Our Team

Hamish is a public, administrative and human rights lawyer with over 15 years’ experience in Australia and New Zealand's legal assistance sector. During this time he led the Mental Health and Disability Program at Victoria Legal Aid, and helped to manage the Public Law Team at the Victorian Government Department of Premier and Cabinet. In 2023, he co-authored human rights legal book 50, Human Rights Cases that Changed Australia, with Lucy Geddes, and co-presents 3RRR's queer and trans talk show Queer View Mirrors.

Gayathri joined FLS in January 2024 on secondment from VLA where she is Associate Director, Family Law. Gayathri is an accredited specialist in family law and has a deep knowledge of the CLC sector in general and our communities in particular. She started her career as a lawyer at Women’s Legal Service, before joining SSRV and then Springvale Monash Legal Service. She then spent three years at our very own Darebin Community Legal Service, including two as Principal Solicitor. During her time at VLA she has worked in a large number of roles including as a FLFV lawyer, as an independent children’s lawyer, as the Regional Managing Lawyer of the Barwon office, and as acting Executive Director of Legal Practice and for the Barwon Region. In 2021, she acted in the role of Interim CEO of the Commission for Children and Young People. Gayathri will be at FLS until 31 May 2024.

Ryan Hsu (he/they) commenced at FLS in June 2023. Before joining the FLS team, Ryan held leadership roles in the tertiary education and trade union sector, including the Senior Manager, Strategy, Prevention and Education and Manager of Respect, Prevention and Culture at La Trobe University, Program Manager of Sexual Harm Prevention at Deakin University, Branch President and Assistant State Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).

Ryan has a Master of Laws and Master of Counselling from Monash University, a Bachelor of Business and Graduate Diploma in Education from La Trobe University, a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Psychology from Curtin University and has completed course requirements for the Master of Science in Medicine (Sexual and Reproductive Health) at the University of Sydney.

Ryan is a registered counsellor, sexologist and an experienced health promotion practitioner. Ryan is passionate about LGBTIQA+SB rights, gender equality, gender-affirming practices and interpersonal violence prevention. Ryan is currently the Secretary of the Asia Pacific Association of Threat Assessment Professionals.

Beck joined FLS as the Service Director and Principal Lawyer for the Night Service in November 2023. Prior to this she was a Senior Associate working in public law, litigation and coronial spaces, managed Victoria Police's in-court family violence response and therapeutic jurisdictions for the Metropolitan Melbourne catchment area. During the period, Beck also drove legislative and policy reform with WorkSafe Victoria among a range of roles with the Victorian Government. Beck has degrees in Law and Arts from the University of Adelaide, a Master of Laws from La Trobe University, and all but one subject of a nursing degree completed at Flinders University. Beck is actively involved in the community through her hobbies of powerlifting and choir singing.

Laura joined FLS as our Administration and Client Services Officer in March 2021; she was appointed to the Practice Manager position in May 2022. Prior to joining FLS, Laura worked as a qualified registrar at Court Services Victoria. Laura has undertaken a variety of volunteer work, including as an Inside-Out think tank participant at Karreenga Correctional Centre, and as an interviewer of young people involved in a youth diversion program.

Tuvan started working with us in 2007 as a casual helping with The Law Handbook invoicing. Now she now works two days per week assisting our Finance Officer. Prior to working with us, she spent six years at Complete Commercial where she looked after their accounts receivable and accounts payable. Tuvan studied nursing at university.

Emma is a seasoned strategic communications and media relations advisor for Australian social service and social justice organisations. In 2013, Emma worked with national peak bodies in Canberra as Communications and Membership Manager to advocate for policy and regulatory reform around pokies, energy affordability and the right for advocacy under the Charitie Act . This work involved coordinating two National Press Club events, national media campaigns, and dozens of member roundtables. Following this she joined member organisation, Australian Charities Foundation, to progress charitable giving in Australia, and went on as Senior Media Advisor to support crisis and change management communications for Anglicare Agedcare Victoria. Emma has provided PR support for organisations including Diversity Council for Australia, UNICEF Australia, Transparency International Australia, Australian Business Volunteers.

Adam began working at FLS in 2015 as a volunteer and, after a brief hiatus working for a private firm in South Gippsland, he was appointed to the position of Drug Outreach Lawyer in 2016. With the expansion of the outreach service into Darebin, Adam was then appointed to the position of Senior Drug Outreach Lawyer in 2019. Adam holds a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Psychological Science from La Trobe University.

Peter joined FLS as Senior Generalist lawyer in mid 2023. Prior to this Peter worked at National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) in a Policy and Research role. Peter practiced criminal law with VALS after being admitted to practice in 2014 and was appointed Senior Criminal Lawyer in 2019. He has an ongoing interest in public interest law and has also volunteered in the environmental law field prior to commencing criminal law. In a previous iteration, Peter practiced Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture) and worked in health and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres.

Paloma Cole (she/her) was admitted to legal practice in 2018, and previously worked in Maurice Blackburn’s Employment and Industrial Law Service, where her key practice areas were employment, sexual harassment, equal opportunity, defamation and human rights law. Paloma has also worked for Legal Aid Queensland as a frontline Client Information Officer, and in senior legal policy roles for the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety, where she lead a variety of human rights, equal opportunity, defamation, family violence and criminal law reform projects.

As a queer woman, Paloma is passionate about serving her community and establishing ongoing relationships of mutual support and empowerment. She recognises that the law has historically been, and continues to be, a system which establishes, entrenches and weaponises disenfranchisement and discrimination of marginalised communities. She is passionate about upending this status quo by using the law as a vehicle for justice and progress through individual client representation and wider law reform advocacy.

Nick Newlands is the Senior Lawyer for Migration at Fitzroy Legal Service where he is charged with establishing the organisations state-wide migration law services. Before joining FLS, Nick was a Senior Lawyer at the Law Institute of Victoria where he worked to reform key legal policy relating to Administrative and Human Rights Law in Victoria. For over six years, Nick also worked with Australia’s largest community legal service for people seeking asylum, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, where he oversaw a weekly legal clinic for people in the community and navigated complex cases through immigration law. Nick has a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) from Monash University and a Juris Doctor and a Masters of International Law and International Relations from the University of New South Wales.

With Fitzroy Legal Service for over 17 years, Meghan is a public lawyer and has spearheaded strategic litigation and law reform regarding the stigmatisation of people who use drugs, proceedings challenging veracity of the business case regarding the East West Link, and freedom of political communication for medical practitioners on behalf of Doctors for Refugees at the High Court of Australia among other substantial public interest cases. Meghan is a leading voice for harm-reduction reform across Victoria.

Sophie first joined FLS in 2017 as a volunteer in the Social Action, Policy and Law Reform team, before moving into her current role of Community Education and Projects Officer in December 2018. Before becoming a member of the FLS team, Sophie worked in legal advocacy in the environmental and humanitarian immigration sectors. Sophie has worked as a volunteer at the Aboriginal Legal Service in Redfern, Environs Kimberley in Broome, the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations in Victoria, and Melbourne Activist Legal Support. Sophie graduated with distinction from RMIT with a Bachelor of Legal and Disputes Studies in 2015, and is currently undertaking a Juris Doctor at Monash University.

Bess joined FLS in June 2021 as our Community Outreach Lawyer. Bess grew up around the Fitzroy area and completed a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts at La Trobe University in 2015. After graduating, she worked as an Associate to a Judge at the County Court of Victoria and then as a criminal defence lawyer for two years at Stary Norton Halphen. Bess had a sea change in early 2020 and moved to northern New South Wales, where she practised at a local firm in criminal law, employment law and mental health tribunal matters.

Ryan Hsu (he/they) commenced at FLS in June 2023. Before joining the FLS team, Ryan held leadership roles in the tertiary education and trade union sector, including the Senior Manager, Strategy, Prevention and Education and Manager of Respect, Prevention and Culture at La Trobe University, Program Manager of Sexual Harm Prevention at Deakin University, Branch President and Assistant State Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).

Ryan has a Master of Laws and Master of Counselling from Monash University, a Bachelor of Business and Graduate Diploma in Education from La Trobe University, a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Psychology from Curtin University and has completed course requirements for the Master of Science in Medicine (Sexual and Reproductive Health) at the University of Sydney.

Ryan is a registered counsellor, sexologist and an experienced health promotion practitioner. Ryan is passionate about LGBTIQA+SB rights, gender equality, gender-affirming practices and interpersonal violence prevention. Ryan is currently the Secretary of the Asia Pacific Association of Threat Assessment Professionals.

Kelly Cassidy has dedicated her eight year career in community law to promoting social justice and breaking down barriers that prevent individuals experiencing intersectional disadvantage from engaging in the legal system. Kelly has worked in community legal centres in regional Victoria and the Pilbara in Western Australia, and has previous experience as a principal solicitor. Their main areas of practice have been in family law, family violence and tenancy law. As a non-binary lesbian, Kelly is excited to now be turning her focus towards assisting members of the LGBTQIA+ community. In this new role at Q+Law they are particularly interested in assisting with discrimination matters on an individual level as well as addressing the systems that reinforce the disadvantages experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole.

Joseph has practised almost exclusively in family law and family violence since he was admitted to legal practice in 2016. He has a passion for helping vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, which lead him to begin his legal career in Canberra working exclusively for not-for-profit organisations. After a brief period of working in private practice, Joseph returned to the community legal sector and joined Fitzroy Legal Service in July 2021. Joseph uses his formidable advocacy skills and passion to advance his clients' interests to achieve the best possible outcome. Joseph is also FLS' Queerspace Outreach Lawyer. Joseph holds a Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice Administration) from RMIT University and a Juris Doctor from the University of New South Wales.

Paloma Cole (she/her) was admitted to legal practice in 2018, and previously worked in Maurice Blackburn’s Employment and Industrial Law Service, where her key practice areas were employment, sexual harassment, equal opportunity, defamation and human rights law. Paloma has also worked for Legal Aid Queensland as a frontline Client Information Officer, and in senior legal policy roles for the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety, where she lead a variety of human rights, equal opportunity, defamation, family violence and criminal law reform projects.

As a queer woman, Paloma is passionate about serving her community and establishing ongoing relationships of mutual support and empowerment. She recognises that the law has historically been, and continues to be, a system which establishes, entrenches and weaponises disenfranchisement and discrimination of marginalised communities. She is passionate about upending this status quo by using the law as a vehicle for justice and progress through individual client representation and wider law reform advocacy.

Madeleine joined FLS in October 2019 as our Family Violence Lawyer. Before becoming a member of the FLS team, Madeleine worked at Peter Lynch Solicitors in the areas of family law and criminal law. Madeleine graduated from Monash University with a Juris Doctor in 2015; she was admitted to legal practice on 5 December 2017. In the interim, Madeleine worked at Oxfam Australia in humanitarian response and completed her practical legal training at the Human Rights Law Centre.

Sophie joined FLS in February 2024 and works in both the Family Law / Family Violence team and the General Integrated Services team as part of the Women’s Legal Integrated Outreach service. Before coming to FLS, Sophie worked for several years doing a wide range of civil justice work as a Senior Lawyer in the Mental Health and Disability Law team at Victoria Legal Aid.

Sophie has previously worked as a lawyer in family law and family violence at Victoria Legal Aid after she was admitted to legal practice in 2018. Prior to this, Sophie worked as an Associate to the Honourable Justice Thornton of the Family Court of Australia, and as an Associate to Judge Purdon-Sully and Judge Curtain of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. Sophie has also worked as a legal clerk in the Public Law sector of Crown Law, Queensland.

Sophie holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. Sophie brings a client-focused and trauma informed approach to their work. Having experience in many different areas of law, she seeks to address a client’s holistic legal needs with integrated, thoughtful and caring practice.

Gatwech joined FLS in June 2023 as a Family Law and Family Violence Lawyer. Prior to this, he worked for Victoria Police as a lawyer, and practised criminal law, family violence and civil law at the Legal Services Department. Gatwech Wal escaped war-torn Sudan and spent more than 11 years in a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

He arrived in Australia in 2006 as a refugee. During his years in Australia, he worked in a variety of jobs and completed many courses including an Advanced Diploma of Justice at Holmesglen TAFE, a Diploma of Logistic AT Vostro College, a Bachelor Degree of Criminal Justice Administration, a Master Degree in Justice and Criminology at RMIT University and a Bachelor Degree of Law (LL. B) at Victoria University.

Christina Potts joined FLS in July 2023 after volunteering with the Family Law/Family Violence team while completing her law degree. Prior to this, Christina worked in family law at Nevett Ford Lawyers in Melbourne and criminal law firm Kingsley Napley in London. Christina holds a Bachelor of Laws from Deakin University and was admitted as a solicitor in September 2023.

Amre has a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws from Monash University, and upon graduation completed his articles at Behan & Speed. Several years in general practice followed before Amre focused on family and personal injury law. Amre was accredited as a Family Law Specialist in the 1990’s, and joined Webb, Stagg, Tonkin & Spark. He ran their Doncaster office, and developed a large following in Doncaster and Diamond Valley. He then joined and became a partner of Yuncken & Yuncken, a firm based in Melbourne with a large branch in Blackburn. He has been with FLS since 2006, practising exclusively in family law.

Beck joined FLS as the Service Director and Principal Lawyer for the Night Service in November 2023. Prior to this she was a Senior Associate working in public law, litigation and coronial spaces, managed Victoria Police's in-court family violence response and therapeutic jurisdictions for the Metropolitan Melbourne catchment area. During the period, Beck also drove legislative and policy reform with WorkSafe Victoria among a range of roles with the Victorian Government. Beck has degrees in Law and Arts from the University of Adelaide, a Master of Laws from La Trobe University, and all but one subject of a nursing degree completed at Flinders University. Beck is actively involved in the community through her hobbies of powerlifting and choir singing.

Morgan joined us in February 2018 and is a long term volunteer of the evening legal advice service.

Em joined FLS in February 2021 as our Night Service Administration Officer. Em has a Bachelor of Music from the University of Melbourne and is currently studying the Juris Doctor at RMIT. Before joining the FLS team, Em worked at the Mental Health Legal Centre. They have also volunteered with the Inside Access program and with the PLEA Project, which providers prisoners with legal information.

Erin O’Dwyer started as Editor of the Law Handbook in mid-2023. She has 25 years' experience as a journalist - across print, digital and broadcast media. She is also legally qualified. As a journalist she spent many years covering the courts, and reporting on the social issues that intersect with the criminal justice system. She has been recognised three times in the Australian UN Media Peace Awards, and she is a Walkley Awards finalist. She is a passionate mentor and has taught writing for two decades, including at the University of Sydney, UTS, UNSW and QUT.

Eve first joined FLS in 2021 as a volunteer. . Before her current role, Eve worked as a Legal Secretary in the family law team and volunteered in the WILO team. Eve has a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor from the University of Melbourne. She also volunteered at Job Watch and the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission in Alice Springs while she was studying.