Hassiba Ahmar
Epping,Australia
Summary
Seasoned Senior Solicitor with comprehensive experience in civil and criminal law. Demonstrates strong knowledge of legal procedures, court proceedings, and case management. Skilled negotiator adept at providing sound legal advice to diverse client base. Made significant impact in previous roles through efficient problem-solving and strategic planning abilities.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Solicitor
Herbert Smith Freehills
07.2021 - Current
- Company Overview: Digital Legal Delivery - Disputes Team
- Supervise teams of legal analysts and solicitors to deliver high-quality legal review services for high-volume and document-intensive legal work.
- This includes information-intensive work on litigation, arbitration, internal and external investigations, contentious regulatory, and due diligence matters.
- Collaborated with colleagues from ALT's global network, including legal practitioners, legal analysts, and eDiscovery and technology specialists, to optimize client outcomes.
- Supporting with pricing at the outset of a matter and then assisting win managing costs and billing throughout the matter
- Supporting with the development of workflow for specific projects, including drafting relevant sections of the review guide and supporting the instructing teams generally with the drafting of project instructions
- With the assistance of ALT’s cutting-edge technology, delivering products and services to clients which are innovative, timely and cost effective
- Digital Legal Delivery - Disputes Team
Solicitor
Herbert Smith Freehills
02.2019 - Current
- Company Overview: Alternative Legal Services (ALT) - Disputes Team
- On specific projects supervise Legal Analysts in relation to individual matters, ensuring the highest standards of consistent quality
- Supervising and quality reviewing the work of Legal Analysts and, where required, stepping up to a management support role for Senior Solicitors and Managers to manage the day to day running of matters
- Providing support for client proposals, pitches or any other relevant business development initiatives
- Assisting on the legally complex aspects of work the ALT Disputes team undertakes including on document review exercises, post document review support, claims assessment and supporting clients directly
- Alternative Legal Services (ALT) - Disputes Team
Secondee Lawyer
Inner Melbourne Community Legal Centre
07.2023 - 07.2024
Lawyer
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA)
01.2017 - 02.2019
- Company Overview: Child Protection Team
- Appeared as an advocate for legal aid clients in child protection and intervention order, and to a lesser extent criminal, proceedings in the Children’s Court of Victoria
- Provided quality legal services, including legal information, advice and casework, for clients in child protection and intervention order matters as well as youth crime matters and other related matters from time to time as well as appropriate
- Kept up to date with relevant legal developments and procedures by attending VLA’s professional legal education sessions and maintaining an understanding of issues impacting the justice system
- Assisted in the delivery of education and training programs within VLA and externally, promoting community awareness of legal rights affecting children and young people
- Contributed to the implementation and review of the Family, Youth and Children’s Law Program Plan and assisted in the development of strategies to improve client services
- Child Protection Team
Lawyer
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA)
03.2016 - 12.2016
- Company Overview: Weekend Remands
- Appeared as a Duty Lawyer at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court
- Provided legal advice to clients who were remanded in custody
- Assisted clients with their bail applications
- Appeared on behalf of clients in straight remands, simple pleas and bail applications
- Liaised with different stakeholders such as clients, the judiciary, Police and Prosecution
- Weekend Remands
Legal & Policy Officer
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA)
07.2015 - 12.2016
- Company Overview: Legal Practice Directorate - Assignments
- Assessed applications for legal assistance in criminal law, family law and child protection matters and provided ongoing management and monitoring of grants of legal assistance in accordance with delegated powers under the Legal Aid Act 1978
- Assessed legal aid applications and extension requests in complex and unusual cases and in cases that are not subject to the Simplified Grants Process (SGP)
- Conducted compliance checks and investigations of lawyers’ files to ensure that grants of legal assistance under the SGP are in accordance with VLA’s guidelines, priorities for assistance and the Legal Aid Act 1978
- Under the instruction of the Managing Lawyer, assisted with corporate litigation and attended and appeared in court as required to represent VLA in relation to funding decisions and other matters
- Conducted lawyer education/training sessions in relation to compliance requirements and VLA’s guidelines and policies for both private and in-house practitioners
- Educated lawyers and clients regarding VLA’s guidelines, priorities for funding and the grants processes
- Contributed to the planning and development of compliance activities including the development of training materials and reviewing and updating of documentation to assist lawyers to comply with VLA requirements
- Contributed to policy development within the Assignments Family Unit by corroborating with other business and practice areas of VLA
- Fostered and developed productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Legal Practice Directorate - Assignments
Dispute Resolution Officer
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO)
04.2013 - 06.2015
- Managed end to end case work and new matters involving disputes between consumers and service providers
- Assessed whether complaints were within the jurisdiction of the TIO
- Provided independent information to consumers and service providers about how to resolve their disputes
- Identified key issues arising from a dispute, gathered and analysed relevant information and decided whether a proposed outcome was in accordance with the law, good industry practice, and what was fair and reasonable given all the circumstances of the dispute
- Applied dispute resolution frameworks including conciliations between consumers and service providers and employed negotiation and problem-solving skills to facilitate the appropriate resolution of disputes
- Undertook formal investigations, including assessment of information and communicated the outcomes of the investigation plainly and clearly to parties
- Worked with internal and external stakeholders to promote the TIO and the Dispute Resolution division
- Interpreted laws, telecommunications industry codes, TIO’s policies when investigating complaints
Dispute Resolution Manager at the Legal Team
Xchanging Integrated Services Victoria Pty Ltd
03.2012 - 03.2013
- Managed a small group of Dispute Resolution Officers
- Attended conciliation conferences at the Accident Compensation Conciliation Service (ACCS) and put forward arguments and engaged in debate regarding an adverse decision in an open forum
- Liaised with different stakeholders in the conciliation process, including the ACCS, union groups, and workers’ representatives and encouraged early resolution of matters prior to the allocated conference date
- Conducted initial reviews and senior reviews to analyse the strengths and weakness of an adverse decision notice by critically analysing evidence relating to an adverse decision
- Prepared pre-conciliation conference submission by constructing a reasoned argument in defence of a notice based on the available evidence
Dispute Resolution Officer
CGU Workers’ Compensation (Vic) Ltd
03.2011 - 02.2012
- Company Overview: Dispute Resolution Team
- Attended conciliation conferences at the ACCS and put forward arguments and engaged in debate regarding an adverse decision in an open forum
- Liaised with different stakeholders in the conciliation process, including the ACCS, union groups, and workers’ representatives and encouraged early resolution of matters prior to the allocated conference date
- Conducted initial reviews to analyse the strengths and weakness of an adverse decision notice by critically analysing evidence relating to an adverse decision
- Prepared pre-conciliation conference submission by constructing a reasoned argument in defence of a notice based on the available evidence
- Identified ways to improve the sustainability of an adverse decision notice e.g
- Requesting a supplementary report from the independent medical examiner and liaising with the relevant claims team
- Contacted employers one week prior to the conciliation conference and spoke openly and honestly with employers regarding the relative strengths/weaknesses of an adverse decision
- Dispute Resolution Team
MDM Case Manager
CGU Workers’ Compensation (Vic) Ltd
01.2010 - 02.2011
- Managed portfolio of 55 active claims from week 0-78
- Reviewed injured workers’ ongoing entitlements in accordance with the Accident Compensation Act 1985 and referred recommendations to maintain, reduce or cease ongoing entitlements to the technical manager or injury management advisor for consideration
- Proactively and effectively updated and maintained the ongoing management of all claims by updating Novus and Acction and ensured required tasks were completed within the required time frames
- Liaised with injured workers, employers, solicitors, and service providers
- Determined liability i.e
- Accepting, rejecting or terminating claims
- Conducted case conferences and claim reviews
Administration assistant
Becton Investment Management Ltd (BIML)
01.2006 - 11.2009
- Company Overview: Legal Department
- Worked for Anne Jordan (Legal Counsel and Company Secretary)
- Ensured all documentation for newly purchased properties e.g
- Acquisition of shopping centres by BIML is supplied
- Sourced copies of missing documents such as mortgages, leases, contracts
- Maintained electronic filing system
- Legal Department
Volunteer student editorial assistant
Australian Journal of Labour Law (AJLL)
04.2004 - 11.2009
- Company Overview: LexisNexis Publication
- Worked for Colin Fenwick (Senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Editor of AJLL and Director of Centre for Employment & Labour Relations Law)
- Researched sources cited in footnotes to make sure they were cited accurately
- Proof read articles for grammatical and stylistic errors and formatted them to comply with appropriate style
- Informed the author/Colin Fenwick when a source cited in footnote could not be located
- LexisNexis Publication
Summer clerk
Slater & Gordon Lawyers
11.2008 - 12.2008
- Company Overview: Commercial Litigation Department
- Worked for David Andrews (Practice Group Leader)
- Conducted legal research, drafted memorandums of advice, case notes, case summaries and an opinion piece under tight time constraints
- Attended client meetings, barrister’s briefings, Supreme Court hearings and practice group weekly meetings, and took notes
- Commercial Litigation Department
Junior researcher
Monash University
01.2008 - 12.2008
- Company Overview: Victorian College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Biology
- Prepared cell culture
- Conducted unsupervised, complicated and sensitive experiments such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Western Blot and Apoptotic Assays
- Purified PNPA Protein
- Victorian College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Biology
Education
Practical Legal Training -
The College of Law
05.2012
Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Science -
The University of Melbourne
01.2009
Skills
- Advocacy skills
- Effective Written Communication
- Effective Verbal Communication
- Negotiation skills
- Teamwork skills
- Research skills
- Analysis skills
- IT skills
- Email proficiency
- MS Word
- MS Power Point
- MS Outlook
- MS Excel
- Relativity
- Fast and accurate Typing Ability
- Multilingual
Hobbies and Interests
- Playing football
- Socialising
- Exercising
- Listening to music
References
Available upon request.
Workphone
(03) 9269 0139
Personal Information
Citizenship: Australian
Timeline
Secondee Lawyer
Inner Melbourne Community Legal Centre
07.2023 - 07.2024
Senior Solicitor
Herbert Smith Freehills
07.2021 - Current
Solicitor
Herbert Smith Freehills
02.2019 - Current
Lawyer
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA)
01.2017 - 02.2019
Lawyer
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA)
03.2016 - 12.2016
Legal & Policy Officer
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA)
07.2015 - 12.2016
Dispute Resolution Officer
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO)
04.2013 - 06.2015
Dispute Resolution Manager at the Legal Team
Xchanging Integrated Services Victoria Pty Ltd
03.2012 - 03.2013
Dispute Resolution Officer
CGU Workers’ Compensation (Vic) Ltd
03.2011 - 02.2012
MDM Case Manager
CGU Workers’ Compensation (Vic) Ltd
01.2010 - 02.2011
Summer clerk
Slater & Gordon Lawyers
11.2008 - 12.2008
Junior researcher
Monash University
01.2008 - 12.2008
Administration assistant
Becton Investment Management Ltd (BIML)
01.2006 - 11.2009
Volunteer student editorial assistant
Australian Journal of Labour Law (AJLL)
04.2004 - 11.2009
Practical Legal Training -
The College of Law
Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Science -
The University of Melbourne
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