as well as the Board Secretary of the B Miles Women’s Foundation. Renée was recognised by the University of Newcastle in its 2019 Alumni Awards for her exceptional community service, particularly for her service to the legal profession. Doyle’s Guide has listed her in its Wills and Estates Litigation Leading Lawyers list since 2016, naming her as a Leading Junior Counsel in this area since 2019.


Mr. Matt Jones, Barrister, Jack Shand Chambers
Matthew Jones was called to the Bar in 2020. Matthew regularly appears for executors, trustees and beneficiaries in deceased estate matters. He is recognised for his considered and pragmatic approach to legal problem solving. Matthew has a particular interest in estate matters, commercial litigation and administrative law. In addition to his particular interest in Succession law, Matthew practices in matters of Commercial litigation, Commercial leases, Disciplinary law, Tribunal matters, administrative law, Personal injury, motor accidents and Judicial Review. Matthew Practices in Succession law (Probate, Family Provision, Estate administration and advice and settling Complex estate planning instruments) General Equity Matters, Commercial litigation (Commercial leases and Contractual disputes), Administrative law (Judicial Review, Tribunal Matters and Statutory decision making), Disciplinary matters and Personal injury (Motor Accidents). Matthew also speaks to the Readers on civil litigation.


Ms. Deborah Robinson, Mediator, 7 Wentworth Selborne
After 12 years at the Bar, combining advocacy and mediation work, Deborah commenced full time practice as a mediator in 2016. Deborah has been conducting mediations since 2000, initially as a court appointed mediator/Registrar of the Supreme Court and from 2004 in private practice. Deborah is an accredited mediator under the Australian National Mediator Standards and is appointed to both the Supreme and District Court mediation panels. She was a member of the ADR Committee of the Bar Association from 2012-2018, making regular contributions to mediators’ conferences and continuing professional development seminars conducted by that Committee as well as policy developments under consideration by the Committee. Deborah completed a Certificate of Advanced Mediation from the Australian Commercial Disputes Centre in 2000. She held various positions as a Registrar of the Supreme Court from 1999 to 2004, including acting as Registrar in Equity, the Professional Negligence List Registrar and the Possession List Registrar. During her time at the Court Deborah conducted court annexed mediations in Equity and Common Law, primarily in relation to disputes involving family provision, medical negligence and possession. In private practice from 2004 Deborah has successfully mediated across a wide range of disputes including litigation in the areas of insurance, wills and estates, commercial law, real property, equity and trusts, medical negligence, defamation, restraint of trade and personal injury and has conducted facilitated family conferences in Guardianship matters.


Mr. Stephen Lynch, Director, Somerville Legal
Stephen is an Accredited Specialist in wills and estates, having specialised in the area of wills, probate, estate planning and succession for more than 20 years. His experience includes complex estate planning, including advising in relation to asset protection measures such as creation of testamentary trusts. Stephen also specialises in contested estates, including testamentary capacity disputes and Family Provision claims. Stephen is one of the authors of the highly regarded Lexis Nexis Practical Guidance publication on Succession Law, has spoken across Australia on wills and estates matters, and has been listed in the Doyles Guide of top wills and estates lawyers in NSW every year since 2015.


Mr. Guy Moloney, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth
Guy is the head of litigation in HWL Ebsworth’s Wills and Estate Planning practice group, and has specialised exclusively in complex Estate Litigation and Estate Planning matters for the last 7 years. In that time Guy has run family provision cases of all degrees of complexity; will rectification proceedings; statutory will proceedings; testamentary capacity proceedings; administration suits and executor default suits in the Supreme Courts of New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT. Before focusing exclusively on estates, Guy had more than a decade’s experience in insolvency, tax and general commercial litigation. Guy’s experience in estate disputes is brought to bear when advising clients on the creation of a robust and secure estate plan. In 2021 Guy was recognised as a “Rising Star – Wills, Estates and Succession Planning“ in Doyles Guide. Guy was also invited to edit the CCH Online “New South Wales Wills in Practice Commentary” regarding estate litigation and inducted by invitation into The Kronberg Circle, a European Society of Estate Planning lawyers and Public Notaries. Guy commenced his career working as a Tipstaff for the Honourable Justice Palmer in the NSW Supreme Court and has a Masters in Commercial Law from UNSW.


Mr. Alun Hill, Barrister, Chalfont Chambers
Alun Hill was called to the Bar in February 1980. He practises mainly in Probate and Equity. His Probate practice covers the usual disputes regarding wills and testamentary instruments. His Equity practice has particular emphasis on deceased estates, Family Provision, next-of-kin inquiries and Trusts. He has been retained in various matters by the NSW Trustee and Guardian (formerly the Public Trustee) for the past 28 years. Alun also practices in: Coronial Law , being Counsel Assisting in the Sydney to Hobart Inquest, Counsel Assisting in the North Parkes Mine Collapse Inquest and Counsel Assisting in the Sydney Cross-City Tunnel Collapse Inquest; Mining Law; Maritime Law with emphasis on marine pollution and collisions at sea; Building and Construction Law; and Family Law with particular emphasis on matters arising under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and matters involving trust and presumptions of advancement.


Dr Hayley Bennett, Barrister, New Chambers
Hayley commenced practice as a barrister in 2009, having graduated from the University of NSW with first class honours in law the year before. Since commencing practice, she has been involved in cases in both public and private domains, but also specializes in health law across jurisdictions, including Succession and Protective Law. Hayley previously worked as a clinical and research neuropsychologist, and for a period sat on the Guardianship Tribunal of NSW (as it then was). Her qualifications in this area include a BA (Psychology honours), MA (Counselling), MSc (Neuropsychology), and PhD (Clinical Neuroscience). Hayley has published and lectured in these areas, as well as more recently in the area of judicial decision-making and its neurobiological underpinnings.


Ms. Alisa Green, Barrister, 13th Floor St James Hall Chambers
Alisa is experienced in contested estate litigation, including testamentary capacity matters, family provision cases, probate, estate administration and estate planning. Alisa was listed in the 2021 Doyles Guide’s list of Wills, Estates and Succession Planning Law Rising Stars in NSW and ACT. Alisa worked as the tipstaff to the Succession List Judge, the Honourable Justice P Hallen, in the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2017. Alisa graduated with a Juris Doctor post graduate law degree from UNSW in 2015 and was admitted to practice in 2017. Alisa also holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours (Psychology) and Master of Psychology (Forensic) also from UNSW.