AML CTF Countdown Conference
Monday, 9 March 2026
With the 1 July compliance deadline fast approaching, now is the time for WA law firms and practitioners to accelerate their preparations for being AML CTF ready.
Join us for the AML CTF Countdown Conference, a one-day event designed to cut through the noise and give you the tools, clarity and connections you need. Hear from experts on what the reforms mean in real terms, how to build an effective compliance infrastructure, and what the regulator is likely to be looking for.
The conference also brings together leading AML CTF technology and service providers, giving you the chance to compare solutions, ask questions and assess what will work best for your firm, big or small.
If your practice touches client funds, property and lending transactions, share sales, establishing entities or other high-risk matters, this is an essential opportunity to get ahead, get compliant and avoid last-minute stress.
Be informed. Be compliant. Beat the countdown.
Conference schedule
8:30am: Arrival, registration, tea and coffeeEmpty headingArrival, welcome coffee and registration
9:00am – 9:15am: Welcome and openingEmpty headingArrival, welcome coffee and registration
9:15am – 10:30am: Overview of AML CTF Tranche 2 Regulations
- The journey so far
- What it is and why it matters
- How AUSTRAC will regulate and what its looking for
- Key elements of the regime you need to understand
Speakers:
- Juliana Warner, Chair, AML Working Group, Law Council of Australia
- Nathan Lynch, Founder, Compli.net; Financial Crime Writer; Chief Correspondent
10:30am – 10:45am: Partner presentations
10:45am – 11:15am: Morning tea
11:15am – 12:00pm: Getting ahead of AML CTF: Practical preparation for law firms
A practical, step-by-step session on how legal practices can prepare for the expanded AML CTF regime. Learn how to assess designated services, apply know your client and risk assessments, manage new and existing client matters, address overseas transactions, and put the AUSTRAC starter pack into action.
Speaker: Fiona Halsey, Director, Halseys
12:00pm – 12:45pm: Governance, risk and compliance
Understand the core governance, risk and compliance requirements under the AML CTF regime, including the role of the AML Compliance Officer and key reporting obligations. Gain practical guidance on completing your entity risk assessment, what should already be in place ahead of 1 July, and how to monitor and audit risk on an ongoing basis.
Speaker: Stephen Ramsay, LPBWA
12:45pm – 1:00pm: Partner presentations
1:00pm – 2:15pm: Lunch and expo
Enjoy an extended lunch break, with time to connect with peers and meet AML CTF technology and service providers, ask questions about their products, and receive live demonstrations.
2:15pm – 3:00pm: How to create an AML CTF policy for your practice
Shifting from governance to execution, this session focuses on how to build and run an AML policy in day-to-day practice. Explore how AML requirements are embedded into client onboarding, communications, data handling and internal workflows, and what this looks like in practice once obligations are live.
Speaker: Andrew Ham, Banking and Finance Partner, Danaher Moulton
3:00pm – 3:30pm: The role of technology
Explore how technology can support AML CTF compliance across different practice sizes, from sole practitioners to larger firms. This session focuses on how digital tools can assist with client onboarding, risk assessment and ongoing monitoring, helping practices scale their AML obligations efficiently without overcomplicating workflows.
Speaker: Easy AML
3:30pm – 4:15pm: Q&A – Ask the experts
Bring your burning questions to this interactive Q&A session featuring Australian AML CTF experts, focused on real-world AML CTF scenarios, practical challenges and implementation issues.
Speakers:
- Andrew Ham, Banking and Finance Partner, Danaher Moulton
- Juliana Warner, Chair, AML Working Group, Law Council of Australia
- Fiona Halsey, Director, Halseys
4:15pm – 5:00pm: NetworkingEmpty heading
Unwind after the day’s sessions and enjoy networking with peers.
Venue details
The University Club of Western Australia
The University Club of Western Australia, Hackett Drive, Crawley WA 6009.
Entrance #1 – Carpark #3
Program subject to change.
Speakers
Fiona Halsey
Director, Halseys
Fiona Halsey
Fiona has practised in regulatory and financial services law since 1993.
She was admitted as a solicitor in 1993 before becoming a director and in-house counsel for international accounting firm EY. In 2000 she established Halsey Legal Services.
She is a past national councillor of the Tax Institute.
She is an owner and founder of Licensee Solutions, a well-known financial services compliance provider.
Fiona has been recognised in 2025 in Australia’s Best Lawyers.
She is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
Andrew Ham
Partner, Banking & Finance, Danaher Moulton
Andrew Ham
Andrew is a financial services lawyer with over thirty years local and international experience. Known for providing expert, prompt, practical approach, Andrew has a unique insight into client needs and gets to the point with clear, practical solutions to legal and compliance problems.
Andrew is an acknowledged expert in the commercial and regulatory issues arising in the financial services industry, including financial services and consumer credit licensing and conduct obligations, anti-money laundering, privacy and personal property securities. Andrew advises major mutual banks and non-bank lenders including motor vehicle finance and buy-now-pay-later providers. His expertise is based on many years’ experience at major US and Australian law firms, as an in-house lawyer and in senior compliance roles at some of Australia’s leading banks and insurers, as well as in smaller businesses.
Andrew is a sought-after speaker and an expert contributor to the Lexis Nexis Regulatory Compliance service. Andrew has appeared as a witness at Senate inquiries into financial crime law reform initiatives in his capacity as a member of the Financial Services Committee of the Law Council.
Nathan Lynch
Financial crime writer, keynote Speaker, author of “The Lucky Laundry”
Nathan Lynch
:: Financial Crime Fighter 2022 award recipient — Macquarie University’s Financial Integrity Hub
:: Walkley Book Award Longlist 2022 — “The Lucky Laundry: How the Aussie economy got hooked on the world’s dirtiest cash”
Nathan Lynch is an experienced public speaker, writer, manager and tech start-up enthusiast. He specialises in the fields of Financial Crime Intelligence, Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorism Financing and Regulatory Risk. He is the author of “The Lucky Laundry: How the Aussie Economy Got Hooked on the World’s Dirtiest Cash”, published by Harper Collins in June 2022.
Nathan’s writing peels back the curtain on complex scams, schemes and frauds, exposing the secret financial flows that power the world’s largest criminal enterprises.
Nathan speaks regularly at industry events and in the media on a range of topics, including financial crime, terrorism financing, risk management, sanctions and technology. He also has first-hand experience in building innovative, tech-based businesses — from start-up stage through to private equity investment and corporate acquisition.
He has a track record in the “regtech” sector through his founding roles with BlueFrontier, Complinet Australia (sold to Thomson Reuters in 2010) and later with the Thomson Reuters Risk business (sold to Blackstone as part of a $17bn deal in October 2018).
Nathan is a program expert with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which offers support to developing countries to help them combat terrorism financing, money laundering and other serious financial crimes. He also provides training to Asia-Pacific law enforcement bodies on the role of financial intelligence and technology in tackling serious and organised crime threats.
Stephen Ramsay
Director of the Risk Mitigation & Review team at the Legal Practice Board
Stephen Ramsay
Stephen Ramsay is the Director of the Risk Mitigation & Review team at the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia and has been with the Board since September 2018. He is a Chartered Accountant with a Master of Accounting and a specialisation in Forensic Accounting. Stephen has over 17 years’ experience in auditing and forensic accounting, with extensive expertise in the identification and investigation of fraud, particularly matters involving trust money. He has also undertaken specialist AML/CTF training through the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS). His work focuses on regulatory compliance, financial integrity, and risk mitigation within the legal profession.
Juliana Warner
Chair, AML CTF Working Group, Law Council of Australia
Juliana Warner
Juliana Warner currently serves as Chair of the Law Council’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counterterrorism Financing (AML/CTF) Working Group, and is a member of the Law Council’s Futures Committee and Governance Review Working Group.
She also serves, as the Law Council’s nominee, on the Legal Services Council, which oversees the operation of the Legal Profession Uniform Framework, and the Law Admissions Consultative Committee, which forges national consensus on matters relating to admission to the legal profession.
She served as the President of the Law Society of New South Wales in 2021. A member of the Law Society of New South Wales since 1987, Juliana served on the Law Society’s Fidelity Fund Management Committee, is a former Chair of the Society’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, former Chair of the Society’s Litigation Law & Practice Committee and a former member of its Professional Conduct Committee.
Juliana is a former Partner of leading global law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills (now Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer), based in Sydney. With more than 30 years’ experience in conducting complex disputes, Juliana represented clients in litigation, alternative dispute resolution, anti-money laundering and regulatory processes, as well as matters involving foreign and international law.
She has been regularly noted as a leading practitioner in her field in legal directories and holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales.
