Executive Management Team

Helen De Brito - Director of Legal Aid WA

Helen started her career at Legal Aid WA in 2005 and has practised predominantly in criminal law.  In 2011 Helen was appointed Acting Solicitor in Charge of the Fremantle office, before going on to manage the Legal Practice Development Division and the Criminal Law Division.   Helen was also responsible for establishing Legal Aid WA’s Virtual Office service in 2019. Helen is strongly committed to improving service delivery and delivering positive outcomes for Legal Aid WA’s clients.  She is passionate about resilience and wellness in the legal profession, regional service delivery, and the development and mentoring of staff. Helen is a long standing member of Legal Aid WA’s Reconciliation Action Plan Committee, has managed the Graduate Program, and the Country Lawyers Program.  

As the Director of the Criminal Law Division, Helen was instrumental in maintaining criminal law services during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, including establishing duty lawyer hubs.  In 2022, the Institute of Public Administration Australia awarded the duty lawyer hubs as Best Practice in Innovation.  

Helen has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from Murdoch University, achieving First Class Honours in Law.

Kristen Ashton - Grants Management and Integrity | Chief Integrity Officer

Kristen joined Legal Aid WA in 1997 and is the Acting Director of Grants Management and Integrity: an appointment that reflects her extensive experience in governance, integrity, policy development and risk management.  Kristen also serves as Legal Aid WA's Chief Integrity Officer and the Commission Secretariat. 

She leads a diverse portfolio responsible for grants management and programs, integrity functions, risk management, complaints handling, the Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing (PRIS) program, and organisational policy.

Kristen provides strategic leadership to ensure Legal Aid WA's services, processes and decision-making are fair, accountable and aligned with the organisation's statutory obligations and values. She oversees the administration of legal aid grants and drives initiatives that strengthen governance, integrity, compliance and continuous improvement across the organisation.

Working closely with stakeholders across Legal Aid WA including private panel practitioners, Kristen promotes a culture of transparency, accountability and service excellence, ensuring that organisational systems support access to justice and maintain public confidence in Legal Aid WA's services.

Julie Jackson - Early Intervention Services

Julie began her legal career at Legal Aid WA in 1985 and has established herself as a recognised leader in representing children in family law and protection and care matters working in both State and Commonwealth jurisdictions. Throughout her career, she has played an active role in the development of law reform and policies in family law, child protection and family violence. Julie has a special interest in improving court processes, information sharing, and interagency collaboration, to achieve better outcomes for victim survivors of family violence, including children.

Julie is the Director of the Early Intervention Services (EIS) Division at Legal Aid WA – a Division that was formed in 2021. The EIS Division is often the first point of contact for the Western Australian community with Legal Aid WA, and as Director, Julie oversees client intake and triage, discrete family law and virtual office advice services, the development and provision of community legal education and professional development programs, and agency strategic communications. From 2011 to 2021, Julie was the Director of Legal Aid WA’s Family Law Division.

Julie is an Independent Children's Lawyer and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. She has been an integral member of key working groups that oversee information sharing protocols between the courts, the police and other government agencies, regarding child protection and family violence issues, and is a past Chair of the WA Family Law Pathways Network.

In 2009, Julie was awarded WA Woman Lawyer of the Year in recognition of her commitment to her clients and the legal profession. In 2010, she completed a Churchill Fellowship researching the integration of Family Court and Children’s Court services in other countries.
In 2021, Julie was appointed as a member of the Family Law Council, an independent body that provides expert advice to the Commonwealth Attorney-General on complex family law issues, and was reappointed to the Council for a further three-year term in 2025.

Gemma Mitchell – Civil Law

Gemma joined Legal Aid WA in 2021 as the Civil Law Division Director, having previously worked as the Managing Solicitor at Consumer Credit Legal Service. She was born in the UK, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology with Honours, and later moved to Australia, gaining her Bachelor of Laws with Honours degree at the University of Notre Dame Australia. She brings a wealth of private practice and in-house experience from a range of leadership and management roles, and is passionate about providing a voice to people experiencing entrenched disadvantage through strong legal advice provision. 

Gemma uses a values-based approach to her work and leads her division effectively with integrity and enthusiasm, empowering those around her through a sense of purpose and direction. She pro-actively shaped the organisation’s future when she joined the Legal Aid WA Executive team, and over the past three years has remained committed to delivering quality services and expanding the scope and remit of the support that the organisation provides. She is experienced with change management, providing organisational strategic direction, and strengthening the division that she leads.

Katy McDougall - Criminal Law

Katy has worked at Legal Aid WA since 2007, commencing as an articled clerk in the graduate program. Upon being admitted to practice, Katy has practiced primarily in criminal law, working extensively as a duty lawyer across a range of specialist courts, as well as representing clients in relation to indictable, appeal, parole and mentally impaired accused matters.

In 2016, Katy turned her focus to legal education, staff development and training, leading her to obtain a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. From November 2020 until August 2023, Katy was the Managing Solicitor of CLE and Training for our inaugural Early Intervention Services Division. In this role Katy was responsible for Legal Aid WA’s graduate and volunteer programs, professional training, legal resources and community legal education programs, as well as managing the Virtual Office program.

In August 2023 Katy was seconded to work as a Principal Policy Advisor to the WA Attorney General, providing advice in relation to various areas of law reform. Katy returned to Legal Aid WA in July 2024 to take up the position of Director of the Criminal Law Division.

Colleen Brown - Family Law

Colleen was admitted to practice in NSW in 1988 and to practice in WA in 1992. Her journey in law has taken her to different parts of Australia, working in a range of environments including a large-scale national firm in Sydney, regional offices in Port Macquarie and Busselton and a boutique family law firm in Perth. Colleen joined Legal Aid WA in 1996 as a children’s representative and went on to set up Legal Aid WA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program in 2001.

She was  the head of Legal Aid WA’s Client Services Division from July 2008 until June 2021, responsible for client intake and assessment and creating clear, positive pathways for clients requiring legal assistance. Colleen is a qualified Independent Children’s Lawyer, Arbitrator and Collaborative lawyer with a longstanding background and interest in family law.

Rebecca Lee - Regional Services and Special Projects

Rebecca Lee joined Legal Aid WA in 2007 as an Administrative Officer on the front counter and has built her career with the organisation over almost two decades. While completing her law degree, she worked in the Assessing section before commencing legal practice in Kununurra, where she developed a strong appreciation for the importance of accessible legal services in regional and remote communities.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Politics and Sociology, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. She has practised primarily in criminal law, working across a range of specialist services including Youth Law, Drug Court, Remand Advocacy and Duty Lawyer Services. She also held leadership positions within Legal Aid WA's criminal law practice before joining the Transforming Our Business Program in 2023, where she led the implementation of Legal Aid WA's Client Relationship Management system.

Rebecca joined the Regional Services Division in 2025 and was appointed the Director role in March 2026. She is passionate about improving access to justice for vulnerable and disadvantaged people and is committed to ensuring regional communities can access high-quality legal assistance close to home. Rebecca also champions innovation and the responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to help strengthen legal services and improve outcomes for clients and communities across Western Australia.

Reviewed: 18 September 2026