Coroner Spanos, Coroners Court of Victoria. Coroner Spanos completed Arts and Law degrees at the University of Melbourne in 1980. Between 1984 and 1994 she was employed by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, first in Trials and Appeals, then as a Medifraud Specialist before becoming Senior Assistant Director in 1989 and heading the Major Fraud and later General Prosecutions Branches. In 1994 Coroner Spanos was appointed a Magistrate sitting in Melbourne and suburban courts, with periodic appointments to the Children’s Court. Since 2005, she has worked exclusively as a coroner on a range of coronial investigations, including a number of deaths occurring in a healthcare setting. From 2005-2013, Coroner Spanos was a member of the Victorian Child Death Review Committee, a multi-disciplinary Ministerial advisory committee reviewing the deaths of children known to DHHS/Child Protection, a function now undertaken by the Child Safety Commission.
Bob Milstein, Principal, Milstein and Associates. Bob is a lawyer and plain language trainer and document writer. Bob graduated from law school in 1982 and spent several years working in the USA where he was admitted to the New York Bar. In 1984, he returned to Australia to start a legal practice with a focus on medical negligence. With a background in professional medical negligence litigation, Bob has long been aware that clear communication — or its absence — often lies at the heart of legal disputes. This awareness triggered his original interest in plain legal communication. He is Committee member of the Public Liability & Medical Negligence at LIV.
Mette Aiken-Petersen, Ethics & Professional Practice, Law Institute of Victoria. Mette Aiken-Petersen commenced as Manager, Ethics & Professional Practice at the Law Institute of Victoria in February 2018. Prior to joining the LIV, Mette was an investigator at the Victorian Legal Services Board & Commissioner and spent 16 years with Slater & Gordon Lawyers in a variety of roles including Professional Standards Lawyer, Knowledge Manager and National New Client Services Manager. Mette has experience in general practice in both the private sector and not for profits, and spent two years working in Family Law in London as a paralegal.
Sarah McPherson, Head of Claims, Victorian Managed Insurance Agency. Sarah McPherson graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts and was admitted to practice in 1998. Sarah joined VMIA in 2015, bringing a wealth of experience from her more than 17 years of experience as an insurance lawyer including medical indemnity defence litigation. VMIA is the largest medical indemnity insurer in Australia. Sarah is the Head of Claims across all VMIA claims portfolios.
Bree Ridgeway, Solicitor, Pearce Webster Dugdales.
Emily Hart, Senior Associate, Medical Negligence Department, Maurice Blackburn. Emily Hart is a Senior Associate in Maurice Blackburn’s medical negligence department in Melbourne, and a Law Institute of Victoria personal injury accredited specialist. She is also the first point of contact for many people at The Alfred Hospital through the HeLP clinic, which she helped to establish. Emily graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Arts and Honours in Law in 2007. Within the broad medical negligence field, Emily’s main practice areas are obstetrics, Coronial matters and mental health.
Megan Fitzgerald, Barrister, Victorian Bar. Megan practices in disciplinary prosecutions and negligence actions relating to medical and legal professionals; inquests and public inquiries acting for bereaved family members, public interest groups and medical professionals; and personal injury actions arising out of medical incidents. Along with appearance work, Megan has a strong practice in drafting and advice work. Megan holds a Graduate Diploma of Health and Medical Law from the University of Melbourne.
Professor Euan Wallace, CEO, Safer Care Victoria. Professor Euan Wallace AM is the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Safer Care Victoria, Victoria’s lead agency for quality and safety improvement in healthcare. Professor Wallace is an academic obstetrician and gynaecologist by training. Prior to his appointment to Safer Care Victoria, Professor Wallace was the Director of the Women’s Health Program at Monash Health, Victoria’s largest women’s health service. In that role, he established a clinical governance framework to drive and embed a culture of healthcare improvement. Professor Wallace is also the Carl Wood Professor and Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University where he leads a perinatal medicine research group. His research interests are in fetal development, maternal health, stem cell biology and patient safety.