with Victoria University
Dr. Rodger Fernandez FMIA
Lachlan was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Victorian Supreme Court in 1973. Lachlan’s vast experience extends to all areas of immigration, employment, anti-discrimination and trade union law. He advised many migration clients for over 20 years on a range of complex visa or sponsorship issues with the Department, the AAT and the Federal Circuit and Federal Courts. He was awarded the MIA’s Henry Giblett Award for outstanding migration education in 2015. Lachlan has now retired from active client work but continues to assist the MIA in the development and delivery of our educational programmes.
David has been an accredited immigration specialist of the Law Society of NSW since August 2000 and was the Co-Chair of the Specialist Accreditation Committee of the Law Society between 2016 and 2023. David has been a Member of the Immigration Lawyers Committee of the Law Council of Australia for over 20 years. Through the Law Council, he participates in national debate on immigration law and policy and contributes to Parliamentary submissions and he was the Chair of the body between 2017 - 2019.
Lena is the Principal of Lena Hung and Associates and is an Accredited Immigration Law Specialist based in Melbourne, with over 19 years of experience in migration law. Lena has been awarded the Law Institute of Victoria’s President’s Award for Outstanding Service in 2021 for her dedication and hard work in various LIV committees including the Migration Law Committee and advancing the cause of migration law practitioners. Lena has also been recognised by her peers as Best Lawyers in Australia in Immigration Law for every year since 2021. In November 2023, Lena was elected as Member Director to the Law Institute of Victoria’s Board of Directors. Lena has chaired several LIV committees including the Administrative Law and Human Rights Executive committee, the Migration Law Committee and the Accredited Specialisation - Immigration Law Advisory Committee. Lena is also actively involved in the Law Council of Australia’s Migration Law Committee.
Kerry is a solicitor and has, for many years, been accredited as a specialist in immigration law. Kerry is a partner in the firm D’Ambra Murphy Lawyers where he represents clients at all stages of the Australian immigration process, including the primary, tribunal and court levels. Kerry has presented many seminars in the area of immigration and refugee law, and has written over 150 articles published in various publications. He is also lecturing for the Australian Catholic University as part of the Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice program, and teaches the Migration Law subject in the Undergraduate Law degree. Kerry has been recognised since 2008 as one of Australia's best Immigration lawyers in the 'Best Lawyer's Australia' survey, published by the Australian Financial Review. Kerry has previously worked for the Department of Immigration and the Australian Office of the Jesuit Refugee Service, and has sat on several Boards including the Board of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre Inc.
Sherene is a senior lawyer at FCG Legal and is a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited specialist lawyer in immigration law. She is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia. Sherene completed her LLB (Hons) and Commerce (Mgt) degrees at Monash University and is currently completing her PhD in the area of migration law. She is also a member of the Advisory Committee to the Specialisation Board of the Law Institute of Victoria. Sherene is an Adjunct Associate Professor of the College of Law and Justice at Victoria University. Sherene has numerous years of experience in resolving complex migration matters from decisions of the Department of Home Affairs, Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Courts. She frequently advises lawyers and migration agents practising in migration law. She is the co-author of the Australian Immigration Companion and the Australian Migration Legislation Collection. She is also a member of the Accredited Specialisation Board of the Law Institute of Victoria and an advisory committee member (Immigration law).
Chris is the Principal Immigration Lawyer at Work Visa Lawyers. Chris became a Migration Lawyer in 2006 and worked for two of the largest migration advice businesses in South Australia between 2006 and 2011. He started Work Visa Lawyers in July 2011. He served as SA State President for the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) from October 2017 to October 2019 and as a Director on the National Board of the MIA. As an active MIA member, Chris serves on its South Australian Committee, Regional Migration Advisory Panel and the MIA Legal Advisory Panel. Chris has assisted employers and employees in many industries, including construction, medical practice, agriculture, financial services, and hospitality. His practice areas include 482, 186, and 494 visas, LA, DAMAs, Global Talent and Business visas.