The LIV will recognise the accomplishments of 71 new Accredited Specialists across eight practice areas at a virtual conferral ceremony this evening.

LIV president Tania Wolff said lawyers were eligible to undertake further study in their practice area after more than four years practice and they were then assessed by independent examiners.

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

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

The LIV currently recognises 1119 specialists across 16 areas of law. 2020 marked the 25th anniversary of criminal law accredited specialisation.

Ms Wolff also thanked Victoria Legal Aid for their continuing support of the program, they now have 62 new Accredited Specialist lawyers now comprising of 31 in criminal law, 14 in children’s law, 12 in family law, three in migration law and two in administrative law.

The LIV and the Specialisation Board congratulate the following practitioners who attained LIV Accredited Specialisation 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:

• Louis Dean – Slades & Parsons
• Christina Cussen – Victoria Legal Aid
• Glenn Cooper – Victoria Legal Aid
• Alice Cooney – County Court of Victoria
• Jacqueline Caust – Victoria Legal Aid
• Madeleine Carroll – Emma Turnbull Lawyers
• Emmanuel Brennan – Emma Turnbull Lawyers
• Lauren Bowden – Victoria Legal Aid
• Frances Bain – Fitzroy Legal Service
• Natalie Elliott – Victoria Legal Aid
• Dionysia Giannopoulos – Doogue & George
• 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

The LIV congratulates the following lawyers who are celebrating 25 years of criminal law specialisation:

• 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 Pty Ltd
• Brendan Wilkinson.

The LIV will hold an Accredited Specialisation information night on Monday 22 February for lawyers considering joining the 2021 program. Further information and register on our website.