Kaylene Hunter-Stivic
Senior Solicitor
LLB (DU)
Expertise
Kaylene is a Senior Solicitor with a multidisciplinary background spanning law, public policy, and Indigenous business development. She has a particular interest in fashion and design, and supports designers, creatives and businesses to protect cultural and intellectual property and build sustainable enterprises. Her work is grounded in a strong commitment to advancing Indigenous economic development.
Experience
Kaylene was admitted to practise in the Supreme Court of Victoria in April 2012. She has worked as a lawyer in regulatory and private practice environments, as well as within the community legal sector. In addition to legal practice, Kaylene has had a long association with the arts and cultural sectors through a range of previous roles in First Nations arts and media. She has also delivered Indigenous business development programs across WA. In addition to these roles, she worked as a senior advisor to former Senator Patrick Dodson during his term as Shadow Assistant Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples.
Kaylene has extensive experience working with First Nations organisations and individuals across corporate, rural, regional and remote settings. She is skilled at adapting to the needs of diverse stakeholders, and has worked across a range of areas of law and policy including ICIP, intellectual property and licensing, data sovereignty, corporate governance, and cultural heritage.
Recent Projects
Providing legal and business support for a start-up fashion company;
Providing legal advice in relation to off-shore textiles manufacturing;
Reviewing and drafting artist consent deeds, commission agreements, and licence agreements for art and product commissions;
Advising businesses on trade mark registration and developing strategies to protect their intellectual property;
Developing practical guides for organisations and creatives to negotiate clauses in commercial contracts;
Delivering consultations and frameworks for major arts and cultural heritage institutions and agencies;
Delivering ICIP and IP workshops for major government agencies; and
Providing advice in relation to corporate governance.
Community
Kaylene is a proud Nyul Nyul woman from the Kimberley who lives in Torquay on Wadawurrung Country on Victoria’s southwest coast. Outside of work, Kaylene volunteers with the Arts Law Centre of Australia and she is a member of Tarwirri (the Indigenous Lawyers and Law Students Association of Victoria). Kaylene enjoys spending time with her small family exploring the Surf Coast and surrounds, and she has a keen interest in textiles and design and enjoys discovering new creatives.
