Council and Executive

With a legal career spanning over 30 years, David is a principal at LK Law and practises in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Insolvency and Reconstruction.

David was admitted to practice in 1991, after graduating from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Economics (1986) and from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Laws (1990). David commenced private practice in 1991 with Corrs and has subsequently been a partner at Thomson Playford, Kelly & Co, HWL Ebsworth and principal at Lipman Karas and LK Law.

David has been involved in and led significant insolvency litigation proceedings across Australia, including in the Western Desert Resources, Arafura Pearls, Candetti Constructions and Noelex Yachts liquidations, the Warren Anderson Group receivership, and the Bedford administration.

David has been a member of the Law Society continuously since 1991, was Vice President of Council in 2024, and was President-Elect in 2025. He is also a member of the Law Council of Australia Insolvency and Reconstruction Committee (SA), was Chair of the SA/NT Committee chapter of the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA) in 2024, and a member of INSOL. David was also a board member of the Real Estate Institute of South Australia from 2023 to 2025.

David's personal interests include wine, horse racing, and football. He has been Chair of the Football Federation SA Disciplinary Tribunal since 2022.

Please click here to read David's President's Message.

Marissa is a Principal solicitor and counsel in the commercial and tax team at Norman Waterhouse who specialises in taxation, banking and finance, bankruptcy and corporate insolvency, administrative law and regulatory litigation. Marissa was admitted to practice in 2009, following completion of a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice. She has also completed a Master of Laws specialising in Corporate, Commercial and Taxation law.

She is also a sessional member at the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and teaches Banking and Finance Law and Corporate and Commercial Practice as part of the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice run by the University of Adelaide and Law Society.

Marissa has been an active member of the Law Society and has been a member of and has sat on and chaired a number of committees. In 2018 she was appointed to Council before becoming a member of the Executive in 2022. She has presented numerous CPDs and authored a number of articles for the Law Society Bulletin and also teaches Banking & Finance Law and Corporate & Commercial Practice as part of the Law Society's GDLP program.

Marissa is the immediate past president of the Women Lawyers Association of South Australia. Outside of the law, Marissa enjoys spending time with her family, running and travelling.

Please click here to read Marissa's President's Message.

Victoria was admitted to practice in 2013 and was called to the Bar in 2021. Before joining the Bar, she was a litigation partner in a large local firm.

Victoria works predominantly in civil and commercial litigation. She works extensively in the resolution of farming and property disputes and has a particular focus on trust and estate litigation.

Victoria accepts briefs in all areas of civil and commercial litigation.

Melanie Tilmouth is a Principal solicitor at Norman Waterhouse in the family law team.

Melanie was admitted in 2011 and has worked exclusively in family law since 2014. She has been heavily involved in the Law Society since her admission and has sat on a number of Committees and working groups since 2013 including in roles as Co-Chair and Deputy Chair. Melanie first joined Council in 2019 and has held various positions since that time including Vice-President in 2022.

Melanie has experience in both small and large firms including in the country and in Adelaide.

Outside of the law, Melanie enjoys Pilates, wine and reading.

Joshua Michaels is the Managing Director of NDA Law and a specialist in civil litigation and is experienced in all areas of civil litigation, including building and construction disputes, partnership disputes, matters concerning consumer law, insurance, and appeals. He is regularly involved in both prosecuting and defending matters in the Magistrates Court, District Court, and Supreme Court as part of his work for various parties. Joshua also provides support for solicitors and barristers in a variety of disputes.

Joshua has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to legal services, winning the award for ‘Best Civil Litigation Law Firm’ (Australia) and ‘Distinction in Building and Construction Law’ by APAC Insider Awards. He is the Chair of the Commercial Law Committee of the Law Society of South Australia, a member of the Civil Litigation Committee of the Law Society of South Australia, and a member of the Law Society of South Australia Council. He is also a member of The Tax Institute of Australia.

In addition to his work within the building and construction sector, Joshua has significant expertise in banking and finance. Joshua advises in all areas of regulation and compliance, including financial services regulation, commercial and residential lending advice, and acting on behalf of lenders and borrowers. He is also a highly regarded defamation lawyer and has acted for many individuals helping to secure successful outcomes when reputations have been affected by adverse actions.

Hannah is a Lawyer at Piper Alderman working in the Financial Services & FinTech team.  Hannah works as a Financial Services Regulation lawyer working with banks, credit unions, building societies, and financial service and credit providers. Hannah has particular interests in privacy, data security, and anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing.

Hannah joined the Law Society Council in 2024 as a Junior Member, before being elected to the Executive in 2025.  Hannah is also the representative for South Australia on the Law Council of Australia’s AML Working Group.

Hannah was admitted to practice in February 2023, but has a strong background in the legal sector.  Hannah is recognised by Doyle’s Guide and Best Lawyers Australia in the respective Rising Star and Ones-to-Watch categories for corporate law.

In her spare time, Hannah enjoys reading fiction, running very slowly, and getting a coffee and almond croissant with her friends.

Sebastian is the Managing Partner at Boylan Lawyers, overseeing all practice areas and business operations. Sebastian specialises in family law, estate planning, intergenerational farming transfers and disputes and high profile disputed estates.

Sebastian is an active board member of Westside Community Lawyers, providing legal services to people who do not qualify for legal aid, but cannot afford a private lawyer.

What makes Sebastian zealous about working in the legal profession is being of service to clients and their families by providing pragmatic solutions to difficult problems.

As part of the Law Society, Sebastian has served on the Council since 2023.

Previously, Raffaele worked as a defence solicitor in the Criminal Law Practice Division of the Legal Services Commission of South Australia.

In addition, Raffaele was formerly the Associate to the Chief Justice of the Australian Capital Territory, and an Associate to a judge of the Federal Court of Australia, the Honourable Justice Yates.

Raffaele was a Federal Prosecutor in the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. Raffaele is also a member of the Disciplinary and Appeals Committee for Football South Australia, and the Internal Sports Tribunal for Volleyball Australia.

In his time at the Law Society, Raffaele has been an active contributor to numerous Committees and is currently Chair of the Human Rights Committee.