Our panel of inspiring women will share insight from their personal experiences and discuss issues that still present gender barriers within the legal profession.
Registrations are essential for this in-person only event with limited tickets available. Please arrive at 5:30pm for drinks, canapés, and networking. The panel discussion will begin at 6pm.
Women in Law is an annual event organised by the UQ Law School, and generously sponsored and supported by Herbert Smith Freehills.
About the speakers
Master of Ceremonies
Kathryn Pacey | Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
Kathryn leads the Herbert Smith Freehills Brisbane Planning, Environment and Communities team. As part of her role, Kathryn works across resources, energy, utilities, transport and social infrastructure. She has advised on both the government and project side for some of the largest infrastructure projects delivered in the last 20 years.
Panellists
Caitlin Pincott | Barrister, Hemmant's List
Caitlin was called to the private Bar in Queensland in 2023 and practices in a range of areas, including administrative, public, criminal and sports law. Prior to this, she worked in Queensland integrity agencies for over 10 years, as a Senior Lawyer at the Crime and Corruption Commission and then as General Counsel at the Queensland Ombudsman. She was admitted as a solicitor in 2005 and has also worked in community legal centres and a private law firm.
Caitlin competed as an elite athlete in the sport of athletics and combined this with her university and work life until 2012, when she retired from the sport. She remains actively involved in sport at various levels. She is currently a member of the Athletics Australia Selection Committee for national teams and is a panel member for the AFL Queensland Tribunal.
Hannah Ashford | Managing Director, The Karman Project
Hannah Ashford is a non-profit director and lawyer working to promote the cooperative potentials and positive uses of space technologies for life on Earth. As the Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Karman Project, Hannah works with public and private sector space leaders worldwide to facilitate forums for strategic dialogue and international cooperation.
In this role, she interfaces with the major space agencies, companies and initiatives of the world (NASA, European Space Agency, Kenya Space Agency, SpaceX, University of Oxford's Space Initiative, etc.) and provides recommendations to various forums, including the United Nations. Previously, Hannah spent five years working in Berlin within the European startup ecosystem, most notably overseeing the Product & Innovation Department at Factory Berlin, Germany’s leading innovation hub.
Hannah graduated in Law (Honours) and Journalism from the University of Queensland, and practised as a lawyer of the Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia before transitioning to the innovation sector. She received a scholarship to complete the Space Studies Program at the International Space University in 2022. Hannah additionally serves on the Advisory Council for King Charles III's Astra Carta, the Advisory Board of The Exploration Company, and as a Mentor with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience.
Sian Newnham | Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
Sian is a resources, energy and infrastructure lawyer, predominantly advising mining and infrastructure companies on transactions ranging from strategic operational matters, development and expansion projects, port and rail infrastructure, and private M&A.
Sian has a deep understanding of the energy and resources sector, due to the breadth of her experience advising clients and her experience on secondment with ASX-listed mining and oil and gas companies during her career, both to support projects and business as usual operations.
Sian regulatory works on development and expansion projects in the resource sector, using various project delivery models. Sian’s experience includes advising on greenfield project development and brownfield expansion projects for both open cut and underground mines and the construction of power stations, LNG plants, solar farms and port and rail infrastructure, throughout Australia and in Asia.
Sian has a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland and a Masters of Law (pass with Distinction) from King’s College London. Sian is ranked as a Leading Individual in the Natural Resources (Transactions and Regulatory) category for Australia by the Legal 500 and ‘Recommended’ by Doyle’s Guide in the Leading Front End Construction & Infrastructure Lawyers category in Queensland in 2024.
Rosalind Williams | Practitioner-in-Residence, UQ Pro Bono Centre
Rosalind Williams is a graduate of the University of Queensland and has been a solicitor for over 30 years. Most of her professional life has been spent working in the community legal sector, where, in addition to undertaking casework, she has been heavily involved in clinical legal education supervision, the writing of law reform submissions and the provision of community legal education.
Working in the poverty law sector prompted her to undertake the Bar Practice Course in 2005 so that she could feel more confident acting as an advocate (when necessary) for the vulnerable and disadvantaged clients of Caxton Legal Centre, where she worked for almost 3 decades.
She is the Pro Bono Centre’s current Practitioner-in-Residence for 2024. A graduate of NIDA and a Designated Linklater Teacher, she also works as a voice and text teacher in actor training courses at two other tertiary institutions. The most rewarding aspect of her career has been working with the amazing volunteer lawyers and law students that she has encountered at Caxton Legal Centre.
For any enquires please contact events@law.uq.edu.au
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