After five years as a national organisation, EDO is reconfiguring its legal services to strengthen the delivery of legal solutions for people, nature and our climate.
As we look to the next five years and beyond, we’ve designed our teams to make the most of our accomplished legal experts, and better serve our clients striving for a future where nature thrives.
These changes have been two years in the making and see state-based practices bolstered, a new national litigation team and a renewed focus on the Pasifik.
It includes specialist Corporate and Commercial, Early Legal Intervention and Law and Policy Reform practices.
EDO now has a dedicated First Nations Country and Cultural Heritage Program, established to provide services to First Nations peoples seeking legal support to protect their culture and Country.
New Legal Practice Director and Leadership Team
Nicole Sommer has been appointed to the role of Legal Practice Director (Principal Lawyer). Nicole has almost 20 years of legal practice experience, appearing as counsel in courts and tribunals and environment and planning law matters. Nicole joined EDO as Principal Lawyer of EDO Tasmania, and previously led EDO’s Healthy Environment & Justice Program.
We have appointed five new Deputy Directors as recognised experts in their fields, reporting to Nicole as the core leadership team for EDO’s legal practice.
We congratulate each of the accomplished legal experts who will be leading EDO’s legal practice.
Sharyn Goldstien will lead Science and Expert Advisory.
Jem Hallinan will lead Early Legal Intervention.
Rachel Walmsley will lead Law Reform and Policy.
Brendan Dobbie will lead Litigation.
Harriet Ketley will lead Country and Cultural Heritage.
New Practice Team managers
We have retained our focus on place and expertise with our Regional and Practice Area Teams will be led by Managing Lawyers. Congratulations to each accomplished legal expert on their new appointments.
Rana Koroglu will lead the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory Team.
Kirsty Ruddock will lead the Corporate and Commercial Team.
Kirstiana Ward will lead the Early Legal Intervention Team.
Revel Pointon will lead the Law and Policy Reform Team.
Elanor Fenge will lead the Northern Territory/South Australia Team.
Bal Kama will lead the Pasifik Program.
Andrew Kwan will lead the Queensland Team.
Jessica Border will lead the Western Australia Team.
The Tasmania/Victoria program manager position is currently vacant, with this work led from our Early Legal Intervention Team for now.
As Australia’s largest environmental legal centre, our goal is to give ordinary Australians standing up for nature access to justice. We believe redesigning EDO’s teams puts us in the best place to give communities the legal tools they need to safeguard the environment we all depend on.
