Welcome to LSA

The Legal Studies Association provides assistance to its Members to support them in their teaching and learning of Legal Studies. Membership gives you many benefits. Our highly acclaimed professional development opportunities are only available to Members. These events are designed by experienced teachers, to meet the needs of teachers and their students, and provide a mix of pedagogy and practical advice, aligned closely to the syllabus. These events also provide invaluable networking opportunities and the LSA Committee are always on-hand to provide additional information and support.

Why Join?

LSA Constitution

Our mission is to provide professional development for teachers, to enable them to engage and inspire their students, and support them to achieve their potential in Legal Studies.

Committee Bio

President

Keith Thomas

Keith Thomas has been a teacher of Legal Studies in four public high schools. He marked the HSC for 21 years, including 12 years as a Senior Marker. He has served as President and Deputy President of the LSA and is presently the editor of Legal Briefs.

Keith is currently the Head Teacher of Administration at Cumberland High School.

Deputy President - Community

Jennifer Venhuizen

Jennifer has been teaching Legal Studies since 2008. Prior to joining the teaching profession, Jennifer worked in law firms and the workers’ compensation industry. Jennifer is Head of Humanities at William Clarke College, Kellyville. Jennifer enjoys all parts of the syllabus and this year she taught the options of Workplace and Family. Jennifer gains great satisfaction from hearing that former students have pursued careers in the legal profession.
Deputy President - Operations

Teresa O’Dwyer

Teresa is the Head of Social Science at St Luke’s Grammar School in Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The teaching of Legal Studies is her passion. She has been teaching the subject since 2004 and marking the HSC since 2006. Teresa joined the LSA Committee in 2014. She has been involved in designing and delivering pedagogy, giving student revision lectures, and contributing to the LSA exams and Legal Briefs and helping to curate the LSA Facebook page.
Treasurer

Judith Macdonald

Judith Macdonald has been a teacher of Legal Studies in Victorian and NSW schools for over 40 years. She marked the HSC for 29 years for Legal Studies, as a marker, Judge Marker and Senior Marker. She is currently the Treasurer of the Legal Studies Association.

Judith was the HSIE Co-ordinator at St Patrick’s College Sutherland for a number of years and retired at the end of 2019.
Secretary

Justine Hanks

Justine has been a classroom teacher of Legal Studies in both Victoria and NSW since 2003 and has been a marker of both the VCE and HSC Legal Studies papers for a number of years, joining the LSA Committee in 2023. Prior to her teaching career, she was an Economic Analyst with PricewaterhouseCoopers, conducting legislative review for compliance with the National Competition Policy, undertaking cost-benefit analysis for social policy reform and price modelling for the introduction of the GST for a range of firms across industries. Justine has a keen interest in the functionality of the law across criminal and civil realms, and the use of discretion in the justice system in creating just outcomes across groups. She is passionate about generating classroom experiences that create deep understanding and enable students to think critically about issues. Justine is currently the Education Manager at the Rule of Law Education Centre.
Committee Member

Natasha Isbel

Natasha has been an LSA Committee member since 2014 and began teaching Legal Studies in 2012 as a second career. She likes to share her passion for contemporary legal issues and building the literacy capacity of both students and teachers.

Natasha currently teaches at Wenona in North Sydney and teaches the Family and Workplace options.

Natasha is a Life Member of the LSA.
Committee Member

Brian Elliott

Brian was one of the founding Deputy Presidents of the LSA and was President from 2001 to 2009. He has been an HSC Marker, Senior Marker and the Chief Examiner for Legal Studies. Brian is proud to have worked with the Association to organise high quality conferences, workshops and student lectures, and to have had a leadership role in revising the syllabus. Working with many fine educators through the LSA has been a highlight of his professional career. Brian is a Life Member of the LSA and received the Professional Teachers Council NSW Outstanding Service Award in 2008 and Exceptional Service Award in 2018. Brian is the Treasurer of the Professional Teachers Association NSW.
Committee Member

Nick Fernandez

Nick joined the LSA Committee in 2020. He has taught Legal Studies since 2012, prior to which he worked in private practice as a lawyer in Sydney. He has also worked as a casual academic teaching young people at both the University of Sydney and the University of Western Sydney. Nick is a member of the HSIE Staff at Cherrybrook Technology High School. He has a particular interest in teaching the Workplace, World Order and Indigenous Peoples options.
Committee Member

Lisa Smith

Lisa came to teaching ten years ago from a business background. She has taught Legal Studies in Sydney schools for most of that time, including marking the HSC examination on multiple occasions. Lisa has a passion for serving our teachers and students outside of the Sydney region and exploring new opportunities for collaboration in the post-COVID era. She is currently at Canberra Grammar School teaching NSW HSC and IB programs in law, politics and business.
Committee Member

Hannah Hudson

Hannah joined the Legal Studies Association Committee in 2024 and has been teaching Legal Studies since 2021. Her passion for the subject ignited during her HSC studies, inspired by her own Legal Studies teacher, which led her to pursue a career in education. While Hannah initially gained experience teaching other HSIE subjects, her deep interest in the legal system and its practical applications has been a driving force in her teaching approach. She is particularly passionate about fostering academic literacy in her students through Legal Studies content and contemporary issues. Hannah is a dedicated member of the Social Science Department at Central Coast Grammar School, where she is a permanent faculty member.
Committee Member

Diega La Grassa

Diega joined the LSA Committee in 2024 and has been teaching Legal Studies since 2023. Diega’s interest in Legal Studies began when she studied the course during her HSC, and it was her Legal Studies teacher who became the inspiration for her to pursue teaching as a career. While Diega has built her early career experience in other HSIE subjects, Diega’s passion for the legal system and its real-world application has been a main driver for her teaching and particularly enjoys developing academic literacy in her students through the course content. Diega has been a member of the HSIE faculty at Canterbury Girls High School since 2020.
Committee Member

Katherine Heath

Katie came to teaching in 2020 following a previous career in Employee Relations, HR and Change Management . Since commencing she has immersed herself in the teaching of Legal Studies and began marking for the Legal Studies HSC in 2024. Katie is Co-convenor of the Hunter Legal Studies Teacher Network and has a passion for introducing thinking routines into the Legal Studies classroom to enable students to think critically about the course content. She is currently at St Francis Xavier's College Hamilton teaching NSW HSC in Legal Studies and Business Studies. She has qualifications in Economics, Industrial Relations and Secondary teaching. Katie joined the LSA in 2024.
Committee Member

Natalie Tan

Natalie has been teaching Legal Studies since 2019, and joined the LSA Committee in 2023. Having completed her undergraduate studies in International Relations, she has a keen interest in topics related to international law, particularly World Order. Natalie enjoys the highly contemporary nature of the Legal Studies course, and the insights it invites students to develop in relation to the complexities of delivering justice. She is a member of the HSIE Faculty at Burwood Girls High School.
Committee Member

Tony Stone

Tony Stone has taught Legal Studies for the last 21 years and has been a HSC Legal Studies marker and Senior Marker in both Shelter and World Order. He is Co-convenor of the Hunter Legal Studies Teacher Network and teaches at St Francis Xavier’s College, Hamilton, where he is the HSIE Leader of Learning. He joined the LSA Committee, officially, in 2024 after assisting the association, including through student lectures, over many years.
Committee Member

Pamela Rahmi

Pamela is a passionate Legal Studies teacher. She has completed a combined law degree at Sydney University and practised criminal law. In 2011, she completed a Masters of Teaching to become a teacher. She brings her extensive experience as a solicitor into the classroom at St George Girls High School. She has run Mock Trial for a number of years and is a HSC marker. She joined the LSA in 2024 and looks forward to collaborating with other Legal Studies teachers.
Committee Member

Genya Sugowdz

Genya has taught Legal Studies since 2013 and joined the LSA Committee in 2024. After studying law at university, she decided that teaching high school students about legal issues and understanding their rights is where her passions lie. Genya is also a keen history teacher and has worked as a casual academic at the University of Sydney. In 2017, Genya was a Gandel scholar producing a unit of work on the prosecution of war crimes in Australia for use by teachers globally. Genya has worked in a number of educational settings, including working as a Legal Studies Curriculum Advisor for the NSW Department of Education as part of the HSC Strategy Program. She has also worked as an HSC marker on multiple occasions. Genya is Head Teacher Teaching and Learning at Inner Sydney High School.