Diana Serra

• Civil Litigation
  • Advocacy
• Personal Injury
  • Personal injury
  • Workplace injury and workers compensation
• Building & Construction Law
  • Litigation
• Bankruptcy & Insolvency Law
  • Commercial/business

• Marshalls and Dent Lawyers

  Senior Associate, Litigation Lawyer

  September, 2013 - Present

  Working on a variety of interesting high profile broad commercial litigation matters including: debt recovery; breach of contract; insolvency and insurance work; media; personal injury; building and construction disputes.

  Assisting juniors and working closely with a number of partners.

  Drafting pleadings, briefs to counsel and providing strategic advice to clients and partners.

  Corresponding with other lawyers, attending mediations and court, negotiating settlements, preparing deeds of settlement.

  Court attendance, including pre-hearing conferences and mediation.

• Marshalls and Dent Lawyers

  Senior Associate, Litigation Lawyer

  September, 2013 - Present

  Working on a variety of interesting high profile broad commercial litigation matters including: debt recovery; breach of contract; insolvency and insurance work; media; personal injury; building and construction disputes.

  Assisting juniors and working closely with a number of partners.

  Drafting pleadings, briefs to counsel and providing strategic advice to clients and partners.

  Corresponding with other lawyers, attending mediations and court, negotiating settlements, preparing deeds of settlement.

  Court attendance, including pre-hearing conferences and mediation.

• Monash University

  Research Assistant

  February, 2012 - October, 2013

  Assisted lecturer in preparing chapters for upcoming construction law text book, including assisting with drafting chapters in litigation, arbitration and negotiation.

  Co-authoring a national paper on Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) which investigates the extent to which ENE is being used in Australia. The piece also seeks to evaluate ENE’s potential to facilitate large-scale litigation.

  Conducting research and evaluating the impact of proposed new and pre-existing legislation in Construction Litigation reforms/initiatives in Australia.

• Greenfields Financial Services Lawyers

  Lawyer

  April, 2013 - September, 2013

  Working on a variety of transactions, contractual matters and corporate advisory work, including reviewing and updating standard form contracts and services agreements, confidentiality agreements, reseller agreements, loan documentation.

  Reviewing Commercial Contracts for clients including reviewing and negotiating a variety of contracts relating to the supply and procurement of grain for Cargill Australia (AWB), products and services such as freight delivery managed services agreements between farmers and AWB bulk-handlers, PPSA registration over selected grain, creating licences over grain which was being grown on behalf of AWB, intellectual property rights over genetically modified grain, reseller agreements and advising clients in relation to legal issues arising from such contracts, including termination rights, limitation of liability, indemnities, and dispute mechanisms.

  Business and company acquisitions and disposals, including drafting applications to FIRB.

  Participating in strategy discussions with counsel in relation to force majeure claims, negligence, breach of contract generally, misleading and deceptive conduct.

  Drafting Court Documents.

  Providing legal advice on a wide variety of issues including contract interpretation, statutory interpretation and legal implications of proposed business activities.

  Reviewing company privacy policies to ensure that they comply with legislative and regulatory requirements including redrafting its privacy policies including employee records being stored overseas, the framework for employee’s bringing/using their own iPad/iPhones.

  Reviewing Compliance Policy for dealing with Financial Products and ensuring that they did not act outside the scope of their permitted AFSL Licence.

  Drafting termination notices, deeds of variation, deeds of settlement and release.

  Reviewing cross-border deals.

  Insolvency, removal of administrators, having the company wound up, issues with proof of debt.

• Department of Justice, Supreme Court of Victoria

  Associate to the Honourable Justice Vickery and TEC List Coordinator

  October, 2010 - February, 2012

  Provided legal assistance and support to a Judge by providing detailed analysis of case law, precedents and the application of legal developments.

  Drafted background papers and preparing decisions under the Judge’s supervision.

  Assisted with editing and proof reading of Judgments and Rulings.

  Assisted with the drafting of the New Practice Note and RedCrest User Instruction Manual.

  Assisted Judge with legal research and writing including drafting speeches and preparing case summaries.

  Assisted in the conduct of civil proceedings within the Supreme Court, including the preparation of courtroom and ancillary items prior to and during sittings, and the confirmation of the attendance of all relevant parties and witnesses.

  Provided administrative support to the judge’s chambers, including keeping accurate records of hearings, judgments and orders, preparing correspondence, reports and other documents.

  Acted as a liaison for and a representative of the Judge while interacting with judicial officers, court officers, court users and the general public and managing the judge’s schedule of hearings and engagements.

• 

  Monash University

  Arts/Law

  2006 - 2010

570, Level 21 Bourke Street, VIC, 3000, Australia