Coast to Country Conference
Friday, 27 February 2026
Ideas shaping regional and suburban practice.
From coastal communities to the heart of the regions, WA’s suburban, rural and remote practitioners face unique challenges and remarkable opportunities. The Coast to Country Conference brings together small-firm and sole practitioners from across the state for a day of connection, inspiration and thought-leading discussion shaped specifically for regional and suburban practice. Dive into practical sessions on business fundamentals, resilience, innovation, and community-centred lawyering, while forging genuine professional networks with people who understand your landscape. Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas, support or strategic insight, this conference delivers content that speaks directly to the way you work, where you work.
Conference schedule
8.00am – 8.30am: Registrations
8.30am – 8.40am: Welcome from Law Society Immediate Past President
8.40am – 9.40am: Session 1
Testamentary trusts – Effective will drafting for farming families and family businesses
Explore the essentials of testamentary trust will drafting tailored for farming families and business-owner clients. The session covers key considerations such as tax effective strategies, control mechanisms, flexibility for beneficiaries, and protection against external risks like family law, family provision claims and creditors.
Speaker:
Sally Bruce, Accredited Wills and Estates Specialist, Principal, Wills Estates and Succession Planning, Cullen Macleod, member of Law Society Elder Law and Succession Committee
☑️ 1.0 CPD point, C4 Substantive Law
9.45am – 10.45am: Session 2
Superannuation update
Why holding assets in self-managed super funds presents challenges for businesses and succession planning.
Speaker:
- Adrian Hanrahan, Associate at Smailes Krawitz and member of Law Society and Law Council Taxation Committees
☑️ 1.0 CPD point, Substantive Law
10.45am – 11.15am: Short address from our sponsor Send followed by Morning tea
11.15am – 12.15pm: Session 3
Anti-money laundering reform update
In just a few short months, Australia’s AML CTF regime will be expanded to legal practices that deliver designated services. This session will provide a refresher of the fundamentals and delve into what action legal practices must take to prepare for the regime, where you can access support and resources (including how to use AUSTRAC’s starter programs), key timeframes, and current discourse around the ethical implications of the regime for the legal profession.
Speaker:
- Fiona Halsey, Director of Halseys, Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (ACAMS), Member of the Law Society AML CTF Working Group
☑️ 1.0 CPD points Practice Management
12.20pm – 1.20pm: Session 4
Ethics workshop
This practical and engaging session will explore real life ethical dilemmas, enhancing your knowledge of key ethical obligations under the Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules 2015, and your ability to manage ethical issues that arise in your practice.
Speaker:
- Darren Pratt, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
☑️ 1.0 CPD point, Ethics and Professional Responsibility
1.20pm – 2.00pm: Lunch
2.00pm – 3.00pm: Session 5
AI essentials for small practices and sole practitioners
This session provides an introduction to Generative AI (GenAI) and its applications for small businesses, sole practitioners, and legal professionals. Learn about the AI tools available to support your practice, including in back-office tasks and business strategy, and hear from practitioners about how they are using AI to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. This session will empower you with the confidence to explore how AI can support your legal practice, and an understanding of how the profession is approaching the implementation of this ground-breaking technology. Bring your laptop and sign up to a large language model (e.g. ChatGPT or Gemini) for some hands on experience with AI.
Facilitator: Schellie-Jayne Price, Partner Stirling & Rose
Panellists from the Law Society Technology and Law Committee:
- Michael Paterson, Principal, Michael Paterson and Associates
- Fiona Halsey, Director, Halseys
- Katarzyna (Kate) Basta, Legal Counsel (Commercial & IP), Source
- Dave Stewart, Principal, Bennett Law
☑️ 1.0 CPD point, Practice Management
3.05pm – 4.05pm: Session 6
Ask me anything
Enjoy the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of judicial officers with experience of regional practice and court circuits across the state. Our panel will share insights on the unique pressures involved in practising law and delivering justice in the regions, courtroom practice, professional etiquette, and advocacy. It’s sure to be an engaging and honest session.
Facilitator: Murray Thornhill, Managing Director and Notary Public, HHG Legal Group
Panellists:
- The Honourable Justice Whitby, Supreme Court of Western Australia
- Registrar Danielle Davies, Supreme Court of Western Australia
- His Honour Judge Gary Massey, District Court of Western Australia
- Magistrate Mark Millington, Magistrates Court of Western Australia
- Magistrate Raelene Johnston, Magistrates Court of Western Australia
☑️ 1.0 CPD point, Professional Skills
4.05pm – 4.15pm: Closing from the Chair of the Country Practitioners Committee
4.15pm – 6.00pm: Networking
Venue details
Dexus Place Perth
Equipped with world-class tech and an outdoor terrace with city views, this space is the perfect setting for conference attendees to connect, collaborate and grow.
Getting to Dexus Place
Located at 240 St Georges Terrace, Perth.
CPP and Wilson parking, as well as multiple public transport options close by.
Planning a weekend in the city?
Law Society members can take advantage of discounts at a range of hotel and dining options. View our member extras page for more information.
Pricing and registration
Pricing:
Law Society country member | $200 incl. GST
Law Society member | $300 incl. GST
Country non-member | $300 incl. GST
Non-member | $450 incl. GST
CPD Units
Practice Management: 2.0
Professional Skills: 1.0
Ethics & Responsibility: 1.0
Substantive Law: 2.0
Speakers
Sally Bruce
Principal, Wills, Succession Planning & Estate Disputes, Cullen Macleod LawyersSally Bruce
Accredited Wills and Estates Specialist, Principal, Wills Estates and Succession Planning, Cullen Macleod, member of Law Society Elder Law and Succession Committee
Sally has more than 20 years’ experience in estate litigation and succession planning, with a practice that is highly regarded across Western Australia. Estate disputes form a significant part of her work, and she regularly acts in complex family provision and inheritance matters, with a strong focus on achieving timely, cost-effective and negotiated outcomes wherever possible.
Her estate litigation practice also extends to solemn form probate proceedings and a wide range of estate-related court applications, including applications to construe the meaning of wills and applications for judicial directions in the administration of estates.
Beyond litigation, Sally advises extensively on succession planning, trusts, deceased estates, guardianship and administration, providing strategic, forward-looking advice to individuals, families and their advisers.
Sally is a regular presenter on estate law and succession planning and has authored numerous professional papers in this area. She was recognised in the Doyle’s Guide 2016 listing of Leading Perth Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyers as Pre-eminent, reflecting her standing as one of the leading practitioners in this field.
Specialties
Inheritance and will disputes
Family provision claims
Solemn form probate
Succession planning
Guardianship and administration
Sally is a member of the Law Society of Western Australia and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), and sits on the Elder Law & Succession Committee of the Law Society of Western Australia.
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).
Adrian Hanrahan
Associate, Smailes KrawitzAdrian Hanrahan
Adrian is a tax and commercial lawyer.
Adrian specialises in the tax and legal affairs of high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and private clients. He also provides his expertise directly to accountants and other solicitors.
Adrian has over 16 years’ private practice experience providing advice in tax and private wealth structuring, and additionally, has worked as a Tax Avoidance Taskforce – Tax Specialist, in an Executive Leadership role at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). His clients have access to his deep knowledge and understanding of the ATO when assisting with their tax disputes.
Adrian is a regular presenter at CPD seminars and was also a lecturer at Curtin Law School for several years in both undergraduate (Bachelor of Laws) and postgraduate (Master of Tax) degrees.
Adrian is a member on the Taxation committee of the Law Society of Western Australia and the Taxation committee of the Law Council of Australia.
EXPERTISE AND PRACTICE
Adrian is instructed by clients who need solutions to complex tax, trusts, asset protection, SMSF, and legal problems for their businesses and investments including reviews and audits conducted by the ATO.
He also advises on the restructure of private groups, trading and investment vehicles to implement families’ succession and estate plans.
QUALIFICATIONS
Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) – Tax Institute of Australia
Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) – Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Commerce (Economics & Financial Planning)
Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice
Master of Applied Finance (Investment Management & Financial Planning)
Admitted as a lawyer of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the High Court of Australia
Darren Pratt
Barrister, Francis Burt ChambersDarren Pratt
Darren has practiced as a barrister and solicitor in commercial litigation since being admitted to practice in 1999. His practice as counsel both prior to and at the independent bar has encompassed most areas of commercial litigation. He have significant experience in complex commercial disputes, construction, equity, contract, torts, consumer law, restraint of trade, intellectual property (particularly, confidential information and copyright) and investigations by regulatory bodies.
In recent years, much of his work has been related to construction disputes and complex property damage claims.
He is renowned for his judgment and commerciality as well as his skills in alternative dispute resolution. His peers and clients have noted his ability to identify the key factual and legal issues in a case as well as how the broader commercial context and personalities of key participants bear upon settlement.
He is frequently consulted by other members of the bar in relation to ethical and legal questions.
Schellie-Jayne Price
Partner, Stirling & Rose
Schellie-Jayne Price
Schellie-Jayne Price (SJ) leads the AI practice at Stirling & Rose. She is an award-winning technology lawyer with hands on experience building AI models and lectures on law and technology at Murdoch University Law School.
She sits on a number of advisory boards and serves as a judge in AI competitions, most recently the Australian leg of the United Nations “AI for Good” competition.
SJ has significant global experience managing the legal complexities of multi-billion-dollar mega-projects and is a thought-leader on the nature of critical infrastructure and supporting legal frameworks required for the AI infused future.
Bernadette Terry
Principal Lawyer, Great Southern Wills
Bernadette Terry
A country lawyer… Bernadette Terry owns a law firm in Albany, Western Australia, called Great Southern Wills. Her firm has a team of 6 and they specialise in Estate Planning and Farm Succession.
Albany is her home and has her heart, but did you know Bernadette started her legal career in Sydney, NSW.
In Sydney, Bernadette worked for top tier law firms where she would spend her days advising and drafting the estate plans of the ultra-rich, sporting personalities, and high-ranking federal politicians. But Bernadette yearned for more meaningful work and longed to be amongst more down-to-earth people and families, particularly farming families as they attempt to navigate the often complex and ever-changing journey of estate planning.
And that’s what brought her to Albany in 2012. 14 years later, while owning an Albany law firm, Bernadette is a Wills and Estates accredited specialist, and also sits on the Wills and Estates Accreditation Advisory subcommittee and the Country Practitioners Committee, advocating for you, which she enjoys.
Murray Thornhill
Managing Director and Notary Public, HHG Legal Group
Murray Thornhill
Murray Thornhill is the Managing Director of HHG Legal Group, leading the firm’s commercial and dispute resolution division since 2003. With extensive experience in construction law, insolvency, employment, property, and trusts and estate matters, Murray has represented clients across most courts and tribunals in Western Australia, as well as Federal and High Courts. A Fellow of the Australian & New Zealand College of Notaries and long-standing committee member of the Public Notaries Society of Western Australia, Murray regularly presents to industry, professional, and government bodies on various legal issues.
The Honourable Justice Whitby
Supreme Court of Western Australia
The Honourable Justice Whitby
Justice Whitby was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia on 22 May 2023.
Her Honour graduated from Murdoch University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce, and was admitted to practice in December 1996.
She worked in an international accounting firm before joining an international law firm and working in the area of commercial litigation.
Justice Whitby was a Supreme Court Registrar for 11 years, during which she also served as Principal Registrar and Master of the Court, and as a Magistrate of Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court.
Her Honour was appointed a judge of the District Court of Western Australia in June 2021.
Judicial panel
- The Honourable Justice Whitby, Supreme Court of Western Australia
- Registrar Danielle Davies, Supreme Court of Western Australia
- His Honour Judge Gary Massey, District Court of Western Australia
- Magistrate Mark Millington, Magistrates Court of Western Australia
- Magistrate Raelene Johnston, Magistrates Court of Western Australia
More speakers coming soon.
With thanks to our sponsors
Principal Sponsor
Venue Sponsor