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NEALE DAWSON

Joint Managing Director/Principal Solicitor

Neale was appointed as Managing Director/Principal Solicitor of NEW Law in October 2015 having commenced as Principal Solicitor in July 2013.

Neale’s passion has been providing legal services to unions and their members for 30 years.  Neale is an experienced advocate, having appeared in all areas of litigation arising from the workplace. He has appeared in all major courts and tribunals, including Coronial Inquiries, Commissions of Inquiry, professional registration tribunals and the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

 

Neale continues to represent workers and their families facing criminal charges relating to both their employment and otherwise.

For many years Neale represented veterans and widows of war veterans in Administrative Appeals. Neale has a background in teaching and educational administration, having worked in both the government and non-government sectors prior to pursuing a career in law, including a period practicing as a Barrister and as an academic.

Neale holds Master Degrees in both Education and Law from the University of Sydney and a post Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance.  He is a Charted Secretary and Notary Public, a fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries and a member of the Governance Institute of Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Neale is a Director of Teachers Health Pty Limited and he is the Chair of the fund’s Risk and Governance Committee.

PETA KAVA

Joint Managing Director/Principal Solicitor

Peta joined NEW Law in July 2011 having worked previously with Bob Whyburn, Solicitor-Director, in his private practice, RL Whyburn & Associates.

Peta worked as a Registered Nurse in paediatrics for over 15 years before undertaking her legal studies and being admitted as a Solicitor in 1998.  She has worked as a Solicitor with R L Whyburn & Associates and also as a Senior Investigations Officer at the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) prior to taking on a role with the NSW Nurses’ Association in their Professional Team as a Legal Officer from 2004 to 2010 assisting members with Coroner’s matters and professional conduct issues.

Peta’s practice areas with NEW Law include advising injured workers of their rights and entitlements and acting on their behalf with any subsequent claim arising from their injuries. As a former nurse, Peta’s passion is looking after nurses, in particular those experiencing difficulties.

MAREE O'HALLORAN

Special Counsel

Maree O’Halloran joined New Law in April 2015 as an experienced advocate skilled in industrial negotiations. She was admitted as a solicitor in 1995 and holds a Masters Degree in Law specialising in human rights and social justice.

Prior to Maree’s appointment at NEW Law, she worked at the Welfare Rights Centre which is a community legal centre specialising in social security, family assistance and employment assistance law.  Maree managed the Centre, practised as a solicitor and advocated publicly for the rights of workers with disabilities and workers facing unemployment.

The Welfare Rights Centre has a number of NSW Trade Unions as affiliates and Maree worked closely with those unions. Maree believes that the trade union movement is critical to the living standards and dignity of working people.

Maree began her career as a teacher and is a former President of the NSW Teachers Federation. She was also an Industrial Officer of the Federation and has practised with McMahon Associates, a firm which conducted matters for teachers.

In 2011, Maree was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of a range of representative roles in industrial relations and education.

JACQUELINE BATES

Senior Associate
Accredited Specialist Personal Injury

Jackie joined NEW Law in September 2016 working predominately in Workers Compensation. Jackie was admitted as a solicitor in 2008.

Prior to joining NEW Law, Jackie worked as a solicitor at Federation Law from 2009 representing members of the Australian Education Union New South Wales Teachers Federation Branch and their families in personal injury claims, probate applications and conveyancing matters.

Before being admitted as a solicitor Jackie worked as a secretary and paralegal in the area of personal injury and conveyancing. Jackie’s practice areas with NEW Law include personal injury, conveyancing matter and probate applications.

TIMOTHY ROBERTS

Associate

Timothy joined NEW Law in April 2020 as a paralegal and research assistant to support Counsel Assisting the Teachers Federation Independent Inquiry into the status of teaching. His work in this role contributed to the 2021 Valuing the teacher profession report. Timothy was admitted as a solicitor in July 2021.

Prior to Timothy’s appointment at NEW Law, he worked as a Senior Education Officer and Executive Officer at the NSW Education Standards Authority. Timothy holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and Master of Education from the University of Newcastle, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Technology Sydney.

Timothy began his career as a secondary science teacher, working primarily in regional NSW. In 2016, he was a representative for public schools on the Quality Teaching Council. He has also worked as a Relief Officer in many roles at the NSW Teachers Federation and been an association representative on their Branch Council.

In 2023, Timothy was elected Vice President of NSW Young Lawyers and became the Secretary of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties. In 2024, he became President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties. Timothy is passionate about providing support and legal services to unions and their members.

Our Paralegals

Raquel Siafrakas

Our Paralegal

Jeremy Carboni

Our Paralegal

Our team of dedicated and experienced support staff:

Jan Whyburn

Accounts Manager

Julie Graham

Executive Assistant

Evelyn Siller

Legal Assistant

Bhavika Bhagat

Legal Assistant

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