Council biographies

Elizabeth Carroll, President Elizabeth is Chief Legal Counsel at IP Australia, contributing to Australian innovation by providing strategic legal advice and managing the provision of all legal services to the agency. She has over a decade of experience leading the legal teams of three Commonwealth agencies and ten years’ experience in private practice. She was first elected to Council in 2017, and was elected Vice President in 2018. She joined the Law Society's Government Law Committee in 2018, and received the Society's Government Law Award in 2016. With experience in both government and private practice, Elizabeth is representative of the diverse nature of our local profession, and she is passionate about the role professional associations play in benefitting members and the wider community.
Sarah Avery, Vice President Sarah has worked as a solicitor since 2007, predominantly in private practice, and has just opened her sole practice. She operates in the fields of criminal law, occupational discipline, and coronial process, in line with her enduring passion for helping vulnerable people and professionals facing disciplinary action. In 2016, Sarah became the youngest President of the ACT Law Society, and was re-elected unchallenged in 2017. She won the inaugural Women Lawyer of the Year - Private Practice Award from the Women Lawyers Association of the ACT in 2017.
Farzana Choudhury, Vice President Farzana is the Disability Discrimination Law Senior Solicitor at Canberra Community Law, providing advice, casework and advocacy assistance to people facing disadvantage in relation to disability discrimination and related matters. She has been a member of Council since 2018, and is an active member of the Law Society’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee. Farzana was awarded a 2019 Churchill Fellowship to investigate the application of poverty based discrimination law frameworks overseas. Farzana is also the 2020 ANU Young Alumna of the Year, and was awarded ACT Young Lawyer of the Year in 2019.
George Marques, Secretary George is a Partner at HWL Ebsworth Lawyers. He has over 30 years’ experience in a broad range of commercial law, including commercial property, procurement and contracting, corporations law and probity and corporate governance. He specialises in advising on complex, sensitive and bespoke transactions for public and private companies, Commonwealth and State governments and not for profits. George has been named in Best LawyersTM Australia for Commercial Law and Mergers and Acquisitions, and has twice been named “Lawyer of the Year” for Canberra Commercial Law by Best LawyersTM Australia. He was elected to Council in 2013 and to Secretary in 2018.
Mark Tigwell, Treasurer Mark has practised in Canberra since his admission in 1984, and has worked variously in sole practice, and as a partner, director, and special counsel in local firms. In February 2019 he co-founded Bedfords Legal. He was a member of Council from 2010 to 2014, before stepping down for a few years. He was re-elected to Council in 2018 and was elected Treasurer in 2020. He has been a member of the Society’s Professional Standards Committee since 2007.
Rahul Bedi, Councillor appointed to Executive Rahul is a Senior Associate at Maliganis Edwards Johnson, primarily focusing on personal injury litigation, and is keenly interested in the welfare of all Canberrans. He was admitted to practise in 2013, and was elected to Council in 2018. He is an active member of several Law Society committees, having been a member of the Young Lawyers’ Committee since 2014 and currently serving as that committee’s treasurer, while also serving on the ADR Committee and the Legal Profession Act & Ethics Committee. He is also the Vice-President of the ACT Branch for the Asian Australian Lawyers Association.
Chris Donohue, Immediate Past President Chris has been a sole practitioner in the ACT since 1978. He practices primarily in the areas of civil litigation, commercial, conveyancing and probate. His involvement in community groups has included serving as president of the Commercial and Retail Tenants Association, the Canberra Environment Centre, and the Residents Rally (a local political party). Chris has served on Council since 2007 (excluding two years), both as a councillor and executive member, including for two years as Vice President, and two as President (2018-20).
Veena Bedekar, Councillor Veena is a Special Counsel at Maddocks, and has been a practising lawyer in Canberra for over 10 years, both in national law firms, and at a new law provider (during which time she was seconded to a Commonwealth government entity). She practises in a range of areas of law, but mainly in probity and commercial property. She is the current Chair of the Society’s Inclusion & Diversity Committee, and has been a member of that committee since its inception. Earlier this year, she represented the Society at the Law Council of Australia’s National Roundtable Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession. She is also a member of the ACT Pro Bono Clearing House Assessment Panel and volunteers at the Legal Advice Bureau.
Tim Dingwall, Councillor Tim was admitted to practise in 2018 as a mature age entrant to the profession after a previous career as a software developer and IT consultant. He is currently an Associate at Griffin Legal in the general commercial practice group, with a focus on intellectual property, privacy, and technology. Tim was first elected to Council in 2019. He has a particular interest in the ways the legal industry interacts with new technology, including the impact on legal professional responsibilities.
Annie Haggar, Councillor From her home office in Canberra, Annie leads the Growth Markets legal function for Accenture Security, looking after everywhere outside of North America and Europe. She specialises in global cybersecurity law and technology law. Since her admission in 2007, she has worked in private practice and corporate in-house roles in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and London. As the teams she works with are located in every timezone, Annie is a champion of flexible working – advising and collaborating close up and from thousands of kilometers away. Annie believes that technology can make the law more accessible to everyone, changing the way we work as practitioners, and enabling us to work globally whilst living locally.
Alan Hill, Councillor Alan has worked in private practice since his admission in 1973. He moved to Canberra from Sydney in 1975 and was employed by Snedden Hall and Gallop before opening his own practice in 1978. Initially a general practitioner, he soon specialised in commercial law, primarily in conveyancing, business, and probate work. Alan was elected to Council in 2018, and this is his second term.
Gavin Lee, Councillor Gavin was admitted to practise in 1985 and spent 10 years in private practice before joining insurance firm Willis Aust Ltd, then Arthur J Gallagher & Co. He has managed the ACT Law Society Professional Indemnity Insurance Scheme for the last 23 years, helping local practitioners deal with allegations of negligence, advising on local and national professional indemnity insurance issues, conduct issues, and the National Conduct Rules. Gavin has served on Council for the last six years.
Susan Platis, Councillor Susan is an experienced legal adviser with a background in law, government and education. Prior to commencing practice, Susan spent six years advising Australia’s Foreign Minister. In 2016 she commenced practice at Legal Aid ACT, providing front line advocacy for hundreds of Canberrans living with disadvantage. In 2019 Susan paused her criminal practice to serve the ACT Coroner as Counsel Assisting. She is currently advising the ACT Government on criminal law and policy until March 2021. For the past three years, Susan has served the Society as both a member of Council and a member of the Pro Bono Clearing House Management Committee. Susan also regularly mentors young legal professionals.
Kevin Robinson, Councillor In 2015, Kevin co-founded Robinson + McGuinness Family Law, which is now recognised as a first tier firm in the Doyle’s Guide. He has practised in Canberra for the last 12 years in family law, care and protection, and wills and estates. Prior to that he spent 15 years with the NSW Protective Commissioner (now Trustee and Guardian), including a period as Acting Deputy Protection Commissioner, with responsibility for managing the financial and legal affairs of approximately 8,500 people with decision making disabilities. He is a member and now chair of the Society’s Family Law Committee, and is also an Independent Children’s Lawyer, and an Accredited Collaborative Lawyer, Arbitrator and Mediator.
David Swanson, Councillor David joined the Royal Australian Navy in 2000 as a Legal Officer, and now holds the rank of Commander. During his more than 20 years with the Navy, he has worked in a broad range of areas including administrative, discipline and operations law. He has deployed to the Middle East a number of times including being posted as the senior Australian lawyer in the Middle East in both 2015 and 2018. He is currently posted to the office of the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force, and has been a resident of the ACT for the past 10 years.
Angus Tye, Councillor Angus is the Deputy Chief Lawyer for IP Australia, with a particular interest in risk management. Admitted in 2000, he worked as a solicitor primarily in insurance defendant litigation before joining the public service. He has also worked for the ACT Government, the Norfolk Island Administration, the Australian Federal Police, and as a sessional academic at the ANU. Angus has served on Council for the past year. He is particularly interested in furthering the careers of new and young lawyers, and has assisted in a variety of mentoring programs and presentations with young lawyers. He has worked with the Australian Government Legal Network, including as editor of the AGLN Newsletter, to develop young lawyers and establish connections across government.