Don’t miss out on limited tickets to NSW Regional Women Lawyers end of year event on 14 November 2025 being held at the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club at 6.30pm for 7pm canapes and dinner. All welcome! Come and celebrate 2025! Tickets $70 inc GST +BF.
We are excited to welcome our guest speaker Clinical Neuropsychologist and Lawyer Dr Amee Baird who will speak about her career and her research for her 2024 Law and Justice Foundation Fellowship on ‘Diversion for Dementia: Access to Criminal Justice for People with Dementia’.
Tickets available here: https://events.humanitix.com/2025-nsw-regional-women-lawyers-end-of-year-celebration
Membership available here: https://events.humanitix.com/nsw-regional-women-lawyers-annual-membership-2025-2026
This conference on 19 September 2025 in beautiful Dubbo, offers a great environment for networking and an opportunity to top up your CPD points. Our dynamic and diverse program includes some amazing speakers and well-known lawyers who are experts in their field.
Download Full Program with all speaker details here
https://nrwl.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CONFERENCE-PROGRAM-2025.pdf
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE – https://events.humanitix.com/nsw-regional-women-lawyers-dubbo-conference-2025
Networking Dinner – Friday 19 September 2025 after the conference
Join us for at 6.30 pm for a networking dinner at Down the Lane, 215B Macquarie Street, Dubbo. Bookings essential and limited – $70.00 inc GST for 2 course dinner.
Conference 19 September 2025 – Join us from 8.45am onward for speakers and panel discussions on:
• Resilient Communities – Natural Disasters and the Legal Profession
• Career Opportunities with the FCFCOA
• Advocating for Your Local Community as a Regional Lawyer: First-hand insights on legal advocacy and resilience in times of crisis.
• Domestic Violence in Rural NSW: Exploring the unique challenges and responses in supporting vulnerable communities.
• Family Law in Regional NSW: Navigating the complexities and nuances of family matters outside metropolitan areas.
• Going to the Bar as a Regional Lawyer: Pathways, opportunities, and challenges in making the leap to the bar from a regional base.
• AI for Lawyers: Practical tools, ethical considerations, and the future of legal practice in the digital age.
• Recruitment & Retention of Regional Lawyers: Strategies to attract and keep top legal talent in rural and regional areas.
• Coronial Panel: Insights from coronial inquests and the role of regional lawyers in complex incidents.
Travel and accommodation
Situated within a day’s drive or short flight from Sydney, getting to Dubbo is easier than you may think. Trains stop at Dubbo leaving Central station in Sydney daily, and the journey from Sydney takes around six hours. You can also fly into Dubbo Airport and hire a car to explore the region.
Dubbo is best known for the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, one of Australia’s largest open-range zoos, and as a major regional center in New South Wales. It’s also recognized for its historical sites like the Old Dubbo Gaol and its role as a hub for transport, agriculture, and mining services in the Orana region.
Accommodation in Dubbo suits various budgets and ranges from camping and holiday parks to relaxing. Visit https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/dubbo-area/dubbo
CPD – COLLECT 5 CPD POINTS – in-person and online event
$295 MEMBERS, $345 NON-MEMBERS, $55 STUDENTS + BF VIA HUMANITIX
Registration cost includes attendance and catering for lunch, morning and afternoon tea.
TICKETS: IN-PERSON AND ONLINE. BOOK EARLY AS TICKETS ARE LIMITED. TICKET PRICES INC GST.
JOIN US! If you share our goal of working to ensure that women lawyers practicing in regional, rural and remote NSW have the same benefits and opportunities as their city colleagues, then join us – membership forms here or visit www.nrwl.org.au Lawyers $55 inc GST; Students/Associates $22 inc GST valid to 30 June 2026. We hope to see you at the conference, online or in-person.
NSW Regional Women Lawyers Webinar Series – February Session
Welcome to the 2025 NSW Regional Women Lawyers series of webinars – designed to keep you informed, engaged and supported in all areas of your practice.
For women in law practicing in rural, regional, and remote (RRR) areas, the challenges and opportunities often differ greatly from those in metropolitan centers.
Our first webinar for the year will set the scene for the smorgasbord of substantive topics being rolled out during 2025.
‘Equal access to justice’: means what right now in regional, rural and remote areas?
Thursday, 27 February 2025
1:00 – 2:00 PM AEDT
What we’ll explore:
- Running a practice and succession planning
- How ‘access to justice’ is going in RRR areas
- What the future looks like – driving momentum
This session is a conversation between prominent women involved in regional access to justice, including:
- Gabrielle Chan – Rural & Regional Editor at Guardian Australia, Journalist and Author
- Jamelle Wells – Author & Journalist, Australian Radio Network, former ABC Senior Court Reporter, Radio & Television News Presenter
- Dr Helen McGowan – Director, Regional Voices Fund, Community Advocate, Contributor Place of Practice; Lawyering in Rural and Regional Australia
- Judy Harrison – Co-convener, National Regional, Rural, Remote and Very Remote Community Legal Network, lawyer, legal policy consultant, academic
Ticket Pricing (including GST):
NRWL Members: $33, Non-Members: $55, Students: $11, plus booking fees.
Purchase tickets online here – https://events.humanitix.com/2025-nsw-regional-women-lawyers-professional-skills-webinar-series
If this webinar is relevant to your legal practice or professional development, you may record 1 CPD point.
A comprehensive lineup for 2025
Practicing law in RRR areas often means wearing many hats and overcoming unique challenges, from limited networking opportunities to differing client needs and legal landscapes. Women in these regions are often at the forefront of innovation and resilience, but the professional isolation can be significant.
NRWL’s webinar series is designed to bridge that gap, offering a space where you can:
- Learn from leading legal professionals who understand RRR contexts
- Gain practical insights to grow your practice and build your career
- Connect with a broader network of like-minded professionals facing similar challenges
We’ve curated a robust calendar of webinars for 2025, focusing on topics that matter most to lawyers in RRR areas. Here’s a preview of our upcoming webinars:
Thursday, 24 April 2025
Broadening your wills and estates practice to become an elder lawyer – with Sue Field, Adjunct Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University with responsibility for teaching elder law and Director of the Australian Centre for Elder Law, in conversation with Kim Boettcher, Barrister at Frederick Jordan Chambers, former Solicitor at Seniors Rights Service, and Member of the NSW Bar Association’s Succession and Elder Law Committee (2021–2024).
Thursday, 29 May 2025
Acting for victims of historical abuse in regional NSW – with Karen Stott, Principal at ADR and Mediation Services, in conversation with Margot Stubbs, former Magistrate and Barrister, now leading the institutional abuse practice at Catherine Henry Lawyers.
Thursday, 26 June 2025
Conducting mediations in the country – with Karen Stott, Principal at ADR and Mediation Services, in conversation with Linda Crawford, Senior Associate and Health Lawyer at Catherine Henry Lawyers.
Be the first to know when tickets for upcoming sessions are released by following us here: https://events.humanitix.com/host/nsw-regional-women-lawyers
To become an NRWL member and enjoy discounted rates for all webinars, you can sign up here: https://events.humanitix.com/annual-membership-2024-2025?hxchl=hex-pfl
NSW Regional Women Lawyers – Professional Skills Webinar Series
Guiding Your Career Planning & Choices
Away from Sydney’s CBD, many lawyers practicing in suburban, regional and rural areas of NSW have different opportunities and career choices to their city counterparts.
As the end of 2024 approaches, NRWL considered it timely to launch our webinar program with two sessions on the subject of career planning.
Join us for these lunchtime webinar sessions, offering valuable insights to help you advance your career in the law as the new year approaches!
Session 1 – 21 November, 1-2 pm
An A-Z of how to be a decision-maker
- Setting up on your own v entering an existing business
- Business structures – roles and responsibilities
- Key financial considerations and ‘due diligence’
- Understanding financial statements
Suzie Delbridge, Delbridge Forensic Accounting, Newcastle in conversation with Charlotte Egan, Principal, Booth Brown Legal, Dubbo
Session 2 – 12 December, 1-2 pm
Career progression and support
- Having the difficult conversation about career advancement
- How to ask for a pay rise
- Effective mentoring relationships
Rebecca Hegarty, Head of Corporate & Commercial, Bartier & Perry, President of Parramatta & District Regional Law Society in conversation with Jen Spear, Senior Associate Solicitor, Duffy Elliott Lawyers, Dubbo, President Orana Law Society and Vice-Chair of Bushweb, NSW Young Lawyers
Tickets are available for purchase here – https://events.humanitix.com/nsw-regional-women-lawyers-webinar-series
Ticket Pricing incl GST per webinar:
• NRWL Members: $33
• Non-Members: $55
• Students: $11
To become a member of NSW Regional Women Lawyers and take advantage of the discounts for members please follow this link before buying your webinar tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/annual-membership-2024-2025
1 CPD point available for each webinar
Don’t Miss Out on Our End of Year Celebration! 
wwith only 4 weeks to go, tickets are selling fast, so be sure to secure yours now!
NSW Regional Women Lawyers invites you to join us for our End of Year Celebration on December 5, 2024, at 6:30 PM at Bartholomew’s, Newcastle.
Speaker: Newcastle based barrister and Public Defender Lizzie McLaughlin speaks about coming to the bar as a regional woman and equity issues facing women at the bar.
Date: December 5, 2024
Time: 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Venue: Bartholomew’s, 145 King St, Newcastle
Enjoy an evening of networking, delicious food, and festive cheer.
Tickets: $55 plus booking fee.
Get your tickets today and mark your calendars for a night to remember!
TICKETS: https://events.humanitix.com/2024-nsw-regional-women-lawyers-end-of-year-dinner-event
NSW Regional Women Lawyers 2024 Conference Armidale – 1 March 2024
Download Full Conference Program
Tickets available for purchase here
This conference on 1 March 2024 in the New England High Country at beautiful Armidale, offers a great environment for networking and an opportunity to top up your CPD points. Our dynamic and diverse program includes some amazing speakers and well-known lawyers who are experts in their field.
Networking Drinks – Thursday 29 February 2024 at Rydges Armidale
Join us from 5.30pm for networking drinks at Rydges Armidale . Purchase your own drinks.
Networking Dinner – Thursday 29 February 2024 at Rydges Armidale
Join us for at 7pm for a networking dinner at Rydges Armidale. Bookings essential and limited – $70.00 inc GST for 2 courses with dinner guests receiving a 10% discount on accommodation at Rydges Armidale.
Conference 1 March 2024 – Join us for speakers and panel discussions on
- How women in the regions can achieve the same benefits and opportunities as their city colleagues when working in the law.
- Transforming sexual harassment culture in rural and regional areas
- Climate Change litigation and careers in environmental law
- Multi-party disputes in Building and Construction Law and the Design and Building Practitioners Act
- Costs Assessments – what, when, why, how?
- Blockchain in rural and regional legal practice
- Financials of running a regional law firm
- Recruitment and retention of lawyers in rural and regional legal practice
- Career pathways – from the bar and bench for regional women lawyers
Travel and accommodation
• Situated within a day’s drive or short flight from Sydney and Brisbane, getting to Armidale is easier than you may think. Trains stop daily at Armidale, and the journey from Sydney takes around six hours. You can also fly into Armidale Airport and hire a car to explore the region.
The Armidale region boasts spectacular waterfalls, gorges, world-heritage national parks, cool-climate vineyards and a fascinating and diverse cultural heritage.
Accommodation in Armidale suits various budgets and ranges from camping and holiday parks to relaxing. Visit https://www.visitarmidale.com
CPD – COLLECT 5 CPD POINTS – in-person and online event
$295 MEMBERS, $345 NON-MEMBERS, $50 STUDENTS + BF VIA HUMANITIX
Registration cost includes attendance and catering for lunch, morning and afternoon tea.
PAST EVENTS
NSW Regional Women Lawyers End of Year Dinner – Wednesday 8 November 2023
Venue: Paymasters, 20 Bond St, Newcastle, NSW
6.15pm drinks 7pm dinner
TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE OR IN PERSON HERE
This event marks a special occasion for NSW Regional Women Lawyers being our first Christmas celebration. We are excited to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year, acknowledge our collective achievements, and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.
Thank you for your ongoing support, and we anticipate a wonderful evening of networking and celebration.
If you have any special dietary requirements please contact our treasurer, Nicole Armitage on 0403 775 231 or email her at hello@econveyancingNSW.com.au.
NSW Regional Women Lawyers Conference 2024 – Friday 1 March 2024
Venue: UNE School of Law (W37/38 Armidale campus)
Conference Dinner – Thursday 29 February 2024
Venue: Rydges, Armidale
SAVE THE DATE – MORE DETAILS COMING SOON
PAST EVENTS
NSW Regional Women Lawyers Conference – Friday 8 September 2023
Venue: Charles Sturt University, 7 Major Innes Road, Port Macquarie, NSW
12pm – 5.30pm
TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE OR IN PERSON HERE
This conference on Friday 8 September 2023 in Mid North Coast NSW’s beautiful Port Macquarie, offers a great environment for networking and an opportunity to top up your CPD points. Our dynamic and diverse program includes some amazing speakers and well-known lawyers who are experts in their field.
Join us for panel discussions on
- How women in the regions can achieve the same benefits and opportunities as their city colleagues when working in the law.
- Progressing in leadership – What will I do to lift myself? What will I do to lift other women?
- Community Lawyering in regional New South Wales – Community Legal Centres, Legal Aid and the Aboriginal Legal Service.
- Becoming a Partner for Regional Women Lawyers
- Running your own law firm in Regional NSW
- Career pathways – from the bar and bench for regional women lawyers
Please click here for the full Conference Program (PDF)
Travel and accommodation
- The Port Macquarie region is on the NSW mid North Coast, four hours’ drive north of Sydney and six hours’ south of Brisbane. Trains stop daily at Kendall and Wauchope, and the journey from Sydney takes around seven hours. You can also fly into Port Macquarie Airport and hire a car to explore the region. Accommodation in Greater Port Macquarie suits various budgets and ranges from camping and holiday parks to high-end seaside resorts. Visit https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/port-macquarie-area/accommodation
CPD
in-person and online event
COLLECT CPD POINTS
$325 inc GST MEMBERS, $380 inc GST NON-MEMBERS, $55 inc GST STUDENTS + BF VIA PURCHASE TICKETS HERE AT HUMANITIX
Registration cost includes attendance and catering for lunch and afternoon tea.
PROGRAM
| 12pm | Registration & Buffet Lunch | |
| 1pm | Welcome & Opening
From the Bar to the Bench for Regional Women Lawyers |
Kymberlei Goodacre, President Clarence River & Coffs Harbour Regional Law Society & Principal Coffs Law Co
Senior Judicial Registrar Tracy Flintoff, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. |
| 1.45pm | Becoming a Partner in a Regional Law Firm and Running your own Regional Law Firm – the financials | Suzanne Delbridge – Director, Delbridge Forensic
Heather McKinnon – Partner Bryant McKinnon Lawyers |
| 2.30pm | Afternoon Tea & Networking | |
| 3.00pm | Leadership Lift – progressing in leadership – What will I do to lift myself? What will I do to lift other women? | Suzy Miller – Leadership Development Specialist |
| 4.00pm | Community Lawyering for Regional Women Lawyers | Emma Smallwood, Solicitor in Charge of Legal Aid Port Macquarie
Jane Titterington, Principal, Mid North Coast Community Legal Centre Haley McEwen, Senior Solicitor with the Mid North Coast Legal Centre and Senior Lecturer/Head of Discipline in Law for Charles Sturt University. Bronwyn Ambrogetti, Principal, Hunter Community Legal Centre |
| 5.00pm | Close and Networking | Michelle Meares – Barrister & President NSW Regional Women Lawyers |
Tickets limited and available now
Networking Dinner – Friday 8 September 2023
Join us for a 2 course networking dinner at Rydges Port Macquarie. Purchase your own drinks. Bookings essential and limited – $69.00 inc GST.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Cicely Sylow, General Counsel at the Birdon Group
PAST EVENTS
NSW Regional Women Lawyers Inaugural Conference– Friday 24 March 2023 8.30am-5.30pm
Hotel Canobolas, 248 Summer St, Orange
This one-day conference at beautiful Orange in the Central West NSW, offers a great environment for networking and an opportunity to top up your CPD points. Our dynamic and diverse program includes some amazing speakers and well-known lawyers, experts in their field. Our conference coincides with Orange Food Week, so you you could make a weekend of it!
Join us for presentations, workshops and panel discussions on
– Running a regional practice
– Professional development and growth – leadership and capacity training
– Mentoring young lawyers and those re-entering the profession developing new areas of practice
– Marketing and business development strategies
– Lawyering with and for rural indigenous communities
– Current challenges for regional family law practitioners
– Taking the leap to the bar for regional women barristers
In-person and online event
$295 MEMBERS, $345.00 NON-MEMBERS, $150 STUDENTS + BF VIA HUMANITIX
Please click here to download the conference flyer with program and full details..
BOOKINGS OPEN: https://events.humanitix.com/nsw-regional-women-lawyers-conference
Networking Dinner – Thursday 23 March 2023
Casual Dinner at one of the fabulous local restaurants. Pay for your own food and drinks; bookings essential and limited.
Launch NSW Regional Women Lawyers – Wednesday 22 February 2023
NSW Regional Women Lawyers Inc (‘NRWL’) has been established by a group of energetic regional women lawyers who are working to ensure that those practicing in regional, rural and remote (RRR) NSW have the same benefits and opportunities as their CBD Sydney counterparts. NRWL has already established chapters in the Central West, the Far West, the Riverina, Southern Highlands, the Illawarra, the Hunter, the Central Coast and Western Sydney.
Our guest speakers, Professor Trish Mundy and Dr Natasha Cica, will discuss the contemporary challenges and opportunities of being a woman lawyer outside the magic triangle of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra and how we all – wherever we practice – have the potential to influence justice-related change as never before.
The event is free with tickets available for attending in person & Online.
Please note the venue has changed to Room X803, 8th Floor NUspace, University of Newcastle, Cnr Auckland and Hunter Sts, Newcastle
RSVP here https://events.humanitix.com/nsw-regional-women-lawyers-launch-event
325 inc GS
