Six finalists have been named for the 2025 Dame Quentin Bryce Domestic Violence Prevention Advocate Award, which will be presented at the Legal Profession Breakfast.
Presented by Women’s Legal Service Queensland and administered by Queensland Law Society, the award recognises and celebrates outstanding contributions to the prevention of domestic violence in the state.
The award encourages continued advocacy and innovation across workplaces, academia, and within the legal and social systems.
The finalists are:
Susan Crain – Director, Separation Support Network
Susan is a Queensland-based lawyer. With extensive experience as a board member, advisor and legal consultant, Susan is the CEO and Founder of the Separation Support Network, an enterprise dedicated to supporting individuals through separation with resources, guidance and support services.
Jason Garrick – Principal Lawyer, Legal Aid Queensland
Jason is an experienced domestic and family violence lawyer. Currently the Principal Lawyer of Violence Prevention Advocacy Team 2 at Legal Aid Queensland, Jason believes that legal education is crucial to the development of the area of practice and building a safer Queensland for vulnerable people living with violence.
Wendy Mulcahy – Director, Mulcahy Ryan Lawyers
Wendy is the Principal of Mulcahy Ryan Lawyers and founder of Domestic Violence Education Relationship Training (DVERT). Wendy served as an Acting Professional Board Member on the Queensland Parole Board. She was a board member of Caxton Legal Centre for nearly a decade. Through DVERT, she delivers early intervention education to schoolboys and intensive change programs for DFV perpetrators, in collaboration with psychologists and counsellors. Wendy is a long-term volunteer with St Vincent de Paul and a regular speaker at schools and community organisations. Her work focuses on prevention through education and community awareness to reduce violence against victim women and children.
Natalie Powell – Legal Director, Powell Family Law
Natalie is the Director of Powell Family Law and has been a solicitor for more than 15 years, practising across family, domestic violence and child protection law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Master of Laws from QUT, where her research focused on therapeutic jurisprudence and specialist courts. Natalie has extensive experience in high-risk parenting proceedings and complex property disputes involving financial abuse. With a long connection to Women’s Legal Service Queensland, she has provided pro bono advice to hundreds of women experiencing domestic violence and has also fundraised for the WLSQ through initiatives including River to Rooftop, the Epic Walk for DV, and Dancing CEOs, receiving the Legacy Award in 2025.
Maneesha Prakash – Youth Domestic and Family Violence Lawyer, Youth Advocacy Centre
With more than 14 years of experience advocating for the vulnerable, Maneesha leads trauma-informed legal responses for youth and culturally and linguistically diverse communities affected by domestic and family violence. Maneesha is a strong advocate for systemic reform, diversity and access to justice. She has contributed to advisory panels and working groups focused on access to justice and domestic violence.
Kathleen Wincen – CEO, Aboriginal Family Legal Services Queensland
Kathleen is a proud Budjiti woman from western Queensland, a solicitor with a Master of Laws, a Community Engagement Professional and CEO of the Aboriginal Family Legal Services Queensland. Kathleen is recognised for her strong commitment to justice, self-determination, and the protection of First Nations women and children. With a focus on remote and regional communities where access to justice is most limited, Kathleen has championed innovative approaches to service delivery, including on-country legal clinics, community legal education and prevention programs, culturally led mediation, and the integration of technology to enhance access to legal services.
The Legal Profession Breakfast, a major fundraiser for the WLSQ, will be held on Thursday 13 November at Brisbane City Hall.
The 12th annual breakfast will feature youth advocate Daniel Principe, whose presentation has been inspired by the Netflix series Adolescence and explores consent, coercive control and respectful relationships.
Registrations close at 5pm on Wednesday 29 October.
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