Australian Hazara Legal Network

Hello!

I'm Sajjad Askary, a law graduate at Victoria Legal Aid (VLA), and my colleague Sitarah Mohammadi, a law graduate at Russell Kennedy Lawyers (RK), both of us advocates for refugees and the Hazara people. We are excited to announce our upcoming networking event. 

Event Details:

The event will take place on Friday, 23 August 2024, from 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM, with the formal program concluding at 9:30 PM. It will be held at Almas Receptions in Dandenong, Victoria, and we anticipate a turnout of 150 participants. 

This event is designed to connect our Hazara law students, and Hazara lawyers, all former and current refugees, to meet VLA lawyers, hear about their work in all practice areas and pathways into the law, and make some local connections with VLA's Dandenong, Geelong, Sunshine and Shepperton offices, where we have a large Hazara community. We will have some lawyers from various areas such as corporate and commercial, wills and estates, and migration law, representing different law firms. 

Master of Ceremonies:
Jessie Taylor - Barrister, Victorian Bar.

Speakers: 

Peter Noble - Executive Director, Regions and Service Delivery, VLA;

Kate Bundrock - Executive Director of Criminal Law, VLA; 

Eila Pourasgheri - Director of Family Law; Youth and Child ,VLA;

Madeline Ryan - Regional Manager, Dandenong Office, VLA;

Lauren Bowden - Deputy Managing Lawyer, Sunshine Office, VLA;

Sanmati Verma - Specialist Immigration Lawyer and Legal Director, Human Rights Law Centre; 

Chris Smith - Program Manager, Family Law, VLA; 

Suzanne Rieschieck - Russell Kennedy Lawyers; 

Van Badham - Journalist, The Guardian Newspaper; 

Julian Hill MP - Federal Member for Bruce, Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs; 

Cassandra Fernando MP - Federal Member for Holt; 

Mark Dreyfus MP - Attorney-General of Australia, Federal Member for Isaacs, might attend. 

Additional Information: Please clearly fill in your full name and occupation below for name tags. Food, drinks, and tea will be provided, and you can enjoy live cultural Afghanistan music. The dress code is formal and business casual. 

Event start time: The event begins promptly at 6 pm and formally concludes at 9:30 pm. People can stay for further networking till 10.30 pm. 

We look forward to seeing you there!