I am passionate about the health sector and my work with government, public and private sector clients. This involves responding to matters of high reputational concern and risk following major clinical or service related incidents, including through early involvement and working closely in partnership with the client and relevant stakeholders.

I have a special interest in public health and advise clients in relation to a range of complex medico-legal issues. I manage disputes and litigation, act in practitioner disciplinary matters, system reviews and statutory complaints. I appear in coronial inquests and provide general health, regulatory and compliance advice.

I also support private and not-for-profit clients in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and in the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.

I am known for my empathetic and practical solution focus to complex legal problems, and work collaboratively with my clients to achieve a favourable resolution, wherever possible, at an early stage.

Career highlights

• Acting for aged care and human services clients in the Aged Care and Disability Royal Commissions and providing urgent advice to the aged care and human services sector to respond to critical incidents and regulators.
• Advising on public health matters and supporting government and private sector clients to respond to COVID-19, including in relation to COVID-19 outbreaks, risk minimisation, compliance with legislative and regulatory frameworks, and human rights.
• Representing the Queensland Government, individual health practitioners, private health providers, and aged care and disability sector clients in high-profile, medically and factually complex coronial investigations and coronial inquests.
• Advising private health sector clients in relation to complex accreditation and credentialing disputes, including in successfully defending appeals and judicial review applications.
• Managing statutory complaints and health practitioner disciplinary matters with the Office of the Health Ombudsman and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
• Managing large scale medical malpractice litigation for public and private hospitals.
• Managing systemic reviews, investigations and critical incidents for public and private health providers and advising on governance, risk minimisation strategies, open disclosure, complaints and legal claims, workplace issues and external review processes.
• Successfully appearing as advocate in special medical procedure applications in the Family Court of Australia and in guardianship hearings in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
• I am passionate about my community and provide pro bono legal advice and support to disadvantaged individuals and charitable organisations through initiatives such as the LawRight Self-Representation Service.
• I am a legal member of the Royal Brisbane and Woman's Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee and served as the Diversity Chair of the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland (2019 and 2020).

• Restrictions for Queensland care workers based on COVID-19 vaccination status
  

  A new public health direction in Queensland is one of the first in Australia to place differing restrictions on people based on their vaccination status – and could set a precedent for other jurisdictions.

• New Queensland Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
  

  The Queensland Government is in the process of implementing mandatory vaccination requirements for workers in Schools, Kindergartens and Childcare Centres.