Holly Lam

President

Holly is a Senior Associate at HWL Ebsworth Lawyers specialising in insolvency and general commercial litigation. She regularly advises and appears in the Federal Courts of Australia and the Local, District and Supreme Courts of NSW in relation to voidable transaction claims (including unfair preferences, uncommercial transactions and insolvent trading); winding up proceedings; misleading and deceptive conduct claims; shareholder disputes; and defending against ACCC proceedings. Holly holds a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology, Sydney in addition to a Bachelor of Law from the University of New South Wales.  She is passionate about the advancement of women in law and leadership and sees the rapidly changing work environment and technology disrupters as presenting significant opportunities for women lawyers.  Holly first joined the executive committee at the end of 2013 and remains committed to the development of junior lawyers, flexible work practices and preparing women lawyers for the business of law and leadership.

Lee-May Saw

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT & AWL NSW REP/VICE PRESIDENT

Lee-May is a barrister practising at Frederick Jordan Chambers. Her leading practice areas are environment and planning law and family law. During her years in practice as a solicitor and more recently as a barrister, Lee-May’s practice has developed as a niche practice where challenging issues of cultural diversity in particular arise and test existing systems and practices. Lee-May has been employed as a solicitor in private practice, and in the community legal sector. She is the Chair of the Subcommittee steering the major project of WLANSW, the Career Intentions Project. She has a special interest in furthering the position of women in the legal profession, the quality provision of legal services, and quality access to justice. She looks forward to continuing her involvement with WLANSW members, partners and the WLANSW Executive Committee in 2017.

Larissa Andelman

Vice President

Larissa is a barrister at Wardell Chambers with significant experience in litigation and alternative dispute resolution practices. She specialises in all aspects of workplace law including industrial, employment, contract and discrimination areas. She also practices in administrative and commercial law. She was admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales in 2004 and since that time has worked as in-house counsel at a trade union, in the litigation group of the Fair Work Ombudsman and has practiced at the Victorian Bar. Since 2012 she has been a member of NSW Women Barrister’s Forum and since 2014 has been Co-Chair of the Women Lawyer’s Policy and Leadership Sub Committee. Throughout her career she has worked to further the interests of women, particularly women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Her focus in 2015 is on advocating for cultural change in the legal profession and providing support and development opportunities for women through seminars, functions and mentoring.

Ashley Cameron

Secretary

Ashley Cameron is a associate at TressCox Lawyers specialising in commercial litigation. She regularly advises and appears in the Supreme and Federal Courts to represent litigants in relation to civil matters including professional indemnity; building and construction; insurance disputes; contract claims; and general commercial disputes. Prior to taking up a position at TressCox, Ashley was the tipstaff to McDougall J in the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Ashley studied a Bachelor of Law (Hons) and a Bachelor of Economics at the University of Western Sydney and was part of the Aspire Leadership program at UWS. Ashley is passionate about the promotion of women to leadership positions, having been involved in the Women as Global Leaders conference in 2012. Ashley has recently joined the WLANSW in the role of secretary last year and is keen to be involved in advancing leadership opportunities for women lawyers.

Lisa To

Treasurer

Lisa is an Executive Lawyer (partner equivalent) at Sydney law firm, Bartier Perry and has over 15 years’ experience specialising in federal and state taxation, superannuation, trusts, estate planning and business succession. She holds a combined Bachelor Commerce Law degree and a Masters of Law from the University of Sydney. Lisa is a SMSF Specialist Advisor™ with the SMSF Association and a Chartered Taxation Advisor™ with the Taxation Institute. She is actively involved with superannuation and tax education as regular speaker and appointment on various education and events committees including as chair of the Macquarie Tax Group. Lisa currently sits on the NSW Law Society and NSW Office of State Revenue liaison committee. She is the 2015 winner of “Best Capital Gains Tax Award in Australia” and 2016 winner of “Best firm in Tax and Superannuation – Australia”.

Lisa is passionate about the promotion of leadership for women, diversity in the workplace and innovation. She was the recipient of the 2014 Women in Law scholarship which she completed a 12 month course on Advance Leadership for Women. She was involved in the WLANSW’s Events and Social Media subcommittees in 2015. Lisa is an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) and currently undertaking a course in Advance Project Management focusing on User Experience Design, Agile and Lean Sigma. In 2014 she was a participant in the NSW Law Society’s Women Mentoring Program with Horizon Unlimited and is a current mentee in the AIM Mentoring program.

Janet Coombs

Committee

Janet came to the Bar in 1959 and practised for 38 years. Joining WLANSW as a law student, Janet has maintained an active interest, serving on various committees, and is a Life Member. She has a continuing and proactive interest in Law Reform.

Janet is also the Women Lawyers Association of NSW’s representative on the Committee of the National Council for Women NSW.

Nea Goodman

Committee

Nea was admitted in 1984. Nea is a past president of both WLA and the City of Sydney Law Society. Nea continues to have an interest in gender equality, law reform and personal injury law.

Susana Staka

Committee

Susana is a specialist family law solicitor with over 25 years experience in private practice. She achieved Specialist Accreditation with the Law Society of New South Wales in.1999 and she represents private clients locally and internationally in all aspects of family law . In 2013 she was a finalist in the NSW Women’s Lawyer Awards (Solicitor of the Year in Private Practice) . She is a Director in a specialist family law firm in Sydney and currently serves as a member of the Family Issues Committee of the NSW Law Society and the Specialist Accreditation Family Law Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the Independent Children’s Lawyer Panel NSW and during her career has often appeared on behalf of children in the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. She has also been involved in a number of mentoring programmes for women and law students. Susana has a strong commitment to the practice of family law and women in the legal profession . She joined the Committee in 2014 and looks forward to working with its members during 2015 to improve and advance opportunities for women lawyers.

Katie Malyon

Committee

Katie Malyon is a Member of the AAT (previously the Migration Review Tribunal – Refugee Review Tribunal). Previously, she was an Executive Director with Ernst & Young, specialising in corporate immigration law. This follows successful establishment of her own multi-award winning law firm that was recognised in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2010. Katie was a finalist in the NSW Women Lawyers Award in 2011 and a finalist in the 2012 Telstra Business Women’s Award NSW in 2012. She commenced her legal practice with Clayton Utz and was a Partner with Australian Business Lawyers. Katie was recognised by her peers and named by the Australian Financial Review as one of the Best Lawyers – Immigration 2010 – 2014. Amongst other activities, she has been a Director of the Migration Institute of Australia and Vice-Chair of the Law Council of Australia’s Migration Law Committee. Katie is passionate about her role as a mentor in the profession and is proud to have moved the admission of 8 of her former staff. She is currently undertaking her LL.M.& M. at UNSW.

Sarah Worrall

Committee

Sarah Worrall is a senior associate in the Restructuring & Special Situations group at Ashurst Australia, Sydney. Sarah specialises in non-contentious restructuring and insolvency work for banks, financial institutions, debt funds and listed companies.  Her experience includes debt and security restructuring and enforcement, negotiation of forbearance arrangements, advice on debt funding and intercreditor issues and general advice to directors and insolvency practitioners on all aspects of receivership, administration and liquidation.

Sarah was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in September 2000 and as solicitor and barrister in New South Wales in December 2013, shortly after the birth of her daughter.  Sarah is an associate member of the Association of Recovery Professionals in the UK.  She is also an active member of both the Turnaround Management Association Australia and the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association.

Sarah is passionate about the advancement of women in law and is an active contributor to events and studies undertaken by the Workplace Practices Sub-Committee of Women Lawyers. Sarah first joined the executive committee at the beginning of 2016 and remains committed to the development of female lawyers and flexible work practices in order to halt the loss of senior female talent within the industry and increase participation at executive level.

Amy Tin

Committee

Amy is Special Counsel at McCullough Robertson and has over 10 years experience as a banking and finance lawyer advising financial institutions, corporations, equity investors and sponsors on a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including PPP, corporate, acquisition and property financing. Amy is also a fluent Chinese (Cantonese) speaker.

Prior to working at McCullough Robertson, Amy worked at leading law firms in Sydney and has gained valuable commercial experience working in-house at The Royal Bank of Scotland, Macquarie Bank and Amcor on secondments. Amy advises clients from a wide variety of industries, including investment and institutional banks, property developers and investors and other public and private entities.

Amy is also a member of the committee of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association (NSW branch).

Jacqueline Vincent

Committee

Jackie is a partner at Watts McCray lawyers, a specialist family law firm, and, since September 2016, the Managing Partner of the firm. Jackie practices in all areas of family law, including parenting and financial matters for defacto and married couples, pre and post nuptial financial agreements, as well as maintenance and child support matters. Jackie also has a particular interest in international family law matters. She is regularly involved in mediation and other settlement focused processes and also appears in Court, as an  advocate on behalf of her clients, when necessary.

Jackie is the convenor of the pro bono relationship between Redfern Legal Centre and Watts McCray. Jackie is a member of LAWASIA, including LAWASIA’s family law and Children’s Rights Section, and she was a member of the Family Issues Committee  of the Law Society of NSW from 2012-2016. Jackie has  also played a leading role in convening the Australian Family Lawyers Conference for the past 6 years. She has participated as a Judge in the LAWASIA International Moot.

Jackie is also a contributing editor to the family law section of Halsburys Laws of Australia. In 2015, Jackie was presented with a Highly Commended Judging Panel’s Award at the NSW Women Lawyers Achievement Awards.

Dr. Virginia Marshall

Committee

Dr Virginia Marshall is principal solicitor/director with Triple BL Legal in rural Southern Highlands, and active committee member with the NSW Law Society, with the Indigenous Issues Committee and previously with the Human Rights, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Law Practice and Litigation Committees. Virginia mentors law students and women lawyers, and volunteers as Magistrate with the NSW Law Society’s Mock Trial Competition. Virginia is a proud of her Indigenous heritage and has extensive practice and knowledge in Indigenous affairs. She is recognised as a leading academic scholar in water law. She is signatory to the National Pro Bono Scheme and  passionate to address issues in social justice and human rights law.

Sher Campbell

Committee

Sher lectures at the Law School at the University of Newcastle, the first school to integrate clinical experience and practical legal training. Sher has broad experience in legal education. She is the Deputy Programme Convenor for the Undergraduate Law Program and First Year Transition and Regional Rural and Remote Coordinator.

Sher is involved in the Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation and is active in the Wellness Foundation for Law that supports law students and young lawyers in creating positive and optimistic outlooks for students entering the demanding arena of legal work.

Sher is also interested in of the internationalisation of the Australian Law Curriculum and the global processes impacting on Australian domestic law. To this end, Sher has been awarded grants with the DFAT New Colombo Plan Mobility Programme and has assisted in building relationships with the judiciary, universities and local community legal centres in Northern Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Sher is part of a team that successfully secured a 2017 Commonwealth Government grant to support and mentor women from regional Australia so that they may realise their educational and career aspirations in law and business. Sher is also a co-investigator in a project which is designed to develop new and innovative research that addresses under-researched, under-theorised areas of equity and educational access for Indigenous people of Australia.

Dr Trish Mundy

Committee

Trish is Senior Lecturer and Discipline Leader within the School of Law at the University of Wollongong. Trish began practising as a solicitor in 1998 and has a long background in the community legal sector with a particular focus on women’s legal issues and the provision of legal services in and to rural, regional and remote (RRR) communities. She has continued this commitment to social justice through her teaching, research and community engagement activities. Trish is also the Women Lawyers Association of NSW’s representative on the Law Society of NSW’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Trish has taken up a number of key leadership roles within the School, Faculty and broader University over a number of years including her current roles as Discipline Leader – Law, Chair of the LLB Review Implementation Working Group and Chair of the UOW Ally Network Advisory Committee. She is also part of the nationally awarded First Year Law Integration Team. Trish is a member of the Legal Intersections Research Centre and the Centre for Research on Men and Masculinities at the University of Wollongong. Her current research is focused on gender issues in the Australian legal profession, legal practice and legal education issues as they relate to rural, regional and remote contexts, and domestic and family violence.

In partnership with the Women Lawyers Association of NSW, Trish and Professor Nan Seuffert are also working on a pilot research project to investigate best practices for remodelling law firm practice, management, promotion criteria and partnership models to advance women in the legal profession.

Kathryn McKenzie

EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Kathryn has extensive experience in administration, association and event management. She has worked with small business to large corporates, non-profit organisations and many committees. With senior management experience in a diversity of business sectors, successfully organising numerous events, sponsorships, government and media liaison, she has qualifications in business management and counselling, franchising, mediation, journalism and public relations. Kathryn is also the Public Officer for WLANSW, and officially took over the responsibility as at 12 August 2003.

Kathryn McKenzie is the Director of Business Angel Services Pty. Ltd., specialising in not-for-profit association management & event management for over 20 years.