William and Lonsdale - Lives in the Law

This week, we welcome Raelene Sharp KC, Director of Public Prosecutions for the Commonwealth, to the show.
Raelene has had an incredibly impressive Life in the Law, but back in high school, when she told her careers counsellor she wanted to study law, she was advised against it, largely because she didn’t know any lawyers and had no connections in the profession.
She persisted regardless. And once she made her way to law school, she quickly knew two things: she loved the law, and she wanted to prosecute.
That instinct has taken Raelene through an extraordinary range of roles. She began her career at the Victorian OPP, went on to work at the then Australian Crime Commission and with the United Nations in Lebanon, before being called to the Victorian Bar in 2010. In 2023, she was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions, leading an office responsible for prosecuting offences against Commonwealth law across an enormous and varied jurisdiction.
It’s a wide-ranging and wonderful conversation, and a pleasure to hear about Raelene’s Life in the Law.
www.greenslist.com.au/podcast
www.themelbournemap.com.au

This week, we welcome Her Honour Judge Liz Gaynor, former Judge of the County Court of Victoria, to Lives in the Law.
Liz began her legal career in earnest, as a duty solicitor with Victoria Legal Aid before coming to the Bar in 1985, where she built an extensive criminal defence practice, including significant work in the Children’s Court. She was appointed to the County Court in 2002 and went on to spend more than two decades presiding over criminal matters. 
But Liz’s path to the bench was far from straightforward. Disheartened by her first experience of legal practice, she briefly left the law to pursue journalism before ultimately finding her way back, and discovering her passion in the courtroom. 
It’s a wide-ranging and wonderful conversation, and a privilege to hear about Liz’s Life in the Law.
www.greenslist.com.au/podcast
www.themelbournemap.com.au

This week, Michael Green speaks with Hugh de Kretser, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Hugh has spent much of his career working to advance human rights and social justice. After beginning his career in commercial law, he moved into the community legal sector, going on to work with the Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria, the Victorian Law Reform Commission and the Sentencing Advisory Council. He later led the Human Rights Law Centre and was CEO of the Yoorrook Justice Commission before being appointed President of the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Along the way, each role has brought Hugh into different communities and given him a deeper understanding of the people and experiences that sit behind questions of law, justice and human rights.
We’ll hear about all this and more in today’s episode. It’s a fascinating conversation, and an honour to hear about Hugh’s Life in the Law.
www.greenslist.com.au/podcast
www.themelbournemap.com.au

This week, we welcome criminal lawyer Lauren Cassimatis, founder and principal of Gallant Law.
Lauren has spent more than two decades defending people at some of the most frightening and consequential moments of their lives. For Lauren, good representation means seeing the person behind the charge and understanding the bigger picture of their life.
Lauren is also the founder of Connecting Lawyer Mums, a nationwide community supporting thousands of women as they navigate law, leadership and family.
We’ll hear about all this and more in today’s episode, including Lauren’s insights into the experiences of women who commit crime, her love and study of fashion, and the influence of her Greek heritage on her life and career.
It’s a fascinating conversation, and a pleasure to hear about Lauren’s Life in the Law.
www.greenslist.com.au/podcast
www.themelbournemap.com.au

This week, we welcome Brind Zichy-Woinarski KC, one of the longest-serving and most respected members of the Victorian Bar.
From his first mooting competition at university, Brind knew he wanted to be a barrister. As he puts it, he simply wanted to be on his feet, making a fool of himself.
In this episode, we hear about being named "Mr Junior" while he was still a reader at the Bar, becoming one of the founding members of the Criminal Bar Association, and appearing in some of Australia's most significant legal matters, including decades of criminal trials, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Lindy and Michael Chamberlain's Convictions, and serving amicus curiae in the Nicola Gobbo (Lawyer X) litigation.
It is wonderful to have Brind on the show, and fascinating to hear about his long and distinguished Life in the Law.
www.greenslist.com.au/podcast
www.themelbournemap.com.au