Before the Court - Deakin Law Students' Society

Join Georgia as she speaks with Patricia Coghill. Patricia is an Accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and the Founder of Families in Practice Mediation Services. Patricia completed her Bachelor of Laws from Deakin University in 2019, and following this completed a Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution in 2024. Patricia was admitted in the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2021.

Join Georgia and Katelyn as they speak to Hayley Gough. Hayley Gough is currently a Solicitor at the Environment Protection Authority Victoria, specialising in prosecuting breaches of the Environment Protection Act 2017 (Vic). In addition to her role, Hayley serves on the Executive Committee of the Agency Prosecution Section at the Law Institute of Victoria, where she supports and develops the com...

Join Georgia and Georgia as they speak to Maria Cananzi. Maria Cananzi is a Barrister who works across all areas of criminal law, as well as in relation administrative and regulatory matters, coronial inquests and occupational health and safety prosecutions. Maria completed her Juris Doctor at the University of Melbourne in 2018, following the completion of her Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Intern...

Join Ava and Will as they speak to Katherine Plint. Katherine Plint has spent more than 40 years working and volunteering across many vocations that have shaped her life. From courtrooms across the country to the open paddocks on her farm, Kat’s life has been defined by service, resilience, advocacy, tragedy and adversity, and today we’ll hear how all of those experiences shape the work she does i...

Join Ava and Emilia as they speak to Eva Medcraft. Eva Medcraft is the principal solicitor at Medcraft Legal, practicing as a criminal defence lawyer. Eva graduate from CSU and began practicing in commercial law for 5 years before transitioning over to criminal law, where she now acts in a variety of matters from violent offences, drug related offences, bail applications and court appeals. Additio...

Join Ava and Will as they speak to Nicholas Donaghy. Nicholas is a Principal Solicitor at the Office of Public Prosecutions and an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law. For 11 years, Nicholas was a solicitor in the OPP's Specialist Sex Offences Unit (SSOU), during which he managed the OPP’s response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Following SSOU’s disso...

Join Ava and Georgia as they speak to Jane Libbis and Eve Smith from Umbrella Family Law. Jane Libbis is a Managing Partner and Founder at Umbrella Family Law, and has worked exclusively in family law for over 20 years. Jane is also a Parenting Coordinator and provides valuable assistance in facilitating effective co-parenting arrangements. Jane graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of...

Join Emilie and Emilia in this bonus episode as they speak to Nina Vallins. Nina is a barrister for the Victorian Bar specialising in common law, specifically institutional and public liability cases, as well as a wide range of other areas. Prior to becoming a barrister, Nina worked as a solicitor for cases involving historical child abuse and sentencing applications. Further, Nina has experience...

Join Henry as he chats with Alice Mayne (student and former DLSS Director of Education) about all things wellbeing - this is an episode about a really important topic and is not to be missed!

Join Henry as he chats with former DLSS president Courtney McKenzie about all things time management ... crucial ahead of the upcoming assignment season!

Join Ava and Emilia as they speak to Ali Abachi. Ali Abachi is a senior associate within the Commodities Group and Litigation Team at HFW, in the Melbourne office. Within this area, Ali predominately specialises in insolvency, construction and broader contractual disputes. Throughout his career Ali has acted for both small and large companies, as well as financial service providers and high net wo...

Join Ava and Will as they speak to Patrice Fitzgerald. Patrice Fitzgerald is the founder, director and Principal Lawyer at Safe Space Legal, the first firm in Australia to practice exclusively in child safety and safeguarding law. She has dedicated her career to protecting children and vulnerable people and works with organisations to ensure children and vulnerable people are kept safe. Patrice co...

Join Ava and Georgia as they speak to Emma Murphy. Emma Murphy is currently an Associate at Maurice Blackburn and practices exclusively in the field of medical negligence. She is located at the Bendigo office and is currently the only regionally based medical negligence lawyer in Victoria at Maurice Blackburn. This experience has made her very passionate about attracting young lawyers into the reg...

Join Emilie and Evan as they speak to Rebekah O'Sullivan. Rebekah O’Sullivan is an award-winning entertainment, intellectual property, and immigration lawyer. Rebekah specialises in the film, television, theatre, and music industries. Her representations include Oscar-award-winning talents, such as Natalie Portman, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, and Chris Hemsworth, as well as platinum-selling musici...

In this podcast, we discuss Indigenous Law and Constitutional Reform with Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen AM QC, the esteemed retired barrister, writer and activist. Dr Bryan’s extensive representations in the High Court on significant native title and constitutional matters provides him deep insight into the importance of Indigenous rights, including as the junior counsel for the plaintiffs throughout the Ma...

In this engaging podcast, we delve into the dynamic intersection of law and empowerment with Sheetal Deo. Sheetal, and her innovative firm, Shakti Legal, are reshaping the legal landscape with their unique approach to justice and advocacy. Join us as we explore herwork in advocating for underrepresented communities, strategies for legal reform, and hervision for a more equitable legal system.

Join Emilie and Emilia as they speak to Jason Goyal. This episode we are joined by jason goyal. Jason is currently the principal lawyer and managing director of his own firm, resolve employment lawyers, who specialise in workplace relations and employment law. with over a decade of experience in this area, Jason has worked in various roles, such as in-house legal counsel for the Coles Group, a sen...

Join Emilie and Ava as they speak to Alison Cusack. Alison Cusack is currently the Principal Solicitor at Cusack & Co, a firm that specialises in Maritime and Shipping Law. Alison completed her studies in 2010 at Victoria University, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws and Business. She then completed the graduate program at the Australian Taxation Office and was subsequently admitted to practi...

Join Emilie and Evan as they speak to Dr Cassandra Steer. Dr. Cassandra Steer is Chair and founder of the Australian Centre for Space Governance as well as being the Deputy Director - Mission Specialists, of the Australian National University Institute for Space (InSpace). Globally recognised for her expertise in space governance, space law, and space security, she has published widely on these to...

Join Emilie and Evan as they speak to Rohini Jannu. Rohini Jannu is an accomplished and highly respected lawyer, and cyber governance expert. Following her completion of her Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales, Rohini practiced as a full time lawyer, working across corporate and commercial fields in litigation and dispute litigation. Following an incredible career across variou...

Join us for an insightful conversation with Maddison Harrington from 'Gilchrist Connell' as she shares her journey in law, the significance of IDAHOBIT Day, and the challenges faced by Queer individuals in the legal field.

Join Emilie and Emilia as they speak to Anneliese Croker. Anneliese Crocker is a graduate at Coles Liquor, utilising the skills from her law degree in a non-traditional legal setting. After completing her double degree of a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts at Deakin University, Anneliese undertook her PLT at the College of Law. Anneliese was a member of the Deakin Law Students’ Society in 202...

Join Emilie and Emilia as they speak to Diana Steicke. Diana Steicke is the Senior Executive Leader, Intelligence and International and Regional Commissioner of Victoria for ASIC. After graduating from University of Adelaide and Harvard Law School, Diana began her career at Herbert Smith Freehills where she worked as a Senior Associate. Diana then moved to Linklaters in the UK as a managing associ...

Join Hannah Dickinson and Swathika Karthikeyan to discuss Hannah’s work at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Constitutional Law expert Dr Oscar Roos joins Bella to talk about the upcoming referendum on 14 October about establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. Oscar shares his expertise to answer some commonly asked questions, talk us through what the referendum entails, and give a constitutional law perspective on what might come next if the referendum is successful.