2025 JCU Legal Studies Conference

Location: Townsville - 12 June 2025, Bebegu Yumba Campus (Douglas)

Magistrate Cathy McLennan

Professor McLennan is a proud graduate of JCU and a Queensland Magistrate. She was awarded the United Nations Queensland Award for services to the Community. She was the Chancellors Alumni of the Year in 2015. Her Honour was admitted to the Bar at the very young age of 22 – the youngest barrister in Queensland. She first worked for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service in Townsville, going on to write an award-winning book ‘Saltwater’ detailing her experiences in that role. She went on to practice as a private Barrister, before being appointed to the Bench.

Mr Mathai Joshi

Mathai Joshi is a Senior Associate based in Townsville, North Queensland, specialising in Criminal Law and Domestic and Family Violence Law. He regularly appears in Courts and Tribunals across Queensland, including the specialist Domestic Violence Court. Mathai has represented clients facing serious charges, including Homicide, Sex Offences, Serious Drug Offences, Fraud and Money Laundering. Committed to the legal profession, he is a member of the Queensland Law Society’s Access to Justice and Pro Bono Committee and previously served on the Future Leaders Committee, advocating for early-career lawyers in rural and regional areas. Mathai earned his Bachelor of Laws from JCU and remains closely connected to the university’s law program.

Dr Janine Gertz

Dr Janine Gertz is a Gugu Badhun and Ngadjonjii woman from North/Far North Queensland.  She is a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Indigenous Futures. Her research interests centre on the political representation and self-government strategies of Indigenous Nations and is grounded in her community development work with the Gugu Badhun Aboriginal Nation.

Dr Bill Mitchell OAM

Dr Bill Mitchell OAM Hon LLD was JCU’s first admitted solicitor in 1992. He is Principal Lawyer at Townsville Community Law. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by JCU and holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Law with JCU’s College of Law, Business and Governance. Bill received the Australian Human Rights Commission Law Award in 2008. He was awarded the Law Council of Australia’s President’s Medal in 2019. Bill was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2020. He has represented Community Legal Centres Australia in various United Nations human rights forums since 2013.

Mr Nicholas Douglas

Nick completed his studies at James Cook University in 2012. He worked at the Director of Public Prosecutions Office throughout this time, before spending two years as the Associate to both His Honour Judge John Baulch SC and the Honourable Justice David North. Since 2016, Nick has worked for Legal Aid Queensland, both within the Townsville office as well as in the Youth Team in Brisbane.

Ms Lorelei Billing

Lorelei Billing is Quandamooka, Bundjalung and South Sea Islander woman, born and raised in Townsville, where she is a Criminal Solicitor at the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Legal Service. Lorelei holds a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Queensland University of Technology and a Bachelor of Laws from James Cook University. Lorelei has practiced exclusively in Criminal Law and is committed to ensuring there is a voice and a place for our current and emerging First Nations legal practitioners in Queensland.

Mr Andrew Lowrie

Andrew Lowrie, born in Atherton, graduated from Atherton High School in 1990 before earning a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from James Cook University, Townsville, in 1995. He began his legal career in March 1996 as a Legal Support Officer with the Townsville Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Over the years, he has held roles as a Legal Officer, Senior Legal Officer, and Crown Prosecutor. Since 2017, he has served as Practice Manager of the Townsville ODPP. Following the 2024 division of the office into two chambers, Andrew was appointed Practice Manager of Finn Chambers, where he continues to oversee legal operations and prosecutorial functions.

Ms Filitsa Kounias

Filitsa completed her studies at James Cook University in 2007. Her career has lead her from Commonwealth DPP to Drug Court Coordinator and Childrens Court Prosecutor for the QPS. She has worked as a criminal lawyer for Legal Aid and in private practice. More recently she has played a pivotal part in enhancing the Restorative Justice Practice with Youth Justice in Townsville and her current project involves leading and facilitating multi-agency collaborative panels for the Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support.

Location: Cairns - 19 June 2025, Nguma-Bada Campus (Smithfield)

Judge Patricia Cope

Her Honour Judge Patricia Cope was appointed to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Division 2, in July 2021. She holds a Bachelor of Arts/Laws from the University of Tasmania (1990) and was admitted to practice in Victoria, Queensland, the High Court, and England and Wales. Judge Cope practiced in general litigation and family law, including private practice and Legal Aid Queensland. She founded Cairns’ first boutique family law firm, Cope Family Law, in 2004. Judge Cope has served as Chair of the Cairns Family Law Practitioners and President of the Cairns Regional Domestic Violence Service. Committed to professional development, she regularly presents on topics such as advocacy and practice management.

Mr Simon Bright

Commencing in 1997, he worked for the Queensland Police for 15 years, the majority of that was as a Police Prosecutor. Simon then worked for eight years in Melbourne at the Victorian Bar as a Barrister, practising initially in the criminal jurisdiction but also in Family Violence matters as well as some work in the Federal Courts dealing with Family Law matters. Although he took briefs from both prosecution and defence while at the Bar, Simon’s practise was predominantly defence work.

Professor Gary Meyers

Gary is a Professor of Law at JCU here in Cairns.  He is also an Emeritus Professor at Murdoch University. From 1994-97, he was the inaugural director of the National Native Title Tribunal Legal Research Unit. He teaches environmental law, international law, and human rights law. His main research interests are in comparative indigenous land rights law and environmental and natural resources law.

Ms Isabella Copetti

Isabella Copetti is the Deputy Principal Legal Officer at the Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service, overseeing offices in Cairns, Townsville, Bamaga, and Thursday Island. Since her admission as a lawyer in 2018, she has specialised in Child Protection, Domestic Violence, and Family Law. Isabella has been recognised as a finalist in multiple national legal awards for her work in the not-for-profit and community legal sectors. She also contributes to several working groups and legal forums across Queensland, supporting the development of Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Courts.

Mr Kulumba Kiyingi

Kulumba Kiyingi is the Senior Policy Officer at the Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service (QIFVLS), where he advocates for First Nations victim-survivors of family violence. Born in Sydney to Ugandan parents and raised in Papua New Guinea and Townsville, Kulumba holds dual degrees in Business and Law from the University of Queensland and has practised law in both Queensland and Victoria. He works closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, and is an active member of several legal associations. As a Muliga of the Muganda people and a Ugandan-Australian, he brings a deep respect for cultural resilience and diversity to his work.

Ms Hayley Fox

Hayley Fox is a criminal lawyer at Legal Aid Queensland (Cairns office). Hayley was admitted as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2019 and has practised in criminal law since that time. In her work, Hayley provides duty lawyer and ongoing case management and representation services to people charged with criminal offences, in an area spanning Innisfail to the Torres Strait Islands. Hayley is particularly passionate about representing youth, and those  from low-socio-economic backgrounds. Hayley is a mentor for the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland and enjoys sharing her experience as a lawyer with those who are studying. In 2024, Hayley won the WLAQ Emergent Woman Lawyer of the Year Award and the QUT Outstanding Young Alumnus Award.

Mr Jon Hanley

Originally from the United Kingdom, I emigrated after completing my BA Business in 2008. I joined the Queensland Police Service in 2017, originally in operational roles across the Far North, including Cairns and the Cape communities. I commenced as a Police Prosecutor in 2020, and have been the Officer in Charge of both Innisfail and Cairns Prosecutions, overseeing all aspects of criminal and civil Domestic Violence matters commenced by Police, spanning from Cardwell to Thursday Island. I am due to conclude my legal studies at QUT and gain admission in late 2025.

Ms Hayley Grainger

Hayley is the Principal Solicitor and Acting Director of the North Qld Women’s Legal Service (NQWLS).  She has been a lawyer in community legal centres for 20 years, with nearly 17 of those at NQWLS.  She was appointed Principal Solicitor in 2014 and has been acting in the Director role since 2022. NQWLS is a not-for-profit community legal service that aims to create a safer North Queensland for all women and their children. Its mission is to Empower, Educate, Advocate. It does this by providing free, accessible, high-quality, holistic legal help and support, promoting societal change and increased safety through community education and partnerships, and amplifies women's voices and their stories to influence law and policy, creating a safer legal system for women and their children. The service specialises in the areas of domestic violence, family law, child protection and migration. Before becoming a lawyer, Hayley was as a social worker and finds that the knowledge and skills gained through her social work practice continue to complement and enhance her work as a lawyer.