Matthew Dunlop
Solicitor, Maurice Blackburn
Matthew has more than seven years’ of experience in personal injury litigation. In that time, he has acted for both defendants and plaintiffs; most recently relocating to Rockhampton with his family for a position with Maurice Blackburn Lawyers.
Midja Fisher
Corporate Facilitator, Speaker, Author, Coach; Member QLS PMC Committee
LLB(Hons.) B Info Tech
Midja is a leadership expert, corporate facilitator, mentor and keynote speaker. She is a lawyer and former partner of Shine Lawyers, an ASX listed company and one of Australia’s largest compensation law firms. Midja began her career as an IT consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, before practising law and then finding her passion in the field of learning and development.
During her career she has mentored leaders and facilitated hundreds of corporate workshops, from webinar series and induction programs to 6-day residential leadership programs.
Midja understands the challenges clients face in building leadership capability within their organisations. She works with their leaders to leverage their strengths to gain the skills and self-belief they need to inspire top performance.
Midja specialises in the areas of authentic leadership, building career confidence and women’s mentoring programs. Her clients include the Toyota North Queensland Cowboys, SAP, James Conomos Lawyers, Gouldson Legal, Sentinel Property Group, Queensland Law Society, WSP, Merthyr Law, Australian Trade College, QLD RSL and Australasian Legal Practice Management Association (ALPMA).
Midja is the author of two books ‘Confidence – How to be your most Authentic, Courageous and Unshakeable Self’ and ‘Great Lawyer to Great Leader’.
Midja lives on the Gold Coast with her three children. Find out more about Midja and her practice at www.midja.com.au
The Honourable C E Holmes
Chief Justice of Queensland
The Honourable Catherine Holmes was sworn in as Chief Justice of Queensland on 11 September 2015, having previously been a Justice of Appeal. Her Honour holds the degrees of B.Econ (ANU), B.A. (Hons), LLB, LLM (Advanced) (UQ). She was admitted as a solicitor in 1982 and as a barrister in 1984, taking silk in 1999. While in practice, Justice Holmes was at various times a part time member of the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, Deputy President of the Queensland Community Corrections Board and, during 1998 and 1999, Counsel assisting the Forde Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse. Her Honour was appointed to the Supreme Court of Queensland in March 2000. She was the judge overseeing the Court’s criminal list for some years, and was the judge constituting the Mental Health Court from February 2005 until May 2006, when she was appointed to the Court of Appeal. From 16 January 2011 until 16 March 2012, Justice Holmes was the Commissioner of the Commission of Inquiry into the Queensland Floods 2010-2011.
Samantha Legrady
Solicitor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS) and President, Central Queensland Law Association
Samantha Legrady considers herself a local as she moved to Rockhampton with her family when she was 12, where she was educated, raised her family and has worked in the local Legal Community. She is the President of the Central Queensland Law Association, member of Queensland Law Society and a member of the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland Inc. Samantha is also a member on the Central Queensland University Law Advisory Board.
Samantha has practised in the Rockhampton region in civil, commercial, family and criminal law. She is currently employed at ATSILS in Rockhampton as a Criminal Defence Lawyer. Samantha works in criminal matters, Children’s Court and is currently on the Mental Health Review Tribunal Panel.
She volunteers assisting local schools with their debating and mooting competitions and regularly participates in fundraising for great causes such as Steptember (raising funds for Cerebral Palsy), Mental Health, Cancer Council and Domestic Violence.
Tracy Skellern
Deputy Risk Counsel, Lexon Insurance Pte Ltd
Since admission, Tracy has worked in various positions in the legal industry including in private practice, as a consultant in a legal practice management software company, as a precedent lawyer, and as general manager of a specialist law practice.
For the past decade, Tracy has conducted risk management workshops with law practices all over Queensland and been extensively involved in the creation and updating of many of the legal risk tools provided by Lexon. Tracy has also presented at a range of continuing professional development events regarding Lexon’s claim experience, neuroscience research and risk management strategies.
