LIV celebrates 71 new accredited specialists

The Law Institute of Victoria has recognised the achievements of 71 lawyers who have just become accredited specialists across eight practice areas.

Naomi Neilson • 15 February 2021 • Big Law

LIV celebrates 71 new accredited specialists

President Tania Wolff congratulated the lawyers for now being eligible to undertake further study in their different practice areas after they each spent more than four years in practice and were assessed by independent examiners.

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“Accredited specialists are nationally recognised as demonstrating superior knowledge, outstanding skills, experience and proficiency in their preferred area of law,” Ms Wolff said.

Ms Wolff also thanked Victorian Legal Aid for their support of the program and celebrated that they now have 62 new accredited specialist lawyers. It comprises 31 in criminal law, 14 in children’s law, 12 in family law, three in migration law and two in administrative law.

Along with the new 71 specialists, it has congratulated the lawyers who have spent 25 years as criminal law specialists:

Bernard Keating, Slink & Keating
Leanne Warren, Leanne Warren & Associates
James Cahill, Cahill Legal Consultants
Andrew George, Doogue & George Lawyers
George Defteros, Defteros Lawyers, Barristers and Solicitors
Mark Woods, Tyler, Tipping & Woods
Anthony Isaacs
Peter Ward, Galbally & O’Bryan Lawyers
Anthony Robinson, Dwyer Legal Warrnambool Pty Ltd
Tony Danos
Zygmunt Zayler, Melasecca Kelly & Zayler Barristers and Solicitors
Chester Metcalfe, Chester Metcalfe & Co
Robert Stary, Stary Norten Halphen Criminal Law Specialist
Peter Murphy, Warren Graham & Murphy
Brendan Wilkinson

The LIV’s accredited specialisation program has operated for more than 25 years, providing members of the legal profession with a “meaningful way” of determining legal expertise and ensuring quality legal representation, the institution said.

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It currently recognises 1,119 specialists across 16 areas of law, with 2020 marking the 25th anniversary of criminal law accredited specialisation.

Below is the complete list of accredited specialists in 2020:

Children’s Law:

Lucy Andressen, Victoria Legal Aid
Alice Bewley, Victoria Legal Aid
Fiona Hintum, Victoria Legal Aid
Joanne Lau, Victoria Legal Aid
Paul Medi, Medi & Associates
France Prasad, VACCA
Miriana Smoljko, Victoria Legal Aid
Barbara Tindall, Victoria Legal Aid

Commercial Law:

Gavin Da Gama, Vernon Da Gama & Associates
Amanda Harrington, Scanlan Carroll
Michael Holcroft, Holcroft Lawyers
Christine Lau, Lau Legal Consulting
Scott McKenzie, Velocity Legal
Katerina Pshenichner, Peer Legal
Peter Saunders, Danaher Moulton
Sharelle Staff, Scanlan Carroll
Denise Wightman, Klaus Kenny Intelex

Commercial Litigation:

Nathanael Kitingan, Macpherson Kelley
Michael Pickering, De Marco Lawyers
Will Punivalu, Whyte Just & More

Criminal Law:

Frances Bain, Fitzroy Legal Service
Lauren Bowden, Victoria Legal Aid
Emmanuel Brennan, Emma Turnbull Lawyers
Madeleine Carroll, Emma Turnbull Lawyers
Jacqueline Caust, Victoria Legal Aid
Alice Cooney, County Court of Victoria
Glenn Cooper, Victoria Legal Aid
Christina Cussen, Victoria Legal Aid
Louis Dean, Slades & Parsons
Natalie Elliott, Victoria Legal Aid
Dionysia Giannopoulos, Doogue & O’Brien
Nadia Giorgianni, Giorgianni & Liang Lawyers
Katrina Hartman, Victoria Legal Aid
Cecily Hollingworth, Victoria Bar
Emma King, Slater & King Lawyers
Anh Liang, Giorgianni & Liang Lawyers
Stephanie Mawby, Criminal Lawyers Geelong
Bronwen Robertson, Victoria Legal Aid
David Rofe, Chester Metcalfe & Co
Nicole Valos, Valos Black & Associates
Daniel Walsh, Dribbin & Brown Criminal Lawyers
Sarah Wood, Victoria Legal Aid
Angus Woodword, WEstjustice
Hui Zhou, Fitzroy Legal Service

Environment, Planning & Local Government Law:

Adrian McMillan, Slater and Gordon

Immigration Law:

Lawson Bayly, Lawson Bayly
Kian Bone, Macpherson Kelley
Emily Rutherford, Camatta Lempens
Mitchell Simmons, MSM Legal
Samantha Smith, WLW Migration Lawyers
Coenraad Van Der Westhuizen, Federal Court of Australia
Tegan Weir, Clothier Anderson Immigration Lawyers

Wills & Estates Law:

Kristy Brealey, Tisher Liner FC Law
Lav Chhabra, Perpetuity Legal
Linda Hart, Aitken Partners
Rachel Hocking, KHQ Lawyers
Clifford Hughes, Clifford Hughes & Associates
Jason Lau, Hutchinson Legal
Binay Prasad, Sharrock Pitman Legal
Erika Reese, Moores
Bree Ridgeway, Pearce Webster Dugdales
Ayse Sahinbas, Ryans Law Offices
Natalie Talia, Hicks Oakley Chessell Williams
Julia Tonkin, Maddocks

Workplace Relations:

Justine Ansell, IR Legal Solutions
Benedict Coyne, Susan Moriarty & Associates
James Francis, Hicks Oakley Chessell Williams
Kate Simpson, Thomson Geer Lawyers
Rachel Smith, Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman
Rohan Tate, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers
Nicholas White, Gordon Legal

Naomi Neilson

Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.

You can email Naomi at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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