Hear from a renowned Counsel, Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC, and other leading experts on the key issues of Forensic Evidence. This unique program explores the importance of forensic evidence in criminal law matters. You’ll gain practical and key insights into what happens in the lab. Our program will equip you with the know-how and confidence to expertly handle technical questions in the courtroom, enhancing your advocacy skills and performance. Boost your forensic expertise and solidify your reputation with judges and juries, fortifying your standing in the criminal law arena. 

Presenters

Dr Amanda J White, Neuropsychological & Forensic Services
Dr White is an endorsed Forensic Psychologist and Clinical Neuropsychologist with extensive training and experience in the preparation of forensic psychological and neuropsychological reports. She is skilled in the comprehensive assessment of cognitive, behavioural and psychological impairments associated with complex histories, multiple comorbidities and a range of conditions, including acquired brain injury, neurodegenerative disorders, psychological and psychiatric illness, neurological conditions, intellectual disability, substance use disorders and forensic matters including risk assessment. She has extensive experience conducting assessments and reports surrounding decision making and capacity evaluations. She has appeared as an expert witness in the NSW courts and various tribunals.


Ms. Rose Khalilizadeh, Barrister, Public Defenders Chambers
Rose Khalilizadeh is a Public Defender. She was called to the Bar in 2017 and practiced in criminal law at Forbes Chambers before being appointed a Public Defender in 2022.  Rose appears in complex criminal matters such as jury trials, sentences, high risk offender applications and appeals. Rose is a member of the NSW Bar Council and has been on the Bar Association's Criminal Law, Legal Aid and Professional Conduct Committees. Prior to coming to the Bar, Rose practiced as a criminal defence lawyer at Legal Aid NSW, the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT, and in private practice. Prior to that, Rose also worked at the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and as a tipstaff to a Judge of the Court of Appeal of NSW. Rose has taught with the University of Sydney's Faculty of Law, the University of New South Wales Faculty of Law and Justice, and the Australian Advocacy Institute. She is the current Chair of Diverse Women in Law,


Jae Gerhard, Principal Scientist, Independent Forensic Services
Jae Gerhard graduated with a Bachelor of Science (in Biomedical Science)(Honours) from the University of Technology, Sydney. She has been employed in the Forensic Sciences since 2002 and was previously employed as a Reporting Officer with the Biological Criminalistics Team with the Australian Federal Police specialising in the examination of items for biological evidence, DNA analysis and interpretation. Jae joined New South Wales Police Force as a Reporting Officer in the Forensic Biology Section of the Forensic Science Services Branch when the Section was formed in 2007 and was involved in the provision of laboratory and field based services for complex major crime., Jae has been accepted as an expert in the Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales and has reported cases from minor volume crime through to serious and complex cases such as sexual assault and murder. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS), The Sydney Forensic Medicine and Science Network, the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts (IABPA) and the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG). She is also a regular presenter at the biennial ANZFSS Symposiums and is co-author of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis in Expert Evidence published in 2011., Independent Forensic Services was founded in 2012 and provides an independent consultancy service for criminal matters in the area of forensic biology, DNA analysis and bloodstain pattern analysis.


Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC, Barrister, Professor of Law and Professorial Fellow in Psychiatry,University of Melbourne
Dr. Ian Freckelton AO KC, Barrister; Professor of Law and Professorial Fellow in Psychiatry, University of Melbourne; Honorary Professor of Forensic Medicine, Monash University; Editor, Journal of Law and Medicine, Elected Fellow, Academy of Law, AAcademy of Health and Medical Sciences, Academy of Social Sciences; Doyle’s Guide, Leading Senior Counsel: Criminal Law, 2019, 2020;Administrative and Public Law 2021, 2022, 2023; Best Lawyers, Administrative and Government Law, 2021, 2022, 2023; Author: I Freckelton, Expert Evidence: Law, Practice, Procedure and Advocacy (7th edn, Thomson Reuters, 2024).


Dr. Graeme Edwards CFE, Director, CYBER I Pty Ltd
Graeme Edwards is a Detective in the Queensland Police Service Fraud and Cyber Crime Group in Brisbane, Australia. Edwards has been a member of the Queensland Police Service since 1999, having previously been a Detective in the New Zealand Police Service. He has been a specialist investigator of financial and cyber crime for approximately 12 years. He has conducted numerous investigations into financial and cyber crime; its effects on their victims and identifying new methodologies on how criminals are using the internet. Currently, he is in the final stages of completing of Doctorate of Information Technology with a thesis on investigating cybercrime in a multi- jurisdictional environment.


Ms. Virginia Friedman, Senior Forensic Biologist, Division of Analytical Laboratories NSW Health Pathology
Virginia is a Senior Forensic Biologist employed in the Forensic Biology/DNA Laboratory of the NSW Health Pathology Forensic & Analytical Science Service, Joseph Street, Lidcombe. Virginia has extensive experience in forensic biology having worked in the field for over 30 years and estimates she has given evidence in local, district and supreme courts in NSW over 700 times. In addition, she has given evidence in tribunals, enquiries, Royal commissions and also worked in Bali presenting DNA evidence to the Identification Board to assist in the identification of the Australian victims of the bombing there in 2002. She has attended and presented papers at various international forensic conferences. She has been part of FASS’s commitment to assist in the ongoing training of NSWP officers in their detectives training courses, and the professional development of doctors in the NSW Health Sexual Assault Service. She has also presented in tutorials for both undergraduate and postgraduate students in forensic science.