Headquarters:

Canberra, ACT

Year founded:

2015

Number of employees:

17, and with a broader Register of additional experts to draw on for specific collaborative work

Phone:

+61 2 6198 3392

Email:

enquiries@lexbridgelawyers.com

Website:

lexbridgelawyers.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/lexbridge-public-international-lawyers

“We prioritise embracing cutting-edge technologies, creative problem solving and continuous improvement to enhance our premium funding solutions and provide exceptional value to our clients”

Brett Bastow, IQumulate Premium FundinG

Dr Sarah McCosker

Partner

Andrew Sawkins

Principal Lawyer

Richard Braddock

Partner

Leadership

Dr Sarah McCosker is a founding partner of Lexbridge, and has worked as an international lawyer for over two decades. Her principal fields of expertise are international humanitarian law, international human rights law, negotiation of intergovernmental instruments and the relationships between international law and diplomacy, particularly in the context of international dispute settlement.

Partner

Dr Sarah McCosker

Richard Braddock is a founding partner of Lexbridge Lawyers. He has extensive experience as an international lawyer and expert consultant with a specialisation in international trade and investment law. Braddock provides advice, training and consultancy services across the entire range of trade and investment issues.

Partner

Richard Braddock

Damien van der Toorn is a founding partner of Lexbridge Lawyers, with decades of experience in handling high-profile international law and Australian government matters. He has deep and diverse expertise in the development of complex agreements and legislation, conducting high-stakes negotiations, and managing whole-of-government legal reforms, particularly in defence and security, trade and investment, maritime and aviation, and environment and climate change. Van der Toorn’s recent significant matters have included advising on multibillion-dollar land, air and sea defence capability programs, and the development of major security frameworks in the Asia-Pacific. Prior to founding Lexbridge, he led numerous legal teams across the Australian government, delivering major legal projects. Significant matters included the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement on climate change; free trade agreements with China, Korea, Japan and the Trans-Pacific Partnership; reform of Australia’s maritime enforcement powers; the global agreement to ban cluster munitions; and military deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Timor Leste. Van der Toorn has received a number of commendations, medals and awards from the Australian government in recognition of his work. Earlier in his career, heworked for a large commercial firm, and was a judge’s associate in the Supreme Court of Queensland. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Queensland, as well as a Master of Laws from the University of London.

Partner

Damien van der Toorn

Partner

Netta Goussac is a special counsel with Lexbridge Lawyers. She has worked as an international lawyer for over a decade, including for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Australian Government’s Office of International Law. Her principal fields of expertise are international humanitarian law, international disarmament law, the international law on the use of force, international criminal law, and security and counter-terrorism law. Goussac has particular expertise in legal frameworks related to the development, acquisition and transfer of weapons. She has provided legal and policy advice related to new technologies of warfare, including autonomous weapons, military applications of artificial intelligence, and cyber and space security. From 2010 to 2013, she participated in the negotiation of the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty and subsequently worked to promote universal adherence to its standards. A focus of her practice is supporting the implementation of international law through national legislation, policies, doctrine and training. She has provided technical, advisory and capacity-building services in the Pacific, in Asia and in Europe. She has also been an adjunct lecturer at the Australian National University College of Law Master’s of Law programme. Goussac holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia (2006) and a Master of Laws specialising in international law from the Australian National University (2009).

Special Counsel

Netta Goussac

Special Counsel

Doran Yacobi represents leading national insurers in property damage litigation across all states. With his extensive knowledge and experience, he is frequently sought after by clients for strategic advice, offering clear and practical recommendations on current best practices throughout Australia. Yacobi has been a key figure in credit hire car and repair litigation nationwide, working closely with clients to develop innovative strategies in this evolving and complex field. He prides himself on fostering strong, lasting relationships with clients, passionately advocating for their strategic interests to secure excellent outcomes in challenging cases.

Principal Lawyer

Doran Yacobi

Stevens & Associates Lawyers is a leading and trusted employment law firm based in Sydney known for delivering high-quality legal expertise in the area of employment law and industrial relations across Australia, alongside a proven track record of effectively and swiftly resolving a variety of workplace law issues. In the past year, the firm’s growth has been notable. It has: • experienced a 213% growth in the number of client matters, increasing from 149 client matters in the 2022 financial year to 390 client matters in the 2023 financial year • improved its online visibility, leading to over 50 online enquiries each month and a conversion rate of client leads of up to 40% • significantly expanded the breadth and type of matters that it advises on day to day, which has increased the firm’s skillsets, diversity and resilience • expanded its community outreach by collaborating with local Sydney venues for client seminars and continuing active participation in a Sydney small/family business group Stevens & Associates Lawyers has adapted to digital trends by implementing an effective strategy with SEO and web design, resulting in a structural shift that has seen increased representation of employees where the firm previously mainly advised employers. The firm’s recognition as a “Fast Firm” attests to its momentum in the employment law space.

“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started”

Wayne Tower, IQumulate Premium Funding

Steve Tchepak

National Underwriting Manager

Michael Prokopis

Manager – Southern Region

Jeffrey Valdivia

Manager – Commercial Strata

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Steve Tchepak became the national underwriting manager at CHU in June 2019. He has over 13 years of experience in strata management and strata insurance. He has held various positions, including commercial underwriter, team leader and NSW and ACT branch manager.

National Underwriting Manager

Steve Tchepak

Thierry Pascal has over 13 years of experience in business and corporate banking in various financial/credit analytical and relationship management roles with the NAB and CBA. After a career break to undertake postgraduate studies, he joined GE Capital as a senior risk analyst in premium funding in 2010. Following the divestment of the premium funding business to the Macquarie Group in 2015, he joined Macquarie Premium Funding and was promoted to credit risk manager, where he led the credit underwriting team. Following the re-branding to IQumulate Premium Funding, Pascal was recently promoted to head of credit and legal, a role that sees him manage the credit underwriting team as well as oversee IQumulate’s in-house legal function. Pascal holds undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary qualifications in accounting and law.

Head of Credit and Legal

Thierry Pascal

Cemal Akgul sees the head of risk and collections role as pivotal in guiding and influencing business decisions. He has more than 15 years of experience across financial and government services, most recently with the NDIS, where he was the leading consultant driving the Risk Management process’ nationwide. Prior to that, he served various roles at BMW Finance across the United States, Hong Kong, Germany and Australia. During Akgul’s tenure at BMW Finance, he predominately worked in risk management, guiding the organisation through seismic changes between 2016 and 2018. In his time prior, he was based out of New York, leading BMW Finance’s American subsidiary's market risk and data analytics teams between 2011 and 2016. Akgul values a balanced approach to business, encourages a positive work culture and is passionate about teaching and guiding the business and individuals at IQumulate.

Head of Risk and Collections

Cemal Akgul

Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager. As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

One culmination of these efforts has been the real-world, needs-based IQEdge solution. A one-stop online quoting tool designed for both the Australian and New Zealand markets, IQEdge delivers quotes in under 60 seconds. Plus, the solution offers quote comparison and quote versioning capabilities, enabling users to review vital historical and financial data in a single page view. IQEdge can streamline and automate application processing, underwriting document verification and payment collection, cutting the need for manual labour and minimising processing errors. A digital “self-service” platform, IQEdge, reduces the need for customer and administrative support. Meanwhile, borrowers can access their accounts, make payments and manage their policies independently and through sales and support teams, which are always available for further assistance. “We’ve created a quality platform that simplifies the quoting process yet amplifies the customer experience,” says Gordon. “It’s a real game changer.” IQumulate offers an online digital quoting tool to clients. The best-in-market solution enables IQumulate to tailor funding offerings to brokers that align with their prefered distribution channel.

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What does IQumulate have in mind for the future? “IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started,” says Wayne Tower, CEO. “Through continuous engagement with our clients, partners, marketplace and industry, we will listen to the needs as they arise and position our business to be agile and respond to changes as they occur. “Faster decision-making innovations such as AI-powered decision support systems can expedite the underwriting and approval process, leading to quicker responses to clients. This can improve client satisfaction and potentially attract more business, with the potential to allow IQumulate to capture a larger market share, whilst continuing to deliver service excellence to clients.” “As forward-thinkers with a digital and ‘do it better’ mindset, we collectively and proactively look to learn and improve on our customer experience for our clients, paving the way for successful business outcomes for our clients and our business in the coming years ahead. “We’re excited for the future and look forward to what’s on the horizon.”

IQumulate invests in education and people, which are vital to attracting new business and talent to the company. “We have long tenures for several of our key staff, including some in leadership positions, and this sound working knowledge of our business, practices and industry provides great insights and a wealth of experience to offer our clients,” says Bastow. “Our new head of sales, Graeme Gordon, formerly manager for New Zealand, joins us in Australia to drive our sales strategy and lead our team to successful outcomes for our clients and our business. We look forward to great things ahead with Graeme as he continues to be active and present in the New Zealand market as well as building sound working relationships and new connections in Australia.” Clients can also expect a lot from working with IQumulate. “Through active engagement with our trusted broker network, IQumulate provides relevant information, education and training content,” says Graeme Gordon, head of sales. “Our clients can expect IQumulate to support their business in several ways, providing an understanding of what premium funding solutions are available and how IQumulate can spread the cost of insurance and help borrowers get the right level of insurance cover to free up their cash flow for other expenses or business growth opportunities. Premium funding is often considered a tool for those who simply cannot afford to pay their premiums in full. While this is certainly a significant driver for many, it is also successfully used by profitable companies who use premium funding to manage their cash flows more wisely or better manage their liquidity.”

Adam Basaldella

Manager – Claims

Product Manager

Claire Watson

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

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xxxxx

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Ivan Verescuk

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

Shaun O’Brien

Head of Underwriting

Emily Walker

Head of Strata and Development

Rex Oakman

Head of Operations and Risk

Sandy Newton

Head of Underwriting

Andrew Mitchell

Manager – NSW

Michael Prokopis

Manager – Southern Region

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Jeffrey Valdivia

Manager – Commercial Strata

Adam Basaldella

Manager – Claims

Most specialist law firms define themselves by a practice area. Lexbridge Lawyers has defined itself by an entirely distinct legal domain. As a specialist public international law (PIL) firm, Lexbridge occupies a position in the market that no other firm has replicated. Its work spans trade and investment law, human rights, defence and security, new technologies and the law, financial crime, cultural property, and environmental law, but what unifies all of it is a focus on international law as it operates in the real world: complex, interlinked with international relations, policy and diplomacy, and requiring far more than technical legal expertise to navigate. The firm was co-founded by Dr Sarah McCosker, Richard Braddock, Damien van der Toorn and Phuong Duong, whose careers span senior advisory roles within the Australian Government, international institutions and the private sector. Phuong remains a consultant and strategic advisor to the firm. Critically, the Lexbridge leadership team has not merely advised on international law, its members have helped shape it, through involvement in treaty negotiations, law reform initiatives and major international policy processes. The most significant strategic shift Lexbridge has made in recent years has been expanding its role from a traditional legal advisory provider to an integrated provider of law, policy and implementation support. The firm has built a multidisciplinary capability that brings together international lawyers, legislative drafters and practitioners with other backgrounds and operational experience – for example in domestic legal implementation, law enforcement, negotiations, regulatory environments, strategy development and capacity building. This means clients receive support not only in understanding what international law requires, but in designing the legal frameworks required for domestic implementation, operationalising them within institutional and resource constraints, and building the in-house capability to sustain them This end-to-end model is particularly well suited to Lexbridge’s primary client base of governments and multilateral organisations, which frequently need more than a legal opinion. The firm has been involved in advising on major agreements across diverse fields (for example trade and investment, climate change and the environment, defence and security, human rights and humanitarian law), supporting developing countries in international negotiations, and delivering training and technical assistance to government officials through programs with diplomatic academies and multilateral partners. These engagements reflect a firm that sees its contribution to the development of international law as a core part of its identity, not a secondary activity. Lexbridge operates a partner-led model in which senior practitioners remain actively involved throughout each engagement. The firm is explicit about not allowing growth to dilute its specialist identity: the expansion of its multidisciplinary capability has been designed to deepen what it can deliver, not broaden it into generalist territory. Work arises primarily through long-standing government and institutional relationships and referrals within multilateral networks, rather than through traditional marketing. Client retention is driven by the high quality and relevance of Lexbridge’s advice and other legal services; by responsiveness to client needs; by the ability to deliver practical outcomes that take into account the wider policy context, and by the firm’s ability to engage consistently with the same clients on evolving matters over extended periods. In a region where international legal complexity is only increasing, across trade disputes, environmental commitments, security arrangements and emerging technology governance, Lexbridge’s position as the Asia-Pacific’s dedicated public international law specialist places it at the centre of some of the most significant legal challenges governments and institutions now face.

This end-to-end model is particularly well suited to Lexbridge’s primary client base of governments and multilateral organisations, which frequently need more than a legal opinion. The firm has been involved in advising on major environmental agreements, supporting developing countries in international negotiations, and delivering training and technical assistance to government officials through programs with diplomatic academies and multilateral partners. These engagements reflect a firm that sees its contribution to the development of international law as a core part of its identity, not a secondary activity. Lexbridge operates a partner-led model in which senior practitioners remain actively involved throughout each engagement. The firm is explicit about not allowing growth to dilute its specialist identity: the expansion of its multidisciplinary capability has been designed to deepen what it can deliver, not broaden it into generalist territory. Work arises primarily through long-standing government and institutional relationships and referrals within multilateral networks, rather than through traditional marketing. Client retention is driven by the quality and relevance of advice, by responsiveness, and by the firm’s ability to engage consistently with the same clients on evolving matters over extended periods. In a region where international legal complexity is only increasing, across trade disputes, environmental commitments, security arrangements and emerging technology governance, Lexbridge’s position as the Asia-Pacific’s dedicated public international law specialist places it at the centre of some of the most significant legal challenges governments and institutions now face.