About us
Many Australians can’t access the legal services they require, particularly in relation to family law matters. The term 'missing middle' refers to a large part of the community, who are typically low to medium income earners, that are not able to access the legal advice they need. These individuals often don’t qualify for government funded free legal services such as legal aid and, for financial or other reasons, cannot access services from private practice law firms.
In 2021, international law firm DLA Piper and Macquarie University, along with a number of partner organisations, created Wallumatta Legal to help meet this need. Originally opening in NSW, a grant from the Victorian Legal Service Board and a partnership with the University of Melbourne allowed us to expand into Victoria in 2024.
We are now part of a wider legal ecosystem, working to build equal access to justice across Australia. Meet our founders and friends.
The Wallumatta Legal team
The Wallumatta Legal team currently operates in New South Wales and Victoria.
We have a growing team of family lawyers across both states as well as national legal support and are proud to also engage with our university hosts by working with student interns from both University of Melbourne and Macquarie University Law Schools.
Our team is passionate about access to justice and ensuring that all Australians can access the legal services they require.
Meet the legal team
Vivian Galanis
Vivian is an experienced lawyer who has practiced exclusively in family law throughout her career - initially at a large national law firm, and more recently in leading the family law service at a Community Legal Centre. She is a pragmatic and confident advocate that brings great empathy and compassion to her work. Vivian is dedicated to improving access to justice for everyday Australians from all socio-economic backgrounds, education, and life experience. She is also passionate about building and developing the legal team and mentoring university students and law graduates.
Joseph Ishow
Joseph joined Wallumatta Legal having exclusively practiced in the community legal sector and brings a wealth of experience working with clients on their family law matters including with those experiencing family violence. Most recently he worked with the LGBTQIA+ community and has experience in complex matters including those involving drug and alcohol and mental health issues. Joseph is passionate about family law and advocacy and brings a holistic approached to his practice. With a key interest in social justice, he approaches each matter with the intent of ensuring that his clients feel valued.
Miran Hosny
Miran is passionate about supporting clients to engage with the Family Law process and convey their own personal stories, so that they feel acknowledged and heard. Miran’s skills in negotiation, representation and advocacy were mostly nurtured in family law, where her experience spans simple to complex parenting and property settlement matters. Miran is qualified in the Collaborative Practice method of dispute resolution and is a strong believer in settlement-focused practice. At the heart of her practise, Miran is driven by values of social justice and an empathy for families and communities.
Priyanka Sharma
Priyanka is a Senior Solicitor at Wallumatta Legal. She is an experienced lawyer who is passionate about supporting clients to achieve practical and favourable outcomes by way of negotiation, or where necessary, litigation. She strives to provide a thorough, professional and sensitive service to her clients. Priyanka has a strong commitment to access to justice and wishes to provide a voice to those who might not otherwise be heard, in the family law system.
Karena Lane
Karena is a compassionate and committed family lawyer. Prior to joining Wallumatta Legal, she practiced at a well-regarded private family law firm where she gained experience handling a range of property, parenting, and family violence intervention order matters. She is passionate about providing vulnerable clients with equitable access to quality family law services and brings a warm, empathetic and pragmatic approach to her work. Karena is committed to supporting and advocating for her clients throughout their matter.
Niloufar Hariri
Niloufar is a dedicated Family Law Solicitor with a passion for helping families navigate through challenging legal situations. From the complexities of parenting matters to the delicate matters of property cases, Niloufar is committed to providing compassionate and effective legal representation to clients in need. Prior to joining Wallumatta Legal, Niloufar honed her skills at reputable private family law firms, gaining firsthand experience in handling a diverse range of cases. With a client-centred approach and a deep understanding of the intricacies of family law, Niloufar is committed to advocating for the best interests of her clients and guiding them through every step of the legal process. Prior to admission, Niloufar completed a Juris Doctor at University of New South Wales and a Master of Criminology at the University of Sydney.
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Simran Ramchandani
Simran has practised exclusively in Family Law since her admission to practice. She has assisted clients across a range of family law matters, including complex property disputes and highly contested parenting matters often involving intersecting vulnerabilities such as mental health issues, family violence and substance abuse. Simran meets the unique challenges every family presents with compassion and pragmatism and offers clear, sensitive, and practical advice to guide families towards the best possible outcome. Prior to admission, Simran completed a Juris Doctor at Melbourne University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology and Psychology) at the University of Sydney.
Monique Stoltz
Monique was formerly a Juris Doctor Student at Macquarie University and through her PACE placement and additional volunteering, she enthusiastically joined the team to pursue a career in family law. Monique has a background in psychology, business and industrial chemistry. She strives to approach every situation with compassion, curiosity and integrity. Passionate about social justice, Monique began volunteering at Lifeline in 2016. She has continued to pursue opportunities that actualise the ideals of fair treatment and equitable status of all individuals. The ethos of Wallumatta Legal and excellent company culture have made her decision to devote her efforts in this field an incredibly easy one.
Kahlea Rainey
Kahlea has recently completed her Juris Doctor at Macquarie University and is currently completing her practical legal training. She came to Wallumatta Legal through her PACE placement and was so ignited by the work being done to facilitate equal access to justice for all, that she has joined us as a Paralegal. Kahlea has a background in healthcare and leadership development and is passionate about advocating for family violence law reform.
Meet our Management and Board of Directors
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Kisanne Dulin - General Manager
Kisanne utilises her background and experience in general management from not-for-profit and professional services environments to manage the ‘non-legal’ aspects of Wallumatta Legal. She is passionate about addressing the need for equity in access to justice and embraces the opportunity to be a part of an organisation that is actively making a difference by doing things a bit differently. Working closely with the Managing Principal Solicitor, legal team, Board, and other stakeholders, Kisanne is focused on ensuring that as many clients as possible are able to access high quality and affordable family law services.
Lise Barry - Director
Lise is a Professor of Law and Dean of Macquarie Law School. In addition to her roles at Macquarie University, Lise maintains her professional practice as an accredited mediator on the panel for the NSW Community Justice Centre, and member of the National Sports Tribunal. Lise teaches courses in Legal Ethics and Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Dr Gerry Bean - Chair
Gerry has more than 25 years' experience particularly in highly regulated industries and advises on corporate governance and ESG issues. He has advised boards of both large and small corporations, government departments and agencies, and not-for-profit entities.
Annette Bain - Director
Annette has a long record of building and mentoring law firm pro bono in Australia and Asia, and developing innovative ways for people to access justice, particularly in the areas of violence against women and homelessness, as well as in delivering economic and educational opportunities for marginalised people. Her current focus is on dismantling barriers to middle income earners asserting their legal rights. Annette is a co-founder of Wallumatta Legal.
Daniel Ghezelbash - Director
Daniel is an Associate Professor and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at the University of New South Wales, and an Honorary Professor at Macquarie University. His research focuses on access to justice, legal technology and refugee and human rights law. He is a Board member at other access to justice organisations and is the founder of the Macquarie University Social Justice Clinic.
Founders and friends
Wallumatta Legal was founded by DLA Piper and Macquarie University in 2021.
We have worked with a broad spectrum of organisations from within the wider legal community to build Wallumatta Legal, and the support they have provided has been immediate, affirming and generous.
Thank you to our founders and friends for their contributions and commitment, and for sharing their expertise and experiences in making justice accessible.
If you’d like to become a friend of Wallumatta Legal, please contact us at info@wl.org.au
Friends of Wallumatta Legal
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