Angela Lynch AM

Secretariat, QSAN
Angela is a lawyer and advocate against domestic, family and sexual violence. She is the Secretariat for the peak body for specialist sexual violence prevention services in Queensland, the Queensland Sexual Assault Network (QSAN), which represents 21 specialist sexual violence services in Queensland. The role involves increasing the visibility of issues concerning sexual violence at both a state and national level and it also providing a leadership role in the sector for funders, media and the community.

Angela is a member of the Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Review and Advisory Board and the Queensland Sexual Violence Prevention Roundtable.

Previously, Angela worked for 27 years with the Women’s Legal Service Queensland, including a 5-year term as CEO. In 2019 Angela was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her contribution to domestic violence prevention and the law.

Katherine Manby

Principal Lawyer, VM Family Law
Katherine established VM Family Law in 2016, with no existing clients, to deliver much-needed services in Ipswich and the Greater Springfield area. The firm has a focus on domestic and family violence and she works collaboratively with other domestic and family violence organisations to ensure the best outcomes and futures for her clients.

Katherine leads a team of nine and is an accredited specialist in family law, a mediator, a family dispute resolution practitioner, and an arbitrator. Previously, she was a Senior Lawyer in the Violence Prevention and Women’s Advocacy Team at Legal Aid Queensland.

Kelli Martin

Managing Partner, KLM Solicitors
Kelli Martin is a solicitor, business leader and social justice advocate. She has worked predominantly in family and criminal law after being admitted as a legal practitioner in 2008. Kelli founded KLM Solicitors in 2015 with a vision for a contemporary, client-focused law firm. She is a former Board Director for the not-for-profit Red Rose Foundation and actively works to end domestic and family violence.

In 2021 Kelli was the recipient of the QLS Access to Justice Award. Kelli and her team regularly undertake community legal work, including volunteer hours for community legal centres. Outside of her enormously rewarding and busy work life, Kelli raises her two young daughters.

Shani Mitchell

Partner, Geldard Sherrington Lawyers
Shani began working in a law firm at 18 and was inspired to study law and started her degree three years later. She was admitted as a solicitor in 2016 and became a partner at Geldard Sherrington Lawyers in 2021. She also volunteers at the Taylor Street Community Legal Service, the Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre and Fraser Coast District Law Association.

Outside of work and her volunteer roles, she appreciates time with her family. Shani enjoys her work as a lawyer and the ability to volunteer so much of her time in her career to helping other families, whether that is through her work in domestic violence or in various capacities as a volunteer.

Carolyn Reid

Family and Domestic Violence Solicitor, My Community Legal
In her role at My Community Legal, Carolyn leads the improvement and scaling of the range and quality of services delivered to vulnerable women at risk of or experiencing Domestic and Family Violence.

Prior to beginning a career in the law, Carolyn had a 25 year career in television computer graphics, animation and special effects having freelanced all over Australia, New Zealand, London and South East Asia, later establishing her own production company with major clients including Burkes Backyard.

A qualified Private Investigator with a double degree in Law, Criminology and Criminal Justice (LLB/BCCJ) and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, she is a member of the Queensland Law Society Innovation Committee and the Gold Coast Family Law Pathways Steering Committee. She has an avid interest in legal technology and its application in the future delivery of legal services and is a proud member of the Australian Legal Technology Association (ALTA).

Thelma Schwartz

Principal Legal Officer, Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service
Thelma is the Principal Legal Officer of the Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service (QIFVLS), an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisation providing legal and non-legal support services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survivors of family violence and/or sexual assault.

QIFVLS services more than 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland including the Outer Islands of the Torres Straits. She identifies as Torres Strait Islander heritage, alongside her German Samoan and Papua New Guinea heritage and has worked has a legal practitioner for 23 years.

Thelma has worked extensively with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult and youth defendants in both the criminal justice system as well as advocating for victims and survivors of family violence and sexual assault. In 2021, Thelma was appointed as a member of the Queensland Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce.

Kathleen Simpson

Principal of DV LAWYER
Kathleen Simpson is the founder and Principal of DV LAWYER, a specialist domestic and family violence law firm. She is passionate about keeping vulnerable people safe, helping them leave their relationship safely and holding perpetrators accountable.

Ms Simpson is a strong Solicitor Advocate for her clients in Court, a champion of legislative change, particularly in the field of DFV and coercive control, focused on preventing the escalation of violent behaviours. She is passionate about DFV prevention and raising DFV awareness, and support that is available to assist victims. Her innovative approach improves the outcomes of the vulnerable while enhancing the community’s perception of the legal community, recognised on the Queensland Government’s Honour Roll in prevention of DFV.