William and Lonsdale - Lives in the Law

From all the team who work on William & Lonsdale - Lives in the Law, and everyone at Greens List, we would like to wish you a happy and safe festive season. We’ll be kicking off 2026 with more exceptional guests, including former Deputy Commissioner of Victoria Police and professional musician, Ross Gunther, migration lawyer Traci Chen, who has over 250 thousand TikTok followers and used the platform to extraordinary effect to connect with her current and potential clients and The Hon. Lex Lasry, well known for his work as a criminal barrister and Supreme Court Justice.But for now, have a wonderful break, and we look forward to bringing you more great conversations in the new year.

This week we welcome Her Honour Magistrate Urfa Masood, former criminal barrister, and the first Muslim woman to sit on any bench in Victoria.Urfa left Sri Lanka and moved to Australia with her immediate family at the age of 11, leaving behind a civil war and a large, deeply connected extended family.After adjusting quickly to life in Australia and excelling at school, Urfa began her law degree at 16 and graduated with honours.So when she started applying for legal positions, it was confronting, to say the least, to be met with comments from interview panels like, “No client is going to want to engage someone who looks like you.”How Urfa got from there to becoming a Victorian Magistrate is a tale of talent, hard work, self-belief, resilience, and a love of the law that just would not leave her alone.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week we welcome The Hon. John Coldrey AM KC to Lives in the Law. When reflecting on John’s work and contribution to the criminal bar in Victoria, the words legendary and iconic are entirely appropriate. Along with his decades defending in criminal cases, John was a founding member of the Criminal Bar Association and even wrote and performed songs and skits at Bar Review nights with his close friend and colleague, Frank Vincent.Following in Frank’s footsteps, John was one of the first advocates to go to the Northern Territory to work at the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Service - an experience that led to his role as Director of Legal Services at the Central Land Council, where he advocated for Indigenous land rights.Not long after returning to the bar, he was appointed Victorian DPP - a surprising move for a man who had never prosecuted a single case. In 1991, John was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. He also served as a member of the Adult Parole Board and as Chairperson of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.John has had an exceptional life in the law, and it was an honour to welcome him to the show.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome renowned Australian investigative journalist Nick McKenzie to the show. Although Nick doesn’t work directly in the law, his work intersects with it almost daily. Some of his greatest collaborators have been lawyers - as have some of his greatest foes.Nick has enormous respect for the law, yet he also sees its limits, and believes journalism can bring justice where the law cannot. And he’s certainly used his craft time and time again to do just that - exposing police corruption, foreign interference in Australian politics, and war crimes. His work has even instigated a Royal Commission.It’s a dynamic and, at times, surprising conversation and a real delight to hear about Nick’s life and career.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome Her Honour Magistrate Michelle Hodgson, head of the family violence division of the Magistrate’s Court, to Lives in the Law. Michelle was admitted in 1993 and worked as a Solicitor Advocate at Victoria Legal Aid, the Fitzroy Legal Service, and the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, all of which crystallised her desire to go to the bar. As a barrister, Michelle worked on many complex and high-profile cases, including the Nauru Royalty Phosphate Trust case and the Pong Su heroin import case. Her work as a Magistrate has been broad and impactful; in particular, her role now as head of the family violence division is compelling to learn about. It is a fantastic conversation, and a pleasure to welcome Michelle to the show.

This week, we welcome Fiona McLeay, the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner and CEO of the Victorian Legal Services Board. The VLSB+C is the independent statutory authority responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in Victoria.Long before her fascinating life in the law, Fiona grew up in the country, and was the first person on either side of her family to go to University. She is a natural-born leader who brings systems thinking to every role she takes on; from Special Counsel at Clayton Utz to CEO of Justice Connect; from General Counsel of World Vision to Co-Chair of Equality Australia. It is a wonderful conversation and  pleasure to welcome Fiona to the show. www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome multi-award-winning writer and former barrister, Jock Serong. For as long as he can remember, Jock wanted to be a writer, but after a better-than-expected mark in year 12, a law degree seemed to be a safer bet than journalism. Despite doing some truly fascinating cases, including early Native Title work in Western Australia, and junioring in the Silk Miller murder trials, it was always the stories and not the law that captivated him. So after almost two decades in the law, he let his practising certificate expire and made the leap to full-time writer. Jock has written seven novels, including Quota, which won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel, and his most recent work, Cherrywood, whose protagonist, Martha, is a lawyer in a large firm in Melbourne. It is a fantastic conversation and a pleasure to welcome Jock to the show.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

Today, we welcome Malcolm Speed, former lawyer and sports administrator. As a sports mad kid, Mal’s focus was primarily basketball and cricket with a bit of study on the side. But after some focus in the final years of high school, Mal found himself studying law at Melbourne University, with very little idea of what a career in the law could actually look like. After 25 successful years as a solicitor and at the bar, Mal took a risk and opened a consulting business in sports administration, back when many sporting bodies were semi-professional at best. Ultimately, the risk paid off and led to the roles that many listeners will know him for; CEO of the Australian Cricket Board and later the International Cricket Council. Mal’s is a unique life in the law, and it was a delight to hear about it in this conversation. www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome Sara Kowal, Director of Eleos Justice at Monash Law. Sara believes her role is one of the best positions going in the law. She relishes working with incredible people who share her mission to end the death penalty - be it human rights defenders from around the globe or the impressive students in her anti-death penalty clinic at Monash Law.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

Today we are delighted to welcome The Hon. Phillip Priest, Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Phil has had a rich and storied life in the law. The depth and breadth of his experience is vast, and in this conversation he shares his valuable insights on the skills needed to be a good advocate and qualities of a good judge, the impact of social media on jury trials, and his personal response on finding out his former junior, Nicola Gobbo, was illegally sharing information with the police from privileged conferences with their client Tony Mokbel.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

Today, we revisit our conversation with Her Honour Nola Karapanagiotidis. Before becoming a Country Court Judge in 2021, Nola had a variety of experiences in the law, beginning as an articled clerk at Victoria Legal Aid all the way to the bar, with a large amount of pro bono work along the way. Interestingly, Nola is the first female Greek / Australian County Court Judge in Victoria. Her parents migrated from Greece in the 1960s with no English and limited education. From those humble beginnings, Nola and her brother Kon have had a huge impact on our legal system and it was a pleasure to explore that journey in our conversation. www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we revisit our 2022 conversation with Jim Cosgriff, founder and partner at Cosgriff Lawyers in Echuca, country Victoria. Jim’s Life in the Law began as a boy, sitting in the back of country courtrooms watching his dad, Magistrate Bryan Cosgriff, in action. After high school, Jim moved to the big smoke to study law and went on to become a partner at William, Winter & Higgs, working in a wide variety of areas including crimes compensation and on behalf of victims of clergy abuse. But the pull of the country was too strong for Jim, and eventually he had to get out of the city, taking over a firm in Echuca over 25 years ago, and he hasn’t looked back.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we revisit our 2022 conversation with Peter Ward OAM, one of Victoria’s leading criminal law practitioners for over 40 years. Peter spent his entire career at the firm of Galbally & O’Bryan and worked on some of the most high-profile cases in Victorian history, including the Walsh Street police killings in 1988. Like most practitioners, Peter had to work incredibly hard to prove himself at the start of his career. He knew no one in the law and had no real connections, but Peter faced an additional challenge: being legally blind. It was a privilege and a pleasure to hear about Peter’s Life in the Law. www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

Today, we revisit our 2022 conversation with former Federal Court Justice Iain Ross AO. From ACTU Assistant Secretary to Vice President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission; from County Court Judge to the president of VCAT; Iain has had a dynamic and impactful career, and we were thrilled to hear about his Life in the Law.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we revisit our 2022 conversation with Sally Nicholes, founder and managing partner at Nicholes Family Lawyers. Sally has worked on some extraordinary cases throughout her career, including a groundbreaking matter involving sperm donor rights and an international kidnapping case that she led as an articled clerk and first-year solicitor! www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week we revisit our conversation with the former Chief Judge of the County Court of Victoria, The Hon. Peter Kidd. During his first few years in a commercial firm, Peter was unsure if law was for him, but a decision to move to crime ignited his passion for the profession. After his time at the Commonwealth DPP, he went to the bar and was quickly working on very large and often high profile cases, honing his skills and advocacy style, often under immense pressure. Peter also managed to combine his love of travel with his love of the law, working as a prosecutor at the War Crimes Tribunal in Bosnia; another challenging, enriching and fascinating chapter of his career. Our episode covers all of this and of course his role as The Chief, and is an enlightening and fascinating conversation.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we revisit our 2021 conversation with Genevieve Collins, former Chief Executive Partner at law firm Lander & Rogers. Over the course of her 40-year career at Landers, Genevieve was a Practice Group Leader for 13 years, the first female Equity Partner and Chair of the Board. Genevieve is passionate about innovation in the law, and to that end, she led initiatives in law tech and wellness within the firm - both of which became incredibly important when COVID hit! www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This episode we welcome HH Mag. Trieu Huynh from the Bendigo Magistrates Court. At the age of one, Trieu and his family came to Australia as refugees from Vietnam. From this brave yet humble beginning, Trieu gained a scholarship to a private secondary school and ultimately completed a double degree in law/science with honours in genetics. Trieu has remained passionate about the law through every stage of his career. From the OPP and VLA, to sitting as a Magistrate, particularly in the Assessment and Referral Court, a therapeutic court that supports people who are mentally ill, have an intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, autism spectrum disorder or a neurological impairment. It is an amazing journey from escaping Vietnam in the middle of the night, to a fulfilling Life in the Law in Australia, and we are thrilled to bring it to you.www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome Fleur Katsmartin, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Throughout her law degree, articles and early legal roles, Fleur never felt like she was in the right place. In her words, it always seemed like she was “too much”. But Fleur found her legal sweet spot working in-house, specifically in purpose-driven organisations. This clarity led her to some very large and very dynamic roles. Fleur had just become General Counsel at Healthdirect Australia, the national virtual public health information service, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. And she now leads a team of lawyers at one of Australia’s largest public hospitals, where she describes herself as a Jane of all trades. It was a delight to welcome Fleur to the show and hear about her Life in the Law. www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week we welcome recently retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria - The Hon. Elizabeth Hollingworth. Like so many of our guests, Liz is a high achiever from way back. At school and University she excelled academically, at sport and in leadership, which culminated in her receiving a Rhodes Scholarship to study a Bachelor of Civil Law, and row in the blue boat for Oxford. Interestingly, Liz did not feel particularly challenged or inspired by her commercial practice at the bar. It was when she came to the Supreme Court of Victoria that Liz found her true legal passion in the criminal division, presiding over many dynamic and high-profile cases. It was a privilege and a pleasure to hear Liz’s frank and fascinating insights and experiences from her Life in the Law. www.greenslist.com.au/podcast