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The Central Queensland Law Association is an association for the purpose of furthering access to justice in Central Queensland and is the forefront representative body for lawyers in Central Queensland.

2026 Conference Wrap UpThank you to all the CQLA members, CQLA member firms, delegates, speakers, sponsors, guests, even...
01/10/2026

2026 Conference Wrap Up

Thank you to all the CQLA members, CQLA member firms, delegates, speakers, sponsors, guests, event organisers and venues who supported the 2026 Conference. The Conference simply cannot happen without your support!

We love feedback – it helps us to focus on what went well and to improve the things that didnt go so well:

Delegate feedback form – https://forms.gle/m8HPACSQszBiasw57
Speaker feedback form – https://forms.gle/LwkBSZ1djPEEYsPbA
Sponsor feedback form – https://forms.gle/xaDNxY9tfpCp49sR8

Conference papers will be made available shortly. You can check out some of the event photographs below.

Should you wish to access the program, a copy can be found here >>>https://cqla.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/CQLA-2026_Program-21092026.pdf

Our Conference Media Release dated 29.09.2026 is on this link >>>https://cqla.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Media-Release-Conference-2026-29.09.2026.pdf

With thanks to our Conference2026 sponsors:

Platinum Presenting Partners: Solace Advisory
Gold Sponsor: Stewart Title
Gold Sponsor: Signed-X
Silver Sponsor: Morgans Financial
Silver Sponsor: Queensland Law Society
Silver Sponsor: DLV Finance
Silver Sponsor: Family Law Practitioner’s Association
Bronze Sponsor: Latter Kennedy Accountants and Business Advisors
Bronze Sponsor: Lexon Insurance
Bronze Sponsor: The Art of Estate Planning
Bronze Sponsor: Legal Services Commission

🚨 24 HOURS TO GO | GOLDEN GAVEL ENTRIES CLOSE TOMORROW!This is your final call to advocate for a more comfortable Queens...
24/09/2026

🚨 24 HOURS TO GO | GOLDEN GAVEL ENTRIES CLOSE TOMORROW!

This is your final call to advocate for a more comfortable Queensland justice system. ⚖️🏃

Entries for the 2026 CQLA GOLDEN GAVEL COMPETITION close at 5.00 pm TOMORROW!

Your challenge?

Convince the room that robes, suits and conventional court attire should be replaced by a standard court tracksuit.

The catch?

You have FOUR MINUTES to do it – LIVE at the CQLA Closing Lunch! 🎤

No legal authorities.
No footnotes.

Persuasiveness, logic, wit, originality, delivery and brevity are what will win this one.

And there’s more than $1,250 worth of Henschke w**e on the line… 🍷🏆

🍷 FIRST PRIZE
Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley 2021 – RRP $1,000

🍷 SECOND PRIZE
Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz Gift Box, Eden Valley 2021 – RRP $250

Not willing to take the floor yourself?

NOMINATE SOMEONE! 👀

The competition is open to CQLA members, registered Conference delegates and Conference speakers aged 18+, and nominees must personally accept their nomination.

🚨 Only SIX speaking places are available, allocated to the first six valid entries received.

📧 Enter or nominate by emailing the person’s name and contact details to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

⏰ ENTRIES CLOSE 5.00 PM TOMORROW – FRIDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER

🎤 Speeches delivered at the CQLA Closing Lunch
📅 Saturday, 26 September 2026 | 12.00 pm
📍 Rockhampton Leagues Club

Four minutes. Six places. A $1,000 bottle of Henschke.

Surely someone in the CQ legal profession is ready to make the case for the judicial tracksuit? 😂⚖️🍷

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | SHERIDAN SHAW & GEORGINA MORGANA familiar face is returning to the CQLA Conference stage this year...
22/09/2026

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | SHERIDAN SHAW & GEORGINA MORGAN

A familiar face is returning to the CQLA Conference stage this year – and this time Sheridan Shaw will be joined by Georgina Morgan to take us inside the Mental Health Court. ⚖️

Sheridan has presented at the CQLA Conference many times over the years, and we’re always delighted to welcome her back to share her knowledge with our delegates.

Together, Sheridan and Georgina will be presenting:

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MENTAL HEALTH COURT? THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FITNESS AND SOUNDNESS AND THE PRACTICAL REALITIES FOR YOUR CLIENT.

The presentation aims to provide an insight into the workings of the Mental Health Court. It will cover what happens to matters once referred, what occurs at a contested hearing, how a determination is made about fitness or soundness, what the difference is between the two and what practitioners need to be aware of before a referral is made.

For practitioners who don’t regularly appear in the Mental Health Court, this is a valuable opportunity to better understand not just the legal principles involved, but the practical realities of the process and what it means for your client.

ABOUT GEORGINA

Georgina’s practice focuses on government litigation, mental health law, criminal law, employment law and administrative and public law. Georgina regularly appears for the Chief Psychiatrist in the Mental Health Court in contested hearings for serious offences, as well as in uncontested matters and appeals from the Mental Health Review Tribunal. She is also regularly briefed to prosecute a range of criminal and regulatory matters, including for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and Government entities, such as the Department of Primary Industries and the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

Before joining the private bar in 2023, Georgina practised as an employed barrister in the Prosecutions Team at Crown Law from 2021 to 2023. She appeared in sentences and trials for a range of different government and regulatory clients including the Workers’ Compensation Regulator, Queensland Health and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. She also regularly appeared in the Mental Health Review Tribunal and prepared advices with respect to matters of statutory interpretation, regulatory prosecutions and appeals. As a solicitor at Crown Law, her role also involved the conduct of matters under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003. Prior to working at Crown Law, Georgina was an Associate to judges in both the District and Supreme Court.

Georgina is a member of Bar Council, a Deputy Chair of the New Bar Committee, the Chair of the Women Lawyers’ Association of Queensland (WLAQ) Criminal Lawyers Sub-Committee and committee member of the WLAQ. She is also a director of the University of Queensland Law Alumni Association.

ABOUT SHERIDAN

Sheridan was admitted in the Supreme Court in 2016 and called to the Bar in 2021. Sheridan has conducted over fifty jury trials, hundreds of sentences and all manner of contested criminal hearings.

Prior to joining the private bar, Sheridan worked for the Queensland Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Rockhampton, Brisbane and Cairns offices. Through that work Sheridan gained a passion for the criminal law and criminal advocacy.

Since joining chambers in Rockhampton Sheridan has expanded her practice to include personal injuries law, as well as general commercial litigation. She has thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of taking on new areas of practice.

We’re looking forward to having Sheridan back and welcoming Georgina to the CQLA Conference for what promises to be an insightful and highly practical session.

📅 25 & 26 September 2026
📍 Rockhampton Leagues Club
🎓 Attend both days and earn all 10 CPD points!

Don't have your ticket yet? There’s still time! Check out the full program and secure your place here 👉 https://cqla.org.au/events/

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | HIS HONOUR JUSTICE GRAEME CROWWe are honoured to welcome His Honour Justice Graeme Crow to the 202...
21/09/2026

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | HIS HONOUR JUSTICE GRAEME CROW

We are honoured to welcome His Honour Justice Graeme Crow to the 2026 CQLA Conference program. ⚖️

A familiar and highly respected member of the Central Queensland legal community, His Honour will be presenting on:

VICARIOUS LIABILITY AND NON-DELEGABLE DUTY OF CARE

His Honour’s session will explore vicarious liability and non-delegable duty of care – an important area of law with relevance for practitioners advising on questions of responsibility and liability.

ABOUT HIS HONOUR

Justice Graeme Crow holds degrees in both Law and Commerce from the University of Queensland. He commenced practice as a Barrister in Rockhampton in 1991, was appointed Senior Counsel in 2010, and has served as Central Judge since 2018.

We are very fortunate to have His Honour joining this year’s program and look forward to welcoming him to the CQLA Conference.

📅 25 & 26 September 2026
📍 Rockhampton Leagues Club
🎓 Attend both days and earn all 10 CPD points!

Don't have your ticket yet? There’s still time! Check out the full program and secure your place here 👉 https://cqla.org.au/events/

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | SIMON LEWISChanges to Queensland’s propensity evidence laws bring important considerations for cri...
20/09/2026

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | SIMON LEWIS

Changes to Queensland’s propensity evidence laws bring important considerations for criminal law practitioners – particularly when advising clients facing historical offence allegations. ⚖️

Joining us at the 2026 CQLA Conference is highly experienced criminal barrister Simon Lewis, presenting:

WHAT DO THE NEW PROPENSITY EVIDENCE LAWS MEAN FOR PRACTITIONERS ADVISING CLIENTS WITH HISTORICAL OFFENCES

This session will examine what the new propensity evidence laws mean in practice and the implications for practitioners advising clients in historical offence matters.

With more than three decades at the Bar and hundreds of criminal trials behind him, Simon brings considerable practical experience to a topic with significant implications for criminal practitioners.

ABOUT SIMON

Simon was admitted as a solicitor in 1991 and was called to the bar in January of 1994. Throughout his career he has undertaken hundreds of criminal trials, making him one of the State’s most experienced criminal counsel.

Practising extensively in criminal law, Simon regularly appears in serious matters such as homicides and drug trafficking as well as all other serious criminal and regulatory matters. He has a considerable practice on the Sunshine Coast where he is the head of Robertson Chambers. He also has a significant presence in central and north Queensland courts.

Simon regularly presents to professional legal societies and associations on matters of current interest in criminal law, including on several occasions, the Criminal Law Advocacy Workshop in PNG. He is a member of the Legal Aid Queensland complex case panel and a past member of the Bar Association’s Criminal Law Committee.

For our criminal law practitioners, this is an important opportunity to hear from one of Queensland’s most experienced criminal counsel on a significant change to the evidentiary landscape.

A big thank you to the Legal Services Commission, proud sponsor of Simon’s session and Bronze Sponsor of the 2026 CQLA Conference. 👏

📅 25 & 26 September 2026
📍 Rockhampton Leagues Club
🎓 Attend both days and earn all 10 CPD points!

Don't have your ticket yet? There’s still time! Check out the full program and secure your place here 👉 https://cqla.org.au/events/

⏰ ONE WEEK TO GO | GOLDEN GAVEL ENTRIES CLOSE NEXT FRIDAY!Have you got four minutes of persuasive brilliance in you? Or,...
17/09/2026

⏰ ONE WEEK TO GO | GOLDEN GAVEL ENTRIES CLOSE NEXT FRIDAY!

Have you got four minutes of persuasive brilliance in you? Or, perhaps more importantly, do you know someone else who does? 👀

There’s just ONE WEEK left to enter – or nominate an unsuspecting colleague for – the 2026 CQLA GOLDEN GAVEL COMPETITION! ⚖️🎤

The challenge?

Convince us that robes, suits and conventional court attire should be replaced by a standard court tracksuit.

You’ll have no more than FOUR MINUTES to make your case LIVE at the CQLA Closing Lunch on Saturday.

No legal authorities.
No footnotes.

Unsupported confidence, persuasive reasoning, wit and imaginative advocacy strongly encouraged. 😂

And with these prizes, we think it’s worth getting up and having a crack…

🍷 FIRST PRIZE
Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley 2021 – RRP $1,000

🍷 SECOND PRIZE
Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz Gift Box, Eden Valley 2021 – RRP $250

🚨 BUT THERE’S A CATCH…

Only SIX speaking places are available, allocated to the first six valid entries received. Later entrants will go onto the reserve list.

Open to CQLA members, registered Conference delegates and Conference speakers aged 18+.

You can enter yourself OR nominate someone you think belongs behind the Golden Gavel! Nominees must personally accept their nomination.

📧 Enter or nominate via [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
⏰ Entries close 5.00 pm Friday, 25 September 2026.

🎤 Golden Gavel Competition
📅 Saturday, 26 September | 12.00 pm
📍 CQLA Closing Lunch | Rockhampton Leagues Club

Four minutes. Six places. A $1,000 bottle of Henschke.

Who are you nominating? 👀⚖️🍷

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | TARA LUCKEHow well can family wealth really be protected when divorce or separation enters the pic...
16/09/2026

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | TARA LUCKE

How well can family wealth really be protected when divorce or separation enters the picture? ⚖️

Joining us at the 2026 CQLA Conference is Tara Lucke, estate planning lawyer turned educator and founder of The Art of Estate Planning, presenting:

FAMILY LAW VERSUS DISCRETIONARY TRUSTS AND TESTAMENTARY TRUSTS

Protecting family wealth from divorce or separation - a review of the case law (including Caldwell v Caldwell) and practical guidance on effective planning.

With the interaction between estate planning, trusts and family law creating some complex considerations for practitioners and their clients, Tara’s session will take us through the relevant case law and, importantly, provide practical guidance for effective planning.

ABOUT TARA

Tara is an estate planning lawyer turned educator, and the founder of The Art of Estate Planning, a firm that provides precedents, education and mentoring to Australian lawyers.
With 17 years’ experience as an estate planning lawyer, Tara’s mission is to help lawyers feel confident, supported, and be profitable in their estate planning practice.
Through her innovative precedent packages, online courses and vibrant membership community, she’s helped over 700 law firms expand into offering testamentary trust wills.
Tara is passionate about shutting down gatekeeping of complex estate planning concepts, and building community, to empower lawyers to thrive in their estate planning practice.

A big thank you to The Art of Estate Planning, proud sponsor of Tara’s session and Bronze Sponsor of the 2026 CQLA Conference. 👏

📅 25 & 26 September 2026
📍 Rockhampton Leagues Club
🎓 Attend both days and earn all 10 CPD points!

Don't have your ticket yet? There’s still time! Check out the full program and secure your place here 👉 https://cqla.org.au/events/

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | ALEXANDER CHOY“You work the farm, and one day it’ll all be yours.”But what happens when the will s...
16/09/2026

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | ALEXANDER CHOY

“You work the farm, and one day it’ll all be yours.”

But what happens when the will says otherwise? 🚜⚖️

Joining us at the 2026 CQLA Conference is Alexander Choy, Barrister at George Street Chambers in Brisbane, presenting:

PROPRIETARY ESTOPPEL AND THE FAMILY FARM

This session examines proprietary estoppel claims in farm succession disputes, where a family member claims to have worked the land on assurances that it would one day be theirs, only to find that the will says otherwise.

It will recap the elements of the claim and the remedies available, before turning to how a claim of this kind is proved in practice, including the evidence required to establish each element and how the court approaches the task of assessing it. The session aims to provide practical takeaways for practitioners advising farming families, including how to identify a dispute in the making, how it can be avoided, and what evidence to gather, from whom, and when.

For practitioners advising farming families in Central Queensland, this promises to be an especially relevant session – looking not only at how these disputes play out, but what can be done to identify and potentially avoid them before they reach that point.

ABOUT ALEXANDER

Alexander Choy is a barrister at George Street Chambers in Brisbane. Alex was called to the Bar in 2018 and has a broad commercial practice spanning equity and trusts, estates, real property, contracts, corporations and insolvency, building and construction, and professional negligence. He is increasingly briefed in complex estates litigation, including proprietary estoppel and constructive trust claims, and disputes involving assets held in family trusts, companies and partnerships.
Alex holds a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford, together with undergraduate degrees from Griffith University, where he received the University Medal in both Law and International Business. Prior to coming to the Bar, Alex worked as a solicitor at Mallesons' Brisbane office, and before that was Associate to the Hon Justice Rangiah of the Federal Court of Australia.

A big thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, Solace Advisory, proud sponsor of Alexander’s session and long-standing supporter of the CQLA Conference. 👏 https://solaceadvisory.au/

📅 25 & 26 September 2026
📍 Rockhampton Leagues Club
🎓 Attend both days and earn all 10 CPD points!

Don't have your ticket yet? There’s still time! Check out the full program and secure your place here 👉 https://cqla.org.au/events/

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | SIMON LABLACKIt’s been 12 months since Queensland’s Seller Disclosure Regime came into effect – so...
13/09/2026

🎤 MEET OUR SPEAKERS | SIMON LABLACK

It’s been 12 months since Queensland’s Seller Disclosure Regime came into effect – so, what have we learned? 🏠⚖️

Joining us at the 2026 CQLA Conference is Simon LaBlack, Legal Practitioner Director of LaBlack Lawyers and Accredited Specialist (Property Law), taking a practical look at the Seller Disclosure Regime in Queensland (Form 2) 12 months on.

Simon will look at the fallout from the roll-out: where people have gone wrong, the tips and traps that have emerged in practice, and what the future may hold for Queensland’s seller disclosure regime.

For anyone working in property and conveyancing, this is a great opportunity to move beyond the theory and hear about what has actually happened since the regime was introduced – including the issues practitioners need to have on their radar.

ABOUT SIMON

Simon LaBlack, Legal Practitioner Director, LaBlack Lawyers Pty Ltd
Accredited Specialist (Property Law) – Qld

Simon practises exclusively in Property Law in Queensland. In 2017, he became one of now 25 Accredited Specialists in Queensland Property Law. Simon assists organisations and private clients in all property law related matters including property acquisitions and disposals, commercial property matters including leases, developments, transactions and disputes, subdivisions and compulsory acquisition matters. Simon is a member of the Queensland Law Society Property Law Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee, he is a member of the PEXA Member Advisory Council, he acts as a Court-Appointed Statutory Trustee for Sale and as a specialist consultant to the profession and he is a contributing author for LexisNexis in their practical guidance materials.

A big thank you to Lexon Insurance, proud sponsor of Simon’s session and Bronze Sponsor of the 2026 CQLA Conference. 👏

📅 25 & 26 September 2026
📍 Rockhampton Leagues Club
🎓 Attend both days and earn all 10 CPD points!

Don't have your ticket yet? There’s still time! Check out the full program and secure your place here 👉 https://cqla.org.au/events/

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Rockhampton City, QLD

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