The Women Lawyers Association of Queensland has announced the nine finalists vying for three of its annual awards, which will be presented in Brisbane on Saturday, 7 November.
Leneen Forde AC Woman Lawyer of the Year Award
Kathryn McMillan KC
Ms McMillan was called to the Bar 1987 and was appointed silk in 2006. She is Deputy Chair of the Crime and Corruption Commission and Deputy President of the Administrative Review Tribunal.
Justine Beirne
Ms Beirne is Partner, Medical Indemnity, Avant Law and General Manager Civil Claims, Claims Operations and Excellence, Avant Insurance. Her medical indemnity expertise was recognised internationally when she won the 2025 Medical Professional Liability Association International Defender Award.
Kathryn MacDonnell
Ms MacDonnell is CEO of Trilby Misso Lawyers, having worked her way up from an articled clerk 25 years ago. She remains strongly connected to her reason for entering law: people.
Emergent Woman Lawyer of the Year
Shelby Bennett
A personal injuries lawyer, Ms Bennett is Chair of the Australian Lawyers Alliance Early Career Lawyers Special Interest Group and a Queensland Young Lawyers committee member. She was named in Doyle’s Guide Queensland as a Rising Star in Injury & Compensation Law for 2026.
Madeleine Dent
A family lawyer, Ms Dent also practises in domestic violence and child protection matters. She has practised in North Queensland with a focus on supporting vulnerable clients and improving access to justice.
Rosalie Veltjens-Swan
A police prosecutor, Ms Veltjens-Swan works on a range of matters across Cairns and the Far North Cape Regions. She works with police officers, victims, witnesses and legal practitioners to achieve just outcomes.
Regional Woman Lawyer of the Year
Linda Adcock
The Senior Principal Lawyer at Legal Aid Queensland’s Bundaberg office, Ms Adcock has more than 30 years’ experience supporting families in the Wide Bay Burnett region.
She is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Family Law, Independent Children’s Lawyer, Separate Representative, accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and Arbitrator.
Sarah Williams
Sarah Williams is a Senior Associate in personal injury law at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, working across Central Queensland. She helped launch the firm’s Gladstone office and has driven 40 per cent year on year growth across the region.
Jessica Guy
Ms Guy has worked at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for more than 11 years, mostly at Southport. She has worked her way from an administrative role to Principal Crown Prosecutor managing a team of 28.
Tickets to the Awards dinner at Water’s Edge Weddings & Events have sold out.
Share this article