The Craig Caldicott Legal team have returned inspired from the Australian Criminal Lawyers Conference 2026 in Sydney. Graciously hosted by Doogue and George Defence Lawyers, this year’s conference brought together lawyers and other legal professionals from not only Australia but around the world!

The program was jam-packed with leading speakers, covering topics such as: disclosure problems in criminal matters; expert evidence in sexsomnia, so-called shaken baby syndrome, and ad hoc experts; the ethics of preparing witnesses for giving evidence; transnational white-collar crime matters; practicalities of running criminal matters in the absence of a committal; migration consequences from criminal proceedings; and a day in the life of a criminal lawyer in Kyiv. 

Craig’s highlight was hearing from Professor Steven Vaughan, the Dean at Monash University Law Faculty, about legal ethics. So much so that Craig is endeavouring to get the Professor to speak at a conference in Adelaide soon.

Emily’s highlight was Kateryna Gupalo’s presentation on a day in the life of a criminal lawyer practising in Kyiv. Kateryna’s talk to the conference was insightful and at times shocking, in particular the practicalities of living in a country still ravaged by war. 

Nathan’s highlight was seeing the sights in Sydney; having never been to Sydney before, the views from the conference lunch out over Sydney Harbour to the bridge and Opera House were nothing short of incredible. 

Our sincere thanks and congratulations go out to those at Doogue and George for organising such an insightful and entertaining conference. 

The conference provided a rare opportunity to connect with other lawyers from around the country which allows the team to build stronger networks including making contacts in migration law and criminal asset confiscation..  

We look forward to next year’s 2027’s conference in Brisbane.