Our Board
Luke Geary
Chair of the Board
Luke is a Partner in the Mills Oakley Not-For-Profit & Social Enterprise team in Brisbane and has extensive experience in the Not-For-Profit sector. Luke was a Partner at Mills Oakley in Sydney until late 2009, when he left the firm to found unique social enterprise law firms ‘Salvos Legal’ and ‘Salvos Legal Humanitarian’. At Salvos Legal Luke headed up the Corporate & Commercial team, together with being the firm’s Managing Partner. Luke returned to Mills Oakley as a Partner in November 2017.
For over 10 years Luke has been recognised as one of Australia’s leading lawyers representing victims of human trafficking and labour exploitation. Luke has been named one of Australia’s Best Lawyers for Non-Profit/Charities Law in the Best Lawyers list since 2016, including being named as Australia’s Non-Profit/Charities ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in 2020. Additionally, Luke was recognised as one of the 10 Most Innovative Lawyers in the Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2016 awards. He was included in Pro Bono Australia’s ‘Impact 25’ most influential people in the Australian social sector in 2015. In 2013, Luke was awarded Managing Partner of the Year in the Australian Law Awards, he was Australia’s Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 2012 and in 2010 he received an Anzac of the Year award for service to the legal profession and the community.
For over 10 years Luke has been recognised as one of Australia’s leading lawyers representing victims of human trafficking and labour exploitation. Luke has been named one of Australia’s Best Lawyers for Non-Profit/Charities Law in the Best Lawyers list since 2016, including being named as Australia’s Non-Profit/Charities ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in 2020. Additionally, Luke was recognised as one of the 10 Most Innovative Lawyers in the Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2016 awards. He was included in Pro Bono Australia’s ‘Impact 25’ most influential people in the Australian social sector in 2015. In 2013, Luke was awarded Managing Partner of the Year in the Australian Law Awards, he was Australia’s Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 2012 and in 2010 he received an Anzac of the Year award for service to the legal profession and the community.
Vera Visevic
Director and Company Secretary
Vera is a Partner in the Mills Oakley Not-For-Profit & Social Enterprise team in Sydney. She has over 20 years’ experience in acting for numerous charities, religious and not-for-profit organisations. Vera provides a full suite of commercial services to not-for-profit clients, including protecting commercial arrangements through drafting services agreements, privacy policies, internal policies and procedures, and reviewing grant and other government agreements.
Vera is a sought-after speaker throughout Australia. In recent times, she has presented at the Better Boards Conference, Associations Forum’s CEO & Chair Symposium, Legalwise seminars on not-for-profits, and the Australasian Society of Association Executives Conference & Exhibition. She also authored a chapter within Charity Global Guide (2018), published by Thomson Reuters.
Vera is a sought-after speaker throughout Australia. In recent times, she has presented at the Better Boards Conference, Associations Forum’s CEO & Chair Symposium, Legalwise seminars on not-for-profits, and the Australasian Society of Association Executives Conference & Exhibition. She also authored a chapter within Charity Global Guide (2018), published by Thomson Reuters.
Terri Mottershead
Director
Terri is the Executive Director of The College of Law’s Centre for Legal Innovation (Australia, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific). She works internationally with leaders and managers of law firms, alternative legal service/product providers, legal associations, legal incubators and accelerators, legaltech entrepreneurs, law schools, business schools, business professionals and lawyers, supporting their contribution to the transformation of legal practice. She has been a global thought leader in people centred legal practice innovation for more than 25 years, having lived/worked in Australia, Asia, UK and US.
Terri has worked as a practising lawyer and has led the in-house talent management functions for a number of international firms and associations. She also founded Mottershead Consulting in the US and later expanded it to Australasia to focus on supporting lawyers, legal business specialists and law firms in identifying, developing and transforming their capabilities and practices to a new way of delivering legal services/products to the market. Terri has also served on/led more than 50 boards and committees for not-for profit, for profit, legal associations and organisations.
Terri’s work in legal practice management globally was recognised with her appointment as a Fellow of the US College of Law Practice Management. Her work in legal innovation has likewise been recognised through invitations to judge legal industry awards including the Professional Development Consortium Innovation Award (US), The Legal Forecast/QUT Starters Queensland Disrupting Law Hackathon, and the ALPMA/LexisNexis Innovation Thought Leadership Award. Terri serves as the representative for Australia on the Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (ALITA) Advisory Board, is a member of the Queensland Law Society Innovation Committee and was recently profiled as a legal industry thought leader by McCulloch Robertson for its Year 101: Women in Law initiative.
Terri has worked as a practising lawyer and has led the in-house talent management functions for a number of international firms and associations. She also founded Mottershead Consulting in the US and later expanded it to Australasia to focus on supporting lawyers, legal business specialists and law firms in identifying, developing and transforming their capabilities and practices to a new way of delivering legal services/products to the market. Terri has also served on/led more than 50 boards and committees for not-for profit, for profit, legal associations and organisations.
Terri’s work in legal practice management globally was recognised with her appointment as a Fellow of the US College of Law Practice Management. Her work in legal innovation has likewise been recognised through invitations to judge legal industry awards including the Professional Development Consortium Innovation Award (US), The Legal Forecast/QUT Starters Queensland Disrupting Law Hackathon, and the ALPMA/LexisNexis Innovation Thought Leadership Award. Terri serves as the representative for Australia on the Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (ALITA) Advisory Board, is a member of the Queensland Law Society Innovation Committee and was recently profiled as a legal industry thought leader by McCulloch Robertson for its Year 101: Women in Law initiative.
