SPEAKERS
Additional Information on speakers will be available soon. Please check back soon for updates.
Angela Bentley - Solicitor & Principal, Angela Bentley & Associates
Angela Bentley studies law as a mature-aged student having been a television presenter for seven years.
She has been practising as a plaintiff lawyer for over 30 years working exclusively for those injured in motor vehicle accidents.
She is a Past President of APLA (SA Branch).
In recent years she has become concerned that expensive, time-consuming and overloaded Court system, together with an increasingly adversarial approach by the Insurer, has led to excessive delays and increased costs damaging to both claimants and the Insurer. She advocates for a change in attitudes of both parties encouraging collaborative efforts to explore alternative, more efficient and cost effective ways of finalizing matters for the benefit of both parties.
Ralph Bönig - President, Law Society of South Australia
Ralph Bonig has been President of the Law Society of South Australia since 18 October 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Adelaide.
Ralph commenced his legal career at Baker McEwin (now Minter Ellison) in 1980, becoming a Partner in 1988 and remaining with the firm until 1993, when he became a founding partner of Fountain+Bönig.
Ralph has had extensive involvement with Law Society of South Australia since 1995 as a Council Member, Executive Member, Treasurer, Vice President and now President. He has been the Society’s representative on the Law Council of Australia’s Professional Indemnity Insurance Working Group since 2009 and Chair of the Society’s Committee that is considering the National Legal Profession Project since 2009.
Ralph is also a member of the Law Council’s General Practice Section, Federal Litigation Section and Personal Injuries Litigation Group.
For the last 20 years Ralph has specialised in the area of Professional Indemnity Insurance, medical malpractice and public liability, representing a variety of clients in complex medico-legal matters including coronial enquiries representing both private insurers and government agencies.
Ralph is married to Jez and has two sons, Karl and Eric. His personal interests include outdoor activities including an extensive history of coaching junior sport at a variety of levels, including football and cricket.
Alison Colmer – Manager, Major Claims & Litigation, Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd
Currently the Manager of Major Claims and Litigation for SA CTP with Allianz Australia Insurance, Alison is responsible for the management of Major Claims, the Defendant Legal Panel and the Conference team. Alison holds a Bachelor of Nursing and Graduate Diploma in Business, and has over ten years experience in personal injury claims management, in both Workers Compensation and Compulsory Third Party across South Australia and Victoria.
Peter Day – Barrister, Jeffcott Chambers
Peter was admitted to the Bar in 1984. After completing a year as an Associate to a Supreme Court Judge Peter commenced employment at Mellor Gardner Beamond & Page. He remained in this employment for a period of 13 years during which time he assumed the role of in-house counsel dealing with diverse areas of civil litigation and criminal matters. Peter then took up a position at Finlaysons as special counsel in the CTP department where he remained for 7 years. In 2006 Peter commenced practice as a barrister at Jeffcott Chambers. He practices mainly in the fields of negligence and personal injuries acting for plaintiffs, defendants, insurers and government
Cheree Gask
Cheree Gask left school at the age of 15 to become a jockey having been involved in pony club from a young age. She completed her apprenticeship in April 2003 and became a senior jockey but in September 2003 she was involved in a serious race fall which resulted in her right leg being amputated below the knee. The injury ended her career as a jockey but she remained involved in the racing industry as a presenter for Sky Channel until 2007.
Cheree is now busy at home with her three boys, husband Barney, Mitchell, 4 years, and Elliot, 2 years.
Belinda Randall - CTP Legal Adviser, Motor Accident Commission
Belinda originally hails from over the Border, the small country town of Kaniva. (Yes, the place where you ask ‘Can I have an Ice-cream’!)
She came to Adelaide to study Law and Economics at Adelaide University in 1984. Belinda was admitted to practise in South Australia in December 1990 and Victoria in 1991.
Since 1988, Belinda’s primary areas of practise have been insurance and personal injury litigation. She has been a partner at both Finlaysons and Donaldson Walsh. Belinda’s particular interest is in the area of catastrophic injury, which included drafting the CTP Guidelines for the management of children’s claims. She commenced her own practise in April 2010 and is a consultant to the Motor Accident Commission and Allianz Australia CTP.
Belinda spends her spare time playing netball, driving her 2 children and ridiculously large dog around and being forced to attend personal training sessions by Alison Colmer.
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