Our People
Lawcover Insurance Board
Peter Harmer, Chair

Peter has over 40 years’ experience in the global insurance sector, spanning retail and wholesale markets, reinsurance, broking, underwriting and claims. He held a number of senior executive roles as CEO of Aon Re Australia, Aon Risk Services Australia Pacific, Aon Limited UK, CGU and the listed IAG.
Peter is currently a non-executive director of Commonwealth Bank, NIB Holdings and NIB Health Funds, and AUB Group, Chair of the Asia Pacific Advisory Council for EXL Services, and a member of Bain & Company’s Advisory Council.
Peter has completed the Harvard Advanced Management Program.
Angelo Bilias, Non-Executive Director

Angelo is a current Councillor and Director of the Law Society of NSW and has been a long-standing member of various regulatory and policy related committees, and Chair of the Disclosure Committee, for nearly 15 years. He has practised law for over 25 years, for the majority of which he has been the Principal of his own firm, Bilias & Associates, Solicitors & Barristers.
With a wide skill set, Angelo has built a well-known record of distinction within the law, possessing extensive knowledge and experience in criminal law, commercial litigation, land and environment and local government law, and considerable expertise in ancillary real property, family and succession law related matters.
Angelo has a diverse background, having initially attained a Bachelor of Science and Diploma in Education, before embarking on a career in policing with the NSW Police Force, rising to the rank of Detective Senior Constable. Later, Angelo completed a Diploma in Law with the Legal Practitioners Admission Board and was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW and the High Court of Australia in 1998. He has a keen interest in regulatory compliance and corporate governance, having completed the Company Directors Course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Angelo has also been an occasional lecturer in the subjects of Criminal Law and Ethics, and an examiner in the Law of Evidence, at the University of Western Sydney.
Joan Cleary, Non-Executive Director

Joan has over 30 years’ of finance and leadership experience in the general insurance and reinsurance industry. She has held senior executive roles in Australia and England, including at QBE Insurance Group Limited and GE’s London Market reinsurance operations.
Joan is currently a non-executive director of Steadfast Group and Gordian Runoff Limited. She holds a Bachelor of Laws, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Brett McGrath, Non-Executive Director

Brett is the immediate past President of the Law Society of New South Wales and has served on the Council of the Law Society of New South Wales since his election in 2018. Brett has also served as Chair of the Audit, Risk & Finance Committee; Deputy Chair of the Professional Conduct Committee; and member of the ADR, Diversity & Inclusion, and Family Law Committees.
Brett is also a Partner at Marsdens Law Group. He is the Partner in charge of Family Dispute Resolution department and specialises in family law.
Brett attended Western Sydney University where he earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and where he also returned to lecture and teach the next generation of lawyers in Family Law, Advanced Family Law and Family Dispute Resolution subjects from 2016. Brett is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and has extensive experience in corporate governance.
John Merakovsky, Non-Executive Director

John is an accomplished company director and strategic advisor to growth companies, startups and purpose-driven organisations. Currently, he serves as a Non-Executive Director at RACV, OpenLearning, and SAAFE CRC, and chairs Orijin Plus, Cashrewards and Experimenta Media Arts. Over 25 years as an executive in the technology industry, John has been a successful entrepreneur, and the CEO of companies such as Flybuys, Integrated Research and Experian. With a background in genetics (PhD University of Melbourne), John’s leadership experience spans data commercialisation and digital transformation, digital health, edtech and digital marketing/loyalty.
Claire Wivell Plater, Non-Executive Director

Claire has worked alongside the Australian insurance industry for over 40 years, as an insurance law partner at Phillips Fox (now DLA Piper) and a financial services regulatory lawyer at her own firm, The Fold Legal (now part of Hamilton Locke). She was a member of ASIC Business Advisory Committee for c. 9 years.
Claire is currently a Non-Executive Director of Youi Insurance and a number of high-growth fintech companies including AuditCover, Valeur, Swyftx and ZeroHash Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Lawcover Executive
Kerrie Lalich, Chief Executive Officer

Kerrie joined Lawcover in February 2013 as Chief Operations Officer with primary responsibility for leading Professional Services – Claims, Insurance Services, Underwriting, ICT/Business Solutions and Practice Support Services.
Kerrie commenced the role of Chief Executive Office at Lawcover on 7 September 2020.
Kerrie’s legal career began in 1996 and she moved into the general insurance industry in 2001. During this time Kerrie worked with personal lines, public liability and professional indemnity insurance policies and claims. Before joining Lawcover she was Executive Manager, Professional Services at the medical indemnity insurer, MDA National. Her insurance career has also included time with AMP, GIO, Suncorp and QBE Insurance.
Kerrie’s broad expertise includes leading diverse teams delivering professional indemnity, advisory and risk management education services with a key focus on successful outcomes, business rigour and client value.
Peter Candotti, Chief Financial Officer

Peter joined Lawcover in February 2018. He has over 25 years of finance experience, and brings to his role a breadth and depth of general insurance knowledge, developed both locally and internationally.
Prior to joining Lawcover, Peter had a successful career with the QBE Insurance Group, holding a number of executive management roles with areas of expertise in strategic finance, treasury, reinsurance and capital management in a career spanning 16 years. He is financially and commercially astute with a strong ability to understand and lever key drivers of business value. Peter is passionate about developing and leading strong teams to bring positive change to the organisation. Peter has a Bachelor of Business from Charles Sturt University and is an Associate of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ).
Elissa Baxter, Chief Legal Officer

Elissa joined Lawcover in 2010 as a Claims Solicitor. In 2022, she was appointed the head of Lawcover’s legal, claims and practice support services teams. She provides general corporate and regulatory advice to the Lawcover business and supports solicitors who are facing professional negligence claims. Elissa regularly writes for the Law Society Journal and presents for the Law Society and professional organisations like AILA on solicitor’s professional indemnity cases.
Prior to joining Lawcover, Elissa worked in private practice for 13 years in Sydney and London, specialising in professional indemnity litigation.
Raylene Warsop, Chief Information Officer

Raylene was appointed Chief Information Officer in 2022 and leads Lawcover’s technology function, delivering all IT application and infrastructure services and cyber security. Prior to joining Lawcover in 2006, Raylene worked in project and systems delivery across several financial services organisations.
James Myerscough, Chief Risk Officer

James has worked in financial services for 30 years, most recently as Chief Risk Officer of Zurich Financial Services Australia, Zurich Insurance Asia Pacific, the Wealth Management business division of CBA and ClearView Wealth Ltd. Prior to these CRO roles, he held senior risk roles at American Express and AMP, and worked in trading rooms as a funds manager and a proprietary trader. James is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of NSW.
Claims and Legal
Nicola Mostert, Legal, Risk and Compliance Manager, Company Secretary
Nicola joined Lawcover in 2019.
Nicola has over 20 years’ legal practice experience in the general insurance industry, having held various inhouse legal roles in London and Sydney since 2001.
Daniela Faggionato, Senior Claims Solicitor
Daniela joined Lawcover in 2022 as a Claims Solicitor, and was appointed Senior Claims Solicitor in 2023. Prior to Lawcover, Daniela worked in private practice for over 15 years, specialising in insurance litigation. Daniela has been included in the “Best Lawyers of Australia” list in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Milica Vukancic, Claims Team Leader
Milica joined Lawcover in 2013 in the role of Claims Solicitor. She holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce and Bachelor of Laws.
Milica also holds a Diploma in General Insurance through Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF). In 2023, Milica was appointed Claims Team Leader and provides leadership, support and guidance for the most efficient management of claims.
David Knibbs, Claims Solicitor
David joined Lawcover as a Claims Solicitor in 2021.
David commenced his career as a solicitor working in private practice in 1997 specialising in insurance and commercial litigation. David moved into insurance claims management in 2007 for international insurance brokers, primarily providing advocacy and advice for large corporate clients in relation to professional indemnity, financial lines, and directors & officers insurance claims.
Fiona Kim, Claims Solicitor
Fiona joined Lawcover as a Claims Solicitor in 2024.
Prior to this, Fiona worked in private practice for 8 years. Fiona specialised in statutory insurance litigation (CTP) focusing on complex and fraudulent claims. Fiona has also worked in Family Law focusing on property settlements and parenting orders.
Gina Tasoulis, Claims Solicitor
Gina joined Lawcover as a Claims Solicitor in 2021.
Gina was in private practice for 7 years specialising in insurance law, professional liability, public liability, and contract works liability before joining a commercial insurer for the next 8 years, which saw her focus on professional indemnity claims, class actions and cyber claims.
Natalie Sullivan, Claims Solicitor
Natalie joined Lawcover as a Claims Solicitor in 2021.
Natalie has worked in private practice and a number of commercial insurers specialising in professional indemnity litigation.
Natalie has also provided specialised risk management services, including presenting seminars & webinars and publishing topical articles, to assist professional service firms to manage the risks associated with professional practice.
Rachel Northcott, Claims Solicitor
Rachel joined Lawcover in March 2019 as a Senior Underwriter and transitioned to the role of Claims Solicitor in 2022.
Rachel has a Masters of Law (LLM) and has dedicated her career to the insurance industry, with a particular emphasis on medical indemnity and professional indemnity insurance. Rachel’s expertise spans insurance broking, underwriting and claims across a range of risks. Her insurance career has included time with JLT, KPMG and MDA National.
Sophie Duffy, Claims Solicitor
Sophie joined Lawcover in 2022 in the role of Claims Solicitor.
Following a successful career in advertising and marketing Sophie entered the legal profession upon the completion of a Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Technology in 2018. Prior to joining Lawcover, Sophie worked in private practice for 3 years focusing on litigation and dispute resolution and complex professional negligence claims.
Practice Support Services
Jen McMillan, Manager, Practice Support Services

Jen McMillan was admitted to legal practice in New South Wales in 1989 and in Western Australia in 1992. She is a Law Society of New South Wales accredited specialist in wills and estates, with extensive experience in this area in private practice as well as with a trustee company and as the Practice Leader – Wills and Estates in the College of Law’s LLM (Applied Law) program. Jen joined the Lawcover team in January 2017 as a Legal Practice Consultant and was appointed Manager of Practice Support Services in March 2020.
Jen is currently a member of the Law Society of New South Wales Elder Law & Succession Committee and the Law Society of New South Wales Property Law Committee. She is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and a former member of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Malcolm Heath, Practice Risk Manager

Malcolm joined Lawcover in August 2012 and is Practice Risk Manager. In this role, he conducts risk reviews of law firms which involve onsite visits and meetings with the principals, employed solicitors and senior support staff.
Malcolm presents risk management strategies through the Lawcover Risk Management Education Program’s workshops for principals, on-site at law firms, at the practice management courses of The Law Society of NSW, College of Law, FMRC, Regional Law Societies’ seminars and other events.
Prior to joining Lawcover, Malcolm ran his own company for 20 years providing consulting services to the general insurance industry and the legal profession as well researching and producing conferences. He has been a sole director and a co-director of private companies including a subsidiary of a publicly listed UK company and a director of a Sydney club.
With a degree in Psychology and his experience in business, Malcolm focuses his work on the importance of effective law firm management and profitability which helps reduce professional negligence risks.
Glenda Carry, Legal Risk Manager

Glenda was admitted to the Australian legal profession in 2014 and shortly after commenced her role as Regulatory Compliance Solicitor with the Law Society of NSW from where she joined Lawcover in the role of Legal Risk Manager in September 2021.
Prior to this Glenda was admitted as a solicitor in Ireland in 2006 and practised as an Associate Solicitor in the areas of personal injury law, wills and estates, conveyancing and family law. Glenda studied law and commerce in her undergraduate degree and went on to complete a post-graduate course in marketing practice at the UCD Graduate School of Business, Dublin, Ireland. With her background in business and marketing as well as law, Glenda has a keen interest in law practice management with a particular focus on promoting the benefits of good risk management practices for sole practitioner/small law practices.
Gabriella Fabiani, Legal Risk Manager

Gabriella joined Lawcover in January 2024 in the role of Legal Risk Manager. Gabriella was a sole practitioner in general practice for over 25 years, giving her a thorough understanding of the competing demands faced by legal practitioners in small firms.
She is a Public Notary, an accredited Mediator and holds degrees in Law, Education and Arts. Gabriella is the current President of the Society of Notaries of New South Wales Inc., a Fellow of The Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries and the College Governor representing NSW members. In addition to being a member of the Law Society of New South Wales, Gabriella is the Vice President of the St George Sutherland Law Society and a member of the ADR Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales.
Insurance
Erin Eftimovski, Manager, Insurance Services

Erin joined Lawcover in March 2018 in the role of Underwriter, and was appointed to the role of Manager, Insurance Services in 2022.
Erin is responsible for the operations of the Insurance Services team, insurance policy support and the annual PII renewals process. Erin holds a Diploma in General Insurance through Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) and a Diploma of Business through the Australian Institute of Management (AIM).