Lara Freidin
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Lara is a community lawyer and social justice advocate. She is passionate about improving access to specialist legal assistance for women who have experienced family, domestic and sexual violence. Lara has dedicated her career to advocating for law reform and policy development to address violence against women and gender inequality. She has held policy roles with Women’s Legal Service Queensland, Women’s Legal Service Victoria, Victoria Legal Aid, and the Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria. Prior to this, she worked as a Ministerial Adviser in the Victorian Government to improve supports for victim-survivors of crime. She also sits on the Board of Flat Out, an organisation dedicated to support women, trans and gender diverse people who have been criminalised.
Elena Rosenman
BOARD CHAIR
Elena Rosenman is the Chair of Women’s Legal Services Australia and CEO of Women’s Legal Centre ACT. A long-standing advocate of access to justice for women, particularly those at risk of violence and systemic harm, she has been at the forefront of efforts to harness the legal system to improve women’s lives, keep them safe, eliminate discrimination and achieve equality. As Chair of Women’s Legal Services Australia, Elena plays a national leadership role in strengthening legal responses to gender inequality and violence, improving coordination across services nationwide and amplifying women’s voices to advocate for law and policy reform. She brings considerable experience to the role, having previously worked in the Attorney-General’s Department and Amnesty International Australia. Since she became WLSA Chair, women’s legal services have been recognised as a specialist arm of the Australian legal assistance sector, with the Commonwealth Government committing dedicated funding to the national peak for the first time. The inclusion of WLSA as a peak body in the the National Access to Justice Partnership was a historic achievement that marked a critical step forward in meeting the unique legal needs of women.