MEET THE
SPEAKERS
The Honourable Justice Phillip Boulten
Supreme Court NSW
The Honourable Justice Boulten commenced his legal career in 1979, was called to the Bar in 1988 and appointed Senior Counsel in 2003. A long‑standing member of Forbes Chambers, his Honour practised extensively as a barrister in complex criminal law matters, including matters covering bribery, corruption, terrorism, espionage, drug trafficking, money laundering, and homicide. Justice Boulten is a former President of the NSW Bar Association and has served for many years on the Law Council of Australia’s Criminal Law Committee. His Honour has appeared in numerous inquiries and inquests, including the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Wood Royal Commission into the NSW Police Force, and as counsel for the family of Katrina Dawson following the Lindt Café siege. He has also appeared for NAAJA during the Don Dale Royal Commission and appeared at the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker. Widely respected for his commitment to pro bono work, particularly in the Northern Territory, his Honour also has a strong interest in Aboriginal art. His Honour was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2026.
Kellie Stares SC
Barrister, Sir Owen Dixon Chambers
Kellie was called to the Bar in 2007, building a reputation in criminal, appellate, and family law, as well as inquests and inquiries. She appears regularly in the District and Supreme Court including conviction, sentence and inadequacy appeals in the Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal. She was appointed senior counsel in 2022. She’s been a member of the Bar Association’s Criminal Law Committee and Legal Aid Committee and has presented at the Bar Association conferences on technology use in criminal trials. In 2026, Kellie established her own series of in-person workshops on advocacy in District Court trials and Local Court hearings. Her workshops are available across Sydney and Newcastle.
Rob Hoyles
Executive Director Crime, Legal Aid NSW
Rob is the Executive Director of Criminal Law for Legal Aid NSW. He is an accredited specialist in criminal law and holds an Executive Master of Public Administration from ANZSOG. He has previously been Legal Aid NSW Deputy Director, EAGP Project Lead and Solicitor in Charge of a Sydney Indictable Team. He was the inaugural Solicitor in Charge of Legal Aid NSW’s Port Macquarie office and previously worked as criminal defence lawyer in Sydney private practice, with the Aboriginal Legal Service and in four regional Legal Aid NSW offices. He is presently appointed to the NSW Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee and Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee for Criminal Law. He also sits on the NSW Coercive Control Implementation and Evaluation Taskforce. He is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Professor Macdonald (Mac) Christie
Pharmacologist and Expert Witness
Mac Christie is a research leader and lecturer in drugs and pharmacology. He's a highly cited researcher with consistent NHMRC funding and over 230 peer-reviewed publications. He’s appeared for many years as an expert witness and consultant for government and industry regarding drugs and alcohol. His research on drugs and the brain, particularly opioid drugs, has been recognised and awarded for being one of the world’s most highly cited scientists. He runs Christie’s Consulting Pharmacologists.
Rachel Winterburn
Forensic Toxicologist
Rachel is a highly trained forensic toxicologist with extensive academic and professional experience in chemistry and toxicology, specialising in the interpretation of drugs and alcohol in biological fluids. She’s a certified expert witness, having worked in London and has specialised in postmortem toxicology and drug driving cases. She’s produced more than 700 detailed toxicology reports and provided expert evidence in coronial and criminal courts. She is currently an associate with Christie’s Consulting Pharmacologists.
Derek Buchanan
Barrister, Black Chambers
Derek is an experienced lawyer with a passion for criminal litigation. He was a solicitor advocate at Legal Aid NSW for three years and previously gained international experience living in Canada where he worked for the Ontario Ombudsmen in Toronto. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 2019 and the NSW Bar in 2022. He is with Black Chambers in Sydney but lives near Newcastle and runs a statewide practice for both defence and as a non-salaried Crown Prosecutor.
The Honourable Justice Richard Weinstein
Supreme Court NSW
The Honourable Justice Weinstein was called to the bar in 1993 and developed an esteemed career as a barrister and mediator, taking silk in 2011. His Honour was sworn in as a Judge of the District Court in 2019 and appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2023. During his Honours time as a District Court Judge, his Honour presided over the Walama List. His Honour is a lead author of Uniform Evidence Australia, and an Adjunct Professor at UNSW. His Honour is the first Canadian-Australian to be appointed to the NSW Supreme Court, having been born and raised on the unceded territory of the Kanien’keha ka nation on the island known as Tiohtia ke, commonly known as Montreal in Canada. His honour was appointed the first Advocate for Change for the NSW Bar on LGBTQIA+ diversity.
The Honourable Justice Dina Yehia
Supreme Court NSW
The Honourable Justice Yehia was admitted as a solicitor in 1989 and worked with the Western Aboriginal Legal Service from 1989 until 1996. Her Honour was a Solicitor Advocate with the Legal Aid Commission and was called to the Bar in 1999. Her Honour was then appointed a Public Defender, taking silk in 2009 and becoming the first female Deputy Senior Public Defender in 2013. Her Honour appeared as lead counsel in the High Court case of The Queen v Bugmy and in the Special Leave application in Honeysett. Between 2019 and 2022, her Honour was the Chairperson of Diverse Women in Law. Her Honour is the current Chair of the Ngara Yura Committee, a member of the Bugmy Bar Book Committee and a Board Member of the Australian Institution of Judicial Administration (AIJA). Her Honour was appointed a Judge of the District Court in 2014 and appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2022. Her book “The Essential Guide To Sentencing in NSW” was published in 2023.
Jackie Fitzgerald
Executive Director, BOCSAR
Jackie Fitzgerald is Executive Director at the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research with the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and has worked in the field of criminology for more than twenty-five years. In recent years, her work has focussed on the intractable issue of Aboriginal over-representation in the justice system, long and short-term changes in young people’s participation in crime, the lingering impact of the pandemic on offending behaviour and how the criminal justice system responds to crime and domestic and sexual violence.
Elizabeth Nicholson SC
Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions NSW
Elizabeth is a Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor, having been called to the bar in 2013. In her earlier career she was a solicitor with Legal Aid NSW working in both Local Courts and the Children’s Legal Services at Parramatta, Campbelltown and ICLC. She has appeared in approximately 60 hearings in the CCA including Dawson v R [2024] NSWCCA 48; White v R [2022] NSWCCA 248; and Neil v R [2025] NSWCCA 160 and is a member of the NSW Bar Association Criminal Law Committee. She has appeared as junior counsel in the High Court of Australia in MDP v The King, Brawn v The King, The King v AR, Obeid v The King and in the Court of Appeal in Director of Public Prosecutions v PD [2025] NSWCA 24. She was appointed senior counsel in 2025.
Leanne Mellor
Manager Advocates, Legal Aid NSW
Leanne Mellor is the Manager of Advocates in the Crime Division at Legal Aid NSW and an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law. With over 18 years’ experience across Legal Aid NSW and the Aboriginal Legal Service, she has developed extensive expertise in criminal law, with a strong focus on advocacy in serious and complex matters. Leanne has appeared in a wide range of proceedings, including trial and sentence matters, appeals and defended hearings, and regularly instructs counsel in more complex trial and sentence matters. In her leadership roles, Leanne has managed high‑volume criminal practices, supervised and mentored solicitors, and contributed to professional development and law reform initiatives.
Matt Dimech
Manager Youth Justice Policy, Legal Aid NSW
Matt commenced working at Legal Aid NSW in 2011 with qualifications in psychology and law. He commenced working with the Children’s Legal Service in 2012, and has spent most of his legal career since then practicing in Children’s Courts across the state, including courts in Sydney, the Central Coast and regional NSW. He has held several roles within the Children’s Legal Service and was the Acting Solicitor in Charge of the Children’s Civil Law Service for 15 months in 2022-23. He is currently the Manager, Youth Justice policy with the Criminal Law Division of Legal Aid NSW and has been a member of the Law Society of NSW’s Children’s Legal Issues committee since 2025, having previously been the NSW Young Lawyers representative on that committee between 2017-2019.
Dev Bhutani
Barrister, Maurice Byers Chambers
Dev is a barrister at Maurice Byers Chambers, having been called to the bar in 2020.
Prior to coming to the bar, Dev worked at the Central Aboriginal Legal Aid Service in Alice Springs and Legal Aid NSW, including with the Children’s Legal Service. He has a strong interest in representing children and young people involved in the criminal justice system. Dev regularly appears in Serious Children’s Indictable Offence matters and in appeals involving young people. Dev is also a member of the NSW Bar Association Criminal Law Committee, which advocates for legislative and policy reform, including responding to the recent review of doli incapax.
Zilla Gillies
Acting Managing Solicitor Children’s Criminal Practice Aboriginal Legal Service NSW ACT
Zilla Gillies is a solicitor with the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT), where she has practiced for five years specialising inChildren's Criminal Law and working with young people in the Parramatta Youth Koori Court and Children’s Court. Zilla’s practice covers Children’s parole and appeal matters, complex hearings, Serious Children's Indictable Offences, the Youth Koori Court, the Children’s Court bail division, as well as attending Cobham Juvenile Justice Centre to provide legal advice and support for young people in custody. Zilla is also a member of the Law Society's Children's Legal Issues Committee and a guest lecturer on Children's Criminal Law and Youth Justice in NSW at The Hague University Law School in the Netherlands.
Bruno Coimbra
Team Leader, Allied Professional Services, Legal Aid NSW
Bruno Coimbra is the Team Leader of Allied Professional Services in the Criminal Division at Legal Aid. He joined the organisation with a focus on designing effective service delivery models across multiple teams and expanding the allied professional workforce within the Criminal Division. Before transitioning to Legal Aid, Bruno built extensive experience in the mental health sector, working across both clinical and non-clinical settings, including in leadership roles. Bruno began his career as a litigation lawyer in Brazil before relocating to Australia, where he completed a Masters of Social
Work.
Ronald Dennison
Aboriginal Field Officer, Port Macquarie Office, Legal Aid NSW
Ronald is a Proud Anaiwan and Kamilaroi man. He started with Legal Aid as an Aboriginal Field Office in 2022. Ronald works across Criminal, Family and Civil areas of Law and works on Dunghutti, Worimi and Birpai countries. Ronald previously worked as an ACLO with NSW Police and has a background as a Horticulturalist. Away from work, Ronald loves spending time with his young family and supporting his beloved mighty Sydney Roosters.
Harmoni Dennis
Aboriginal Field Officer Coordinator, Legal Aid NSW
Harmoni is a proud Kamilaroi woman from Walgett. Harmoni started with Legal Aid in 2015 with the CLSAC specialist service as the Project Officer working alongside the solicitors to manage over 20 clinic services
across rural and remote Aboriginal Communities. In 2018, Harmoni started in a new AFO role back home on Country in the new Walgett Legal Aid office. Harmoni was the only fulltime employee managing the office with support from Dubbo Legal Aid before a new LCSO was allocated to work in the Walgett office in 2023. In her role as AFO Program Coordinator, Harmoni draws on her extensive experience as an Aboriginal Field Officer to support program coordination, provide ongoing training and support to AFOs across the state.
Terry Byrne
Social Worker, Walama Unit, Legal Aid NSW
Terry is a social worker with the Walama Unit of Legal Aid NSW.
Helen Christinson
Partner at Hugo Law Group, Accredited Specialist
Helen is an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law and in 2025 she was recognised by members of the profession as a Leading Lawyer in the Doyle’s Guide Leading Lawyers Listings for Criminal Lawyers in Sydney. She was also nominated as a New Partner of the Year in the 2024 Lawyer’s Weekly Awards.
Helen is a partner at Hugo Law Group.
Ivan Vizintin
Barrister, 7 Garfield Barwick Chambers
Ivan is a barrister at 7 Garfield Barwick Chambers. He was called to the bar in 2025. Prior to coming to the bar, he was a Solicitor Advocate at Legal Aid NSW in the Sydney and Wollongong offices where he appeared in jury trials, sentences and appeals before the District and Local Courts. He has also worked as a solicitor in private practice with Nyman Gibson Miralis. As a solicitor, he was an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law.
Jane Sanders
Principal Solicitor, The Shopfront Youth Legal Centre
Jane is the Principal Solicitor of the Shopfront Youth Legal Centre, a free legal service for homeless and disadvantaged young people aged 25 and under. She is an accredited specialist in criminal law and children’s law, with over 30 years’ experience appearing and advocating for children and young adults. Jane's role also includes legal education and law reform work. She is currently the Chair of the NSW Law Society Criminal Law Committee. She is a previous recipient of the Terry Keaney Memorial Award.
Peter O'Brien
Principle Solicitor O'Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors
Peter is the principal solicitor of O'Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors. He is an accredited specialist in criminal law with extensive experience in civil matters, representing clients in Royal Commissions, Inquiries and appearing in courts at all levels. He has represented multiple detainees in the Northern Territory Royal Commissions and assisted the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse, which included his cross-examination of Cardinal George Pell on behalf of a survivor of child sexual abuse. Peter also represented William Spedding in a lawsuit against the State of NSW for malicious prosecution, misfeasance in public office, and abuses of process, resulting in the highest compensation payout for matters of its type in Australia. He has also co-authored a book on intentional tort litigation.
Rory Pettit
Barrister, Forbes Chambers
Rory is a barrister at Forbes Chambers and was called to the bar in 2020. Prior to coming to the bar, he was a trial advocate with Aboriginal Legal Service NSW ACT at Newcastle and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency in Darwin. He was recognised in 2026 as a leading junior in ‘Crime and regulatory (including white-collar crime)' by Legal 500. He has appeared in several cases involving exclusion of evidence.
Felicity Graham
Barrister, Black Chambers
Felicity has over 15 years of experience as a lawyer with a focus on criminal, administrative and human rights law. She has a particular interest in legal mechanisms for protecting fundamental human rights and for achieving police and government accountability. Felicity worked as a solicitor at the Aboriginal Legal Service in Dubbo and Broken Hill specialising in criminal defence and deaths in custody coronial matters. Before being called to the Bar in 2015, she was the Principal Legal Officer and Trial Advocate at the Aboriginal Legal Service in the Western Region of NSW. Felicity is a member of the NSW Sentencing Council, an independent advisory body to the Attorney General on sentencing matters. Felicity regularly presents at conferences and is a host of the popular legal podcast “The Wigs”.
Elizabeth McLaughlin
Barrister, Maurice Byers Chambers
Elizabeth is a barrister with extensive advocacy experience, particularly in the criminal and quasi-criminal jurisdictions. She was called to the Bar in 2014, and in 2019 was appointed a NSW Public Defender. She held this position until 2025. Prior to being called to the Bar, Elizabeth was an Associate to Justice Heydon AC in the High Court of Australia. She then worked as a solicitor for ten years, including roles at Legal Aid ACT and the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT). Elizabeth has contributed extensively to legal education, most recently as lecturer in the subject of Advanced Advocacy at the School of Law at the University of Newcastle. In 2022, she received the Alumni Excellence Award for Regional Leadership from the University of Newcastle. Elizabeth is a member of the NSW Bar Association. She is President of the Newcastle Bar Association.
Shawanah Tasneem
Barrister, Maurice Byers Chambers
Shawanah was called to the bar in 2025. She has 13 years’ experience as a Solicitor Advocate across NSW, NT and ACT, where she worked for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Aboriginal Legal Aid and conducted jury trials, appeals and sentencing proceedings for serious indictable matters.
Shawanah has previously worked as a consultant for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Jakarta, Indonesia and holds a Master of Laws in Criminal Prosecutions (with Distinction).
Rebecca McMahon
Barrister, Forbes Chambers
Rebecca was called to the bar in 2021. Previously she was the principal lawyer of her private law firm for 10 years. She was also the managing lawyer of the Redfern office of the Aboriginal Legal Service and held positions as a criminal defence lawyer at the NSW Legal Aid Commission and a prosecutor at the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Rebecca is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales. Rebecca is the co-chair and one of the founding members of the Bugmy Bar Book project. In 2021 she was the recipient of the Terry Keaney Memorial award which recognises dedication to the profession, excellence as a criminal lawyer, commitment to clients and concern for social justice issues.
Jody Kaminga
Clinical Neuropsychologist
Jody is a settler clinical neuropsychologist, living and working on the unceded lands of the Awabakal people. She has over a decade of experience across private practice, community, public health, and research settings, and is a Board-approved supervisor. Her work is grounded in decolonising and culturally responsive practice. Jody is undertaking a PhD focused on decolonising neuropsychological practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, under the oversight of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association. She is also a Research Fellow with the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project and led development of the Bugmy Bar Book report on neurodevelopment and decision-making in young adults.
Judge John Walker
Retired Judge, Aotearoa New Zealand
John Walker is a recently retired District Court Judge from New Zealand. He was appointed to the bench in 1994 and since that time he has held various leadership roles as an Executive Judge, Acting Chief Judge at various times and The Principal Youth Court Judge for New Zealand from 2016 to 2022. He was instrumental in establishing the Youth Drug Court in Christchurch, the Young Adult Court in Porirua, establishing the Porirua Court as a court connected with its community, and has played a leading role in improving the courts’ approach to family violence cases, as well as responses to individuals with drug and alcohol dependency. He is now a Director of the Centre for Justice innovation at Victoria University Law School.
Richard Wilson SC
Senior Public Defender NSW
Richard is the Senior Public Defender for NSW. He was called to the bar in 2004 and took silk in 2019. Previously he worked as a solicitor in private practice in Canberra, for the Western Aboriginal Legal Service in Walgett and for the Sydney Regional Corporation Aboriginal Legal Service. At 7th Floor Garfield Barwick Chambers, he practised in crime, largely as defence counsel but occasionally prosecuting for the Commonwealth. Richard has a keen interest in law reform and served for 17 years on the Criminal Law Committee of the Bar Association. He’s a Co-Chair of the Bugmy Bar Book Project Committee and Co-Chair of the National Criminal Law Committee of the Law Council of Australia.
Tom Quilter SC
Public Defender NSW
Tom was called to the bar in 2013 and appointed Senior Counsel in 2025. He’s a NSW Public Defender appearing in complex trials including Special Hearings. He has considerable appellate experience appearing in matters before the Court of Criminal Appeal. He began his career in the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW ACT and was a trial advocate.
Diane Elston
Solicitor Advocate Legal Aid NSW
Diane is an acting solicitor advocate with Legal Aid NSW and has worked in both private practice and the public sector. Diane is an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law, she has a Masters Degree in Criminology and is a Teaching Fellow at the University of New South Wales where she teaches criminal law and evidence law subjects. Diane is experienced working on complex criminal cases and through this work has become interested in how prosecutorial disclosure occurs in New South Wales and other jurisdictions. Diane is a member of the Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee and Professional Conduct Committee. Diane is also a member of the Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee (Criminal Law) and sits on the Specialist Accreditation Board.
Josh Brock
Public Defender NSW
Josh Brock worked at North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) from 2009–2015. From there he returned to Sydney where he worked at the Aboriginal Legal Service and as a solicitor advocate in the coronial inquest unit at Legal Aid, being called to the bar in 2016. In 2019 he was appointed a Public
Defender.
Steph Murphy
Alcohol and Drug Counsellor
Steph is an Alcohol and Drug Counsellor with Foundations House, Salvation Army.
Claire Wasley
Barrister, Sir Owen Dixon Chambers
Claire is a barrister at Sir Owen Dixon Chambers. She was previously a NSW Public Defender.
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