Winners

Pippa commenced her legal career at the age of 17. Having lived and worked for most of her life on the Sunshine Coast, Pippa is an established Coast identity who started her firm “Pippa Colman & Associates” in March 2001. Pippa is also a qualified Mediator and Arbitrator and is engaged by other lawyers to act in this capacity. Pippa is one of the most distinguished and highly sought after Accredited Family Law Specialists in the field of family law. Pippa is also well known for her dedication to continuing professional development and has, since the 1980s, delivered seminars and talks both in Australia and Asia.

An accomplished criminal and misconduct lawyer, Claire is a Senior Associate at Gilshenan & Luton Legal Practice and QLS Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law. Claire has built a reputation for expertly handling complex criminal defence, disciplinary, and regulatory matters. Her career includes significant roles in both Australia and the UK, such as her work as an Adjudicator with the Housing Ombudsman Service in London and as an Associate at Edmonds Marshall McMahon, specialising in white-collar crime. Claire is committed to fostering a healthy, inclusive workplace culture and is actively involved in professional organisations, including the Medico-Legal Society of Queensland and the Women Lawyers Association Queensland.

Rikisha is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman and final-year Law and Arts (Indigenous Studies) student at James Cook University. She is a Litigation Support Officer at Legal Aid Queensland, supporting access to justice for vulnerable Queenslanders. Passionate about community-led change, Rikisha has held key leadership roles, including Secretary of the Townsville First Nations Youth Council and Tertiary Leader with Cape York Partnerships. Following her work on a statewide Indigenous leadership program, Rikisha has stepped into national advisory roles with the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition (NIYEC) Youth Design Group and the Commonwealth Office for Youth First Nations Youth Advisory Group, contributing to shaping federal education and youth policy. 

A graduate lawyer with First-Class Honours from the University of the Sunshine Coast, Shelly is committed to social justice and supporting those navigating the family law system—particularly individuals affected by family violence. She has published academic research on coercive control and gained hands-on experience at the Sunshine Coast Community Legal Service, where she relaunched their Community Outreach Program to improve access to justice for vulnerable groups. Currently working with a private family law firm on the Sunshine Coast, Shelly’s background includes trader dispute mediation, and long-term volunteering with refugee, youth, and First Nations organisations.

Joshua is a senior legal and business leader with global experience across top-tier mining and energy organisations. Josh is passionate about innovation and leverages technology and AI to empower stakeholders, enhance efficiency and improve outcomes. Recognised in the Financial Times’ 2024 APAC Kindness & Leadership list and named a 2025 finalist in the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards, Josh also contributes to industry thought leadership, including through speaking engagements with World Commerce and Contracting. He is committed to continuous personal and professional growth, having completed Oxford’s Leading Sustainable Corporations Program and been selected for the 2025 Ashurst x Rio Tinto Leadership Development Program. 

McCullough Robertson’s Pro Bono team is led by Tim Longwill, Pro Bono Partner, and Kim Trajer, Chief Operating Officer. Together, they oversee McCullough Robertson’s long-established Community Partnerships Program (CPP), focused on priority areas that impact the needs and rights of vulnerable groups, including sustainability, access to justice and community arts, health and mental health, and diversity and inclusion. They are supported by their dedicated CPP Committee of 15 staff who identify opportunities, drive engagement, organise events and assist with outreach. Whether advising on governance, structuring or employment, providing finance or start-up advice, or supporting community housing development, their team offers services that can launch initiatives that might not otherwise get off the ground.

Rob has over 50 years’ experience as a lawyer; 24 years as a sole practitioner; as an accredited family law specialist, an Independent Children's Lawyer (ICL) and Nationally Accredited Mediator. His contributions to the profession include membership of QLS and FLPA committees. His clients in Legal Aid matters and private matters alike were treated with the same level of diligence, skill and dedication irrespective of the fee level. He was at the forefront in advocating for ADR procedures now adopted in all jurisdictions.

Belinda is the Founding Principal of Intrepidus Law, Australia’s leading legal practice dedicated to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Law and disability rights. With over 20 years’ experience spanning top tier firms, government, and human rights advocacy, Belinda is recognised for her fierce representation of people with disability in complex NDIS appeals. As a mother and carer of an autistic child, she brings rare lived experience to her legal work. Belinda is a respected voice in national policy reform and appeared before the Senate Standing Committee in relation to the NDIS Amendment Bill in 2024 to advocate for procedural fairness in amended NDIS legislation.

Tony is the Senior Partner, Intellectual Property and Technology at Thomson Geer and leads the largest dedicated intellectual property and technology practice in Brisbane. Tony was the Deputy Chair for Australia and the Queensland Chairman of the IP Committee of the Law Council of Australia for over 20 years and has developed a national and international reputation in Intellectual Property and Technology Law. He also spent 20 years in the RAAF Specialist Reserve (Legal) and retired as a Squadron Leader with a Reserve Force Decoration (RFD). Tony is a qualified mediator and has been involved in over 100 mediations.

Principal of the Ruhl Family Law Centre, Townsville, Diane has practised predominantly in family law for almost 18 years. In addition to running Ruhl Family Law Centre, Diane lectured, until 2022, in the subject of Family Law at James Cook University. Diane is committed to ensuring the regions have a voice and is presently the regional member of the College of Law – Queensland Chapter Board. She has also served on the Family Law Practitioners Association Queensland as Regional Member, been President of both the North Queensland Law Association and Townsville District Law Association, and served on the Law Council of Australia’s Rural, Regional and Remote Lawyers Committee. 

Born in New Zealand and raised in Townsville, Denise has consistently supported Queensland’s LGBTQIA+ community for 30+ years. Frustrated by the lack of inclusive legal services, and hearing of poor advice provided, she founded her firm in 1998 to offer clear, respectful advice to queer clients – long before such support was common. Her work has included meaningful contributions to same-sex parenting law. She also served on the board of WLS Queensland. Denise is known for her practical approach, strong client relationships, and ongoing involvement in the community. Her commitment to inclusive legal practice makes her a fitting nominee for this award.