About the Guest:

Kirsty Evans is a distinguished commercial and property lawyer and director at Cheney Suthers, a legal firm with offices in Orange and Molong, New South Wales. Recognised for her community-focused work, Kirsty was named the New South Wales Regional Woman of the Year in 2025. Her dedication shines through her advocacy and her role in aiding businesses and individuals affected by the devastating flash flood in Molong in 2022. Kirsty is celebrated as an inspiring voice in the law community, showing a profound commitment to social justice and community resilience.

Key Takeaways:

• Kirsty Evans was pivotal in navigating insurance claims for businesses affected by the 2022 Molong flood, highlighting the nuanced definitions of flood versus stormwater in insurance policies.
• Her work led her to participate in a 2024 parliamentary inquiry aimed at reforming insurance response strategies to natural disasters, although the recommendations are yet to be officially acknowledged by the government.
• Kirsty’s determination and legal expertise have realigned how communities can recover from disaster, emphasising the role of social capital and community stories in driving systemic change.
• Her firm, Chaney Southers, exemplifies community-centered legal services, offering pro bono support to address regional challenges, demonstrating the importance of legal support in community resilience and recovery.
• Kirsty's advocacy is a lesson in the power of grassroots activism to inspire legislative reform and encourage broader regional engagement in disaster preparedness.

Notable Quotes:

• "Insurers won't cover you for water that escapes the natural confines of a creek, but if it's stormwater, that's an insurable event."
• "Sharing stories is how we get people to listen. That's why your metro readers or listeners will resonate with the stories because they want that connection."
• "Every policyholder that we were able to assist, we either overturned their decline or increased their payout."
• "One of my most heartwarming moments is calling a client to tell her we'd overturned her policy limit denial."
• "It's a bit of that impostor syndrome sometimes, but they're such great champions. I just helped them obtain what they should have got in the first place."

Resources:

• Cheney Suthers: Learn more about the firm led by Kirsty Evans
• Service New South Wales: For information on emergency disaster payments, visit Service NSW's official site
• Kirsty Evans: Follow her insights and updates on LinkedIn

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