Chair - Nigel Watson, Consultant, Colin Biggers & Paisley (Chair)
Nigel Watson is a consultant in the corporate and dispute resolution team at Colin Biggers & Paisley, focusing on insolvency and corporate reconstruction. He is an Accredited Specialist in commercial litigation by the Law Institute of Victoria and has practised for over 30 years in this area. He has a significant practice advising the lawyer’s professional indemnity insurer on claims against lawyers arising out of corporate and commercial transactions. Nigel was National Chairman of the Insolvency & Reconstruction Committee of the Law Council of Australia, a role in which he was responsible for expanding the committee membership to include all states and to give it a national focus on law reform issues. Nigel is an ongoing member of this committee. Nigel is recommended in numerous leading legal guides for his expertise in both insolvency and dispute resolution.
Presenter - Michael J Galvin QC, Barrister, Victorian Bar
Michael was a solicitor for 10 years with J.M. Smith & Emmerton (now Gadens) before coming to the bar in 1999. He has practised extensively in commercial law, including in particular in bankruptcy and corporations related litigation. Prior to his appointment as Queen’s Counsel in 2014, he appeared for growers in a number of cases arising out of the collapse of Timbercorp, Great Southern and Wilmott Forests. Last year he appeared in the long running trial of the dispute between Cargill and Glencorp arising out of the sale of Joe White Maltings. He frequently advises directors, liquidators, administrators and receivers in relation to corporate collapses and appears regularly in cases for and against insolvency practitioners.
Presenter - Carrie Rome-Sievers, Barrister, Victorian Bar
Carrie Rome-Sievers is a Victorian barrister and a member of Lonsdale Chambers, practising in commercial law with a focus on insolvency and corporations law, equity and trusts, bankruptcy and restitution. Carrie has advised and appeared for directors, liquidators, administrators, trustees and creditors in a range of matters. An area of particular interest is trading trusts with corporate trustees in liquidation or receivership. She has written several articles on the important decisions in Carter Holt Harvey (Amerind) (High Court appeal in 2019) and Jones v Matrix Partners (Killarnee) (Full Federal Court in 2018). Other areas of expertise include fraud, restitution and Barnes v Addy claims against third parties in cases of misuse of corporate or trust property. Carrie has been recognised in the Best Lawyers in Australia List for insolvency and reorganisation law every year for the last 5 years, in Doyles Guide of leading insolvency and restructuring junior counsel for Victoria each year for the last 4 years and for Australia for the last 2 years, and in Doyles guide of leading commercial litigation & dispute resolution junior counsel for Victoria each year for the last 4 years.
Presenter - Natasha Toholka, Partner, Financial Services, Restructuring & Insolvency, Norton Rose Fulbright
Natasha is a financial services, restructuring and insolvency lawyer and ARITA fellow with over 20 years’ experience. Natasha is a deputy co-chair of the Insolvency and Reconstruction Committee of the Law Council of Australia and was involved in drafting the LCA’s submission to Treasury in respect of the SME law reforms.