SPEAKERS

The Australian Law Librarians' Association Conference
19 - 21 August 2026
Evoqé Events (formally known as Q Events), Melbourne VIC

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

The Honourable Chief Justice Richard Niall was appointed as the 13th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria from 3 February 2025 following a long and distinguished career. His Honour commenced practice in 1990. He was Associate to the Hon Justice Ryan of the Federal Court before signing the Bar Roll in 1995. His Honour was appointed silk in 2010. He was then appointed as Solicitor-General for Victoria in 2015. In 2017 his Honour was appointed as a judge of appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria. The Chief Justice also serves as the Chair of the Courts Council, which is the governing body of Court Services Victoria. Courts Services Victoria is the independent statutory body providing services and facilities to Victoria’s courts, VCAT and other Victorian statutory entities. The Chief Justice is also the chair of the Judicial College of Victoria and the Judicial Commission of Victoria. The Chief Justice is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne, teaching public law and separation of powers in the graduate program. His Honour is a Fellow of Monash University and the Australian Academy of Law, and a member of the Australian Judicial Officers Association; the Australian Association of Constitutional Law; and the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration.

Elizabeth Tydd took up the position of Australian Information Commissioner in August 2024 for a 5-year term. Elizabeth is an experienced agency head and has occupied a number of statutory decision making roles, including Information Commissioner and CEO of the NSW Information and Privacy Commission, Australian Freedom of Information Commissioner, Deputy President of the Workers Compensation Commission and Deputy Chairperson of the former Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal. Elizabeth has extensive regulatory and governance experience at an executive and board level in a range of jurisdictions and industries, including commercial, not-for-profit and public sector oversight. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney, as well as postgraduate certificates in executive management and governance together with post graduate qualifications in leadership and policy from Harvard University. Elizabeth possesses expertise in digital government and has written extensively on this subject.

Caroline is an Accredited Family Law Specialist with more than 40 years’ experience and is principal of Caroline Counsel Family Lawyers. She is the author of ‘Divorce the Court: A Better Life Together…Apart’ - a guide for couples and families to assist them remain as intact as possible post separation. She is a past president of the Law Institute of Victoria and is the current Chair of the Specialisation Board of the LIV. She is also the Family Violence Portfolio holder for the Institute and co-chair of the Family Violence Working Group. Caroline also served on the board of the Law Council of Australia for several years and the Legal Admissions Board in Victoria for 20 years. She has been made an Honorary Life Member of the Law Institute of Victoria.

Emily Knowles was appointed Wellbeing Manager at the LIV in 2024. She is an endorsed Organisational Psychologist with a master’s degree in psychology, and a law degree. While Emily started her professional career working as a Judge’s Associate in the Supreme Court, she then re-retrained as a psychologist, and has since specialised in workplace wellbeing across settings. Emily has further fine-tuned her dedication to, and expertise in, worker wellbeing to sub-specialise in lawyer wellbeing. She is deeply passionate about improving lawyers’ work-related quality of life, providing resources and supports, and creating sustainable practices and systems that support legal professionals. Emily offers wellbeing support and education to LIV members, and the legal profession at large. She has designed and is currently implementing a sector-wide Wellbeing Strategy for lawyers and legal workplaces. Emily is committed to embedding wellbeing into services that wrap around the practice of law.

SUPPORTING SPEAKERS

Holger Aman is Associate Director, Library Services for Research and Learning at Australian Catholic University, where he leads initiatives across research support, learning, and academic engagement. [uk.linkedin.com], [library.acu.edu.au] He began his career in law libraries within the justice sector before moving across public, special, and academic libraries in Australia and the UK. Most recently, he worked in higher education art libraries in London, an experience that continues to shape his thinking around creativity, engagement, and the role of libraries in supporting diverse disciplines. [uk.linkedin.com] Across his career, Holger has moved between sectors and across borders, drawing inspiration from different institutional contexts and user communities, and applying those insights to new environments. This journey has informed his strong focus on innovation in library services, with a particular emphasis on connecting innovation with a human-centred approach to research, learning, and engagement. Holger has held a range of leadership roles, including serving as President of the Australian Law Librarians’ Association (NSW), and was awarded the ALIA Metcalfe Award for outstanding early career achievement. [uk.linkedin.com] He is particularly interested in how people move from study into niche careers and continue to reshape their professional identities over time. His perspective on the “librarian blueprint” reflects a balance between honouring the profession’s foundations and recognising librarians as creative, adaptable practitioners and trusted stewards of knowledge.

Clare Asquith Finegan is an experienced Outreach and Reference Librarian with Courthouse Libraries BC, Canada, where she has spent eight years supporting public, self-represented litigants, and the legal community in accessing and navigating legal information. This publicly accessible law library is a rare resource in Canada and internationally. Clare’s background is diverse, spanning the arts, archives, community startups and more, but a constant in her career has been her dedication to reducing barriers to information access. She has provided comprehensive training on legal and legislative research to lawyers, students, public librarians, and Indigenous legal clinics, helping to build research skills across these various user groups.

Dr. Olivia Barr is an Associate Professor at Melbourne Law School where she is the Director of the research programme ‘Geography, place and the possibilities of law’ at the Institute for International Law and the Humanities. She has previously worked as a public lawyer in the role of government solicitor, in law reform and for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and studied at UWA, UBC (Canada) and Melbourne. Olivia researches in the interdisciplinary field of law and humanities, with expertise on the many relationships between law, place and sovereignties. With a long-standing interest in law reform, her research applies theoretical insights to more practical public law settings, including investigating future possibilities for state recognition of First Nations’ sovereignty, sovereignties, and self-government. In 2026, she designed and taught a new JD elective at Melbourne Law School called ‘Law Reform’.

Erin Cairney is a legal knowledge and AI professional based in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. She brings over 25 years’ experience in law firm libraries and knowledge roles with current work in AI governance, trust and adoption. Erin is Customer Success Manager, AI Solutions at Thomson Reuters, where she works with legal professionals to embed AI into real workflows and support confident, practical adoption. Before moving into legal technology, she spent a decade as Knowledge & Information Manager at MinterEllisonRuddWatts, one of New Zealand’s leading law firms. She also led AI trust and integrity work for a US-based legal technology company, supporting responsible AI adoption and contributing to system documentation and benchmarking research comparing large language models with human reviewers. Erin is a former President of the New Zealand Law Librarians Association (NZLLA) and now chairs the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) Standing AI Committee, supporting and empowering the library and information sector to engage with AI in thoughtful, ethical and practical ways. She is an IAPP-certified AI Governance Professional.

I am a proud Wemba Wemba, Mutti Mutti, Boonwurrung, Trawlwoolway and Lardil man. With passion, heart and respect, I commit to doing the tough work, having deep and meaningful conversations, and ensuring we move towards educating and spreading awareness, making sure our mobs voices and experiences truly shape the work of the Assembly and Gellung Warl. Our mobs have always known the solutions to the issues we face, and now we must ensure that the decisions rest with those best able to make them; Our People. We must continue the powerful work of generations past and present, building on this Treaty, as we create pathways for meaningful outcomes now and in the future. I was actively involved in the work delivered in the second term of the Assembly and served as an additional negotiator on behalf of our mob and members, to negotiate the First Statewide Treaty. This was a true honour and responsibility not taken lightly. Collectively, our people have worked tirelessly towards this Treaty. As we now move into the implementation phase, I offer my energy, experience, skills, and deep commitment to the ongoing fight for our people. bababi yadabilang.
Speaker profile photo: Leroy Miller

Pauline is an experienced civil litigator and commercial mediator who has appeared as counsel at all levels of the New Zealand courts. She has developed particular expertise in how to use artificial intelligence systems in legal and Alternative Dispute Resolution practice. Pauline has provided significant advice, and presentations, on issues related to the use of AI systems including to senior members of the judiciary; and to law firms, barristers and professional organisations. Pauline is a member of the New Zealand Bar Association Technology Committee. In that capacity, and for clients, she has tested and evaluated the Quillio AI system, applying it across the skills, tasks and workflows undertaken by lawyers and ADR practitioners. She has benchmarked its output against five other legal-related AI systems available in New Zealand. Pauline practises through Kate Sheppard Chambers (a virtual chambers), having previously spent more than 20 years with Crown Law, including as a Senior Crown Counsel. Her broader areas of expertise include revenue and customs law, public law, company/commercial law, creditors’ remedies, and trusts. She is currently undertaking a contract with Quillio.

Kathleen Foley SC is a Victorian barrister with a broad practice spanning trial and appellate work in commercial, public law and common law matters. Kathleen also has an active public interest litigation practice. Prior to coming to the Victorian Bar, Kathleen was employed as an Associate in the litigation group of the New York office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. She passed the New York Bar exam in 2006, having completed her Master of Laws at Harvard Law School. From 2004 to 2005, Kathleen was Associate to Justice Hayne of the High Court of Australia. From November 2020 to February 2026, Kathleen was a part-time commissioner with the Victorian Law Reform Commission. As part of that role, Kathleen worked on a reference concerning the use of AI in Victoria’s courts and tribunals. Kathleen presents regularly at panel discussions concerning the use of AI in legal practice.

Yule Guttenbeil is the Principal of Attune Legal, a commercial law practice focused on technology law and energy law. He is recognised for his expertise in the safe and ethical adoption of artificial intelligence in legal practice and was named SME AI Consultant of the Year at the 2024 Australian AI Awards. Yule advises clients on AI strategy and adoption, trains lawyers on using AI well - in accordance with professional standards, and works on contract drafting, negotiation, and preventative legal systems that help clients avoid disputes. He is a co-founder of Mode Law an online platform for businesses to manage legal work, and of the Lex Nova Guild, a community advancing collaborative co-opetition across the profession.

Dr Amanda Head is a Senior Lecturer at Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University, where she serves as Course Director of the LLB program. She convenes several of the law school's largest units, including Foundations of Law, Legal Ethics, Torts, and Remedies, with enrolments in any one unit exceeding 1,000 students and she is the recipient of multiple Vice-Chancellor's and Faculty teaching awards for excellence and innovation in education. Amanda is admitted as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of NSW and is also a Certified Practicing Accountant. Her teaching and scholarly interests centre on legal education pedagogy, assessment design, and the integration of AI and large language models into legal education and professional formation. She is developing a suite of learning and assessment tools that embed genuine engagement with the learning process, while remaining flexible in how students engage. Amanda has presented on AI and Legal Education to members of the Legal Profession Admission Board and other professional audiences. She sits on Macquarie University's Academic Senate Education Committee and the Law School Advisory Board.

A senior-level lawyer, risk manager, technologist, and educator with over 20 years’ experience across multiple practice areas. Dr Horton has a unique combination of experience in legal practice, technology implementation, and education design. Through his involvement in the legal profession, he has built a solid reputation as a thought leader in technology and innovation in the law. Dr Horton currently sits as Chair of the Futures Committee at the Law Council of Australia and is an Executive Member of the Technology and Innovation Section of the Law Institute of Victoria.

Alison Jones is Librarian (Systems) at the Attorney-General’s Department Library, based in Canberra. Her role focuses on ensuring library systems support departmental work, while also contributing to reference services and the daily work of a law library as part of a library team. Prior to her current role, Alison was Research Librarian with the software company Atlassian, where she designed and curated a digital library for the research team. She previously worked as Knowledge Manager at Geoscape, a locational data company, where she established the organisation’s intranet. Earlier in her career, Alison was the inaugural Library Manager and Knowledge Manager at Canberra law firm Meyer Vandenberg, building and delivering a comprehensive legal library service. In 2015, she was the recipient of the Australian Law Librarians’ Association Law Librarian of the Year.

Miriam N Mochales is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Regnet.Ai, a global regulatory intelligence platform tracking legislation across more than 130 jurisdictions. She works at the intersection of law, artificial intelligence, and regulatory systems, leading the development of data infrastructure and AI-enabled tools that support how law is researched, interpreted, and applied in practice. With a background in law and cultural research, Miriam brings an interdisciplinary perspective to how technology is reshaping legal systems in real time. Her work focuses on how emerging technologies are not only reshaping, but disrupts the production, interpretation, and accessibility of law, alongside the risks they introduce around bias, accountability, and trust. She has led the design of large-scale legislative data pipelines and AI-assisted regulatory insights, with a strong emphasis on accuracy, transparency, and human oversight. Miriam is particularly interested in the limits of AI in law, especially how legal meaning can (and cannot) be translated into computational systems, and what we risk losing when the law is forced to fit into machine logic.

Renée Naylor is a qualified librarian and trainer with over 15 years’ experience in academic and law libraries. Her current role is Education and Communications Coordinator at Law Library Victoria, where she leads the design and delivery of the Library’s education program for lawyers, legal professionals, and court staff. Renée has expertise in legal research, instructional design, and professional training. She has led the development of the Law Library’s resources on artificial intelligence and digital literacy to assist legal practitioners in adapting to emerging technologies. She also coordinates the Library’s regional outreach program, which includes training, strategic communications, and statewide visits to support lawyers in person.

Laura Racky is a Melbourne-based commercial lawyer, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor with nearly two decades of practice spanning commercial litigation, banking, finance, and insolvency. She is the founder and principal of commercial law firm llgold and serves as Chairman of the Board of Big Group Hug, a Melbourne not-for-profit supporting families in crisis. Laura holds degrees in Law and Arts and a Masters in Commercial Law from Monash University. She is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia (FGIA). Her engagement with AI and law reform is grounded in practice. Running a commercial law firm has put her at the coalface of how AI tools are actually being adopted by clients, by practitioners, and across the legal system, and what that means for regulation, accountability, and access to justice. Laura also reaches a substantial public audience as a content creator and commentator, with over 140,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok and more than 30 million views. She has been published in the Australian Financial Review and hosts the Let's Just Start Podcast.

Tui Raven, Yamaji Nyungar, is the author of the Guidelines for First Nations Collection Description and Senior Manager, Indigenous Program, Deakin Library. As a member of the ALIA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Expert Advisory Group and the IFLA Indigenous Matters section, she works with colleagues across the sector to make library spaces more equitable and culturally safe. In 2024, Tui was awarded a CAUL Indigenous Leadership Award.
Speaker profile photo: Copyright Mauro Palmieri

Jack Stoneman is a Head of AI Legal Practice (M&A and Capital Markets) at MinterEllison and a Senior Fellow at Melbourne Law School, where he works at the intersection of law, technology and artificial intelligence. His work combines traditional legal practice with software engineering and product design. He holds a JD and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Computer Science (majoring in AI) from Monash University, and speaks regularly on how generative AI and software-engineering principles are reshaping the practice of law.