Michelle James
Principal Lawyer, National Head of Abuse (QLD), Maurice Blackburn

Michelle James is an award-winning Principal Lawyer with law firm Maurice Blackburn and the head of their national Abuse Law practice. In the course of her advocacy for the rights of injured and abused people she has authored numerous submissions to both state and federal inquiries and has appeared as a witness before both Parliamentary and Senate Committees.

Michelle has a particular interest in bringing claims on behalf of the survivors of institutional and other abuse. In addition to representing people who have suffered abuse, Michelle helps clients with a variety of other compensation claims. When it comes to the sensitive legal area of sexual and institutional abuse, Michelle is specially trained in trauma informed care which ensures she works with clients to access justice in a way that recognises the complex trauma they have suffered. She stands apart from her contemporaries in the way she deals with the stories of these individuals whose trust has been breached in the most horrific way.

Warren Strange
Executive Officer, knowmore Legal Service

Knowmore was established in 2013 by the National Association of Community Legal Centres, with funding from the Australian Government, to provide legal assistance to people who were engaging with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

From 1 July 2018, knowmore has been helping survivors of child sexual abuse to access their options for acheiving justice, including through the National Redress Scheme.

In his role as Executive Officer, Warren leads a team of around 75 people including lawyers; social workers; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement advisors; and financial counsellors and operational staff, who collectively deliver client-centred services across Australia.

Yvette McLaughlin
Partner, Sparke Helmore Lawyers

Yvette is an accredited specialist in personal injury law, with more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry. She has practised predominately in defendant insurance and has extensive knowledge of workers’ compensation and personal injuries proceedings. Her experience spans all state courts, the Court of Appeal, the AAT and the QIRC and she has contributed to policy formulation and education initiatives for clients. She is regularly involved in committees discussing ongoing issues such as management of litigated matters and the use of technology in claims management.

Yvette is currently involved in defending institutional abuse and survivor claims and is committed to achieving just and fair outcomes for all stakeholders.

Yvette regularly chairs and presents industry seminars and provides client training.