Elana O'Reilly

Full Profile

Elana's practice spans across multiple practice groups within Clyde & Co including Marine and Corporate Insurance. Elana’s specialist knowledge extends to project planning, scoping, fee estimating and budget preparation and business reporting along with training and supervising large groups of Associate Lawyers and Paralegals across the globe. Elana is passionate about driving continuous improvement and building resilient teams to meet the needs of her clients.

Prior to moving into the role of litigation technology specialist, Elana practiced in the area of health safety law for over 10 years regularly advising both the public and private sector clients in all areas of work health and safety law including workplace investigations, policies and procedure development, compliance manuals, safety management systems and prosecutions arising from incidents within the workplace. 

Experience

• Acting in the Ruby Princess Special Commission of Inquiry
• Acting in the Ruby Princess Class action
• Design and construct defects - Resolving an AUD 27 million construction case involving design and construction defects relating to an electricity cable tunnel.
• Construction disputes - Advising an engineering and construction organisation in relation to multi-million dollar disputes with various separate subcontractors for significant packages of work on an oil and gas project, in particular preparation of various injunctive proceedings and international arbitration.
• Acting for a global construction contractor in defending Supreme Court of Western Australia proceedings brought by its supplier in relation to alleged non-payment of amounts due under a supply contract for a wind farm project.
• Front-end construction - Providing front end advisory advice in relation to medium sized contractors in NSW construction projects including drafting notices of dispute.
• Expert determination - Acting for a large New South Wales Council in relation to a dispute involving an AUD 400 million development project.
• Solicitor assisting the State Coroner in the Inquest into the Death of Tyler Cassidy – Advising and providing case management support to the State Coroner in the inquest into the death of Tyler Cassidy, the youngest person shot by Police.  This was a high-profile case involving significant media attention and involved over 50 witnesses including emergency services personal, government departments and lay witnesses.  The inquest touched on significant public safety and governance issues including police training and internal police oversight procedures.
• Explosives review- Conducted a major explosives legislation review for a major government department. This project involved three phases: the review of all explosives legislation applicable to the organisation, the identification and review of publications relevant to EO management, a desktop review of whether the publications complied with the various legislative requirements.
• WHS Prosecutions – Acting for various emergency services and private sector clients in relation to alleged breaches of work health and safety legislation in Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, including incidents involving excavating equipment, farm incidents, chemical burns and falls from heights.
• Enforceable Undertakings – Acting on behalf of various private sector clients in relation to the development and drafting of an enforceable undertaking as alternative to prosecution following a workplace incident. Each of the enforceable undertakings were accepted by the regulators.
• Road and Rail: Acting for both VicRoads and the Department of Transport in relation to various road and rail deaths including the Kerang rail disaster where 11 people died when a truck collided with a train at a level crossing. The matter investigated issues surrounding emergency response and emergency management.
• Acting for the Child Sex Abuse Royal Commission in relation to allegations of sex abuse made against various Dioceses in New South Wales
• Acting for the Chief Commissioner of Police in relation to various deaths in custody
• Acting for the Country Fire Authority in the 2009 Bushfire Royal Commission. 
• Administrative review – Challenging an improvement notice issued by the Regulator to a private sector client in relation the provision of first aid in the workplace.