From all the team who work on William & Lonsdale - Lives in the Law, and everyone at Greens List, we would like to wish you a happy and safe festive season.

We’ll be kicking off 2026 with more exceptional guests, including former Deputy Commissioner of Victoria Police and professional musician, Ross Gunther, migration lawyer Traci Chen, who has over 250 thousand TikTok followers and used the platform to extraordinary effect to connect with her current and potential clients and The Hon. Lex Lasry, well known for his work as a criminal barrister and Supreme Court Justice.

But for now, have a wonderful break, and we look forward to bringing you more great conversations in the new year.

This week we welcome Her Honour Magistrate Urfa Masood, former criminal barrister, and the first Muslim woman to sit on any bench in Victoria.

Urfa left Sri Lanka and moved to Australia with her immediate family at the age of 11, leaving behind a civil war and a large, deeply connected extended family.

After adjusting quickly to life in Australia and excelling at school, Urfa began her law degree at 16 and graduated with honours.

So when she started applying for legal positions, it was confronting, to say the least, to be met with comments from interview panels like, “No client is going to want to engage someone who looks like you.”

How Urfa got from there to becoming a Victorian Magistrate is a tale of talent, hard work, self-belief, resilience, and a love of the law that just would not leave her alone.

www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week we welcome Her Honour Magistrate Urfa Masood, former criminal barrister, and the first Muslim woman to sit on any bench in Victoria.

Urfa left Sri Lanka and moved to Australia with her immediate family at the age of 11, leaving behind a civil war and a large, deeply connected extended family.

After adjusting quickly to life in Australia and excelling at school, Urfa began her law degree at 16 and graduated with honours.

So when she started applying for legal positions, it was confronting, to say the least, to be met with comments from interview panels like, “No client is going to want to engage someone who looks like you.”

How Urfa got from there to becoming a Victorian Magistrate is a tale of talent, hard work, self-belief, resilience, and a love of the law that just would not leave her alone.

www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week we welcome The Hon. John Coldrey AM KC to Lives in the Law. 

When reflecting on John’s work and contribution to the criminal bar in Victoria, the words legendary and iconic are entirely appropriate. Along with his decades defending in criminal cases, John was a founding member of the Criminal Bar Association and even wrote and performed songs and skits at Bar Review nights with his close friend and colleague, Frank Vincent.

Following in Frank’s footsteps, John was one of the first advocates to go to the Northern Territory to work at the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Service - an experience that led to his role as Director of Legal Services at the Central Land Council, where he advocated for Indigenous land rights.

Not long after returning to the bar, he was appointed Victorian DPP - a surprising move for a man who had never prosecuted a single case. In 1991, John was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria. He also served as a member of the Adult Parole Board and as Chairperson of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.

John has had an exceptional life in the law, and it was an honour to welcome him to the show.

www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome renowned Australian investigative journalist Nick McKenzie to the show. Although Nick doesn’t work directly in the law, his work intersects with it almost daily. Some of his greatest collaborators have been lawyers - as have some of his greatest foes.

Nick has enormous respect for the law, yet he also sees its limits, and believes journalism can bring justice where the law cannot. And he’s certainly used his craft time and time again to do just that - exposing police corruption, foreign interference in Australian politics, and war crimes. His work has even instigated a Royal Commission.

It’s a dynamic and, at times, surprising conversation and a real delight to hear about Nick’s life and career.

www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome Her Honour Magistrate Michelle Hodgson, head of the family violence division of the Magistrate’s Court, to Lives in the Law. Michelle was admitted in 1993 and worked as a Solicitor Advocate at Victoria Legal Aid, the Fitzroy Legal Service, and the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, all of which crystallised her desire to go to the bar. As a barrister, Michelle worked on many complex and high-profile cases, including the Nauru Royalty Phosphate Trust case and the Pong Su heroin import case. Her work as a Magistrate has been broad and impactful; in particular, her role now as head of the family violence division is compelling to learn about. It is a fantastic conversation, and a pleasure to welcome Michelle to the show.

This week, we welcome Fiona McLeay, the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner and CEO of the Victorian Legal Services Board. The VLSB+C is the independent statutory authority responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in Victoria.

Long before her fascinating life in the law, Fiona grew up in the country, and was the first person on either side of her family to go to University. 

She is a natural-born leader who brings systems thinking to every role she takes on; from Special Counsel at Clayton Utz to CEO of Justice Connect; from General Counsel of World Vision to Co-Chair of Equality Australia. It is a wonderful conversation and  pleasure to welcome Fiona to the show. 

www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome multi-award-winning writer and former barrister, Jock Serong. For as long as he can remember, Jock wanted to be a writer, but after a better-than-expected mark in year 12, a law degree seemed to be a safer bet than journalism. Despite doing some truly fascinating cases, including early Native Title work in Western Australia, and junioring in the Silk Miller murder trials, it was always the stories and not the law that captivated him. So after almost two decades in the law, he let his practising certificate expire and made the leap to full-time writer. Jock has written seven novels, including Quota, which won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel, and his most recent work, Cherrywood, whose protagonist, Martha, is a lawyer in a large firm in Melbourne. It is a fantastic conversation and a pleasure to welcome Jock to the show.

www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

Today, we welcome Malcolm Speed, former lawyer and sports administrator. As a sports mad kid, Mal’s focus was primarily basketball and cricket with a bit of study on the side. But after some focus in the final years of high school, Mal found himself studying law at Melbourne University, with very little idea of what a career in the law could actually look like. After 25 successful years as a solicitor and at the bar, Mal took a risk and opened a consulting business in sports administration, back when many sporting bodies were semi-professional at best. Ultimately, the risk paid off and led to the roles that many listeners will know him for; CEO of the Australian Cricket Board and later the International Cricket Council. Mal’s is a unique life in the law, and it was a delight to hear about it in this conversation. 

www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

This week, we welcome Sara Kowal, Director of Eleos Justice at Monash Law. Sara believes her role is one of the best positions going in the law. She relishes working with incredible people who share her mission to end the death penalty - be it human rights defenders from around the globe or the impressive students in her anti-death penalty clinic at Monash Law.

www.greenslist.com.au/podcast