Our People

Grant Renkema LLB
Principal

Alphastream Lawyers’ principal solicitor Grant Renkema would much prefer to be either camping & four-wheel driving in the Victorian high country or, most recently, riding in the drops along Beach Road. He (grudgingly) makes the sacrifice to be front and centre at the office where his 25+ years of commercial, property, litigation and general legal knowledge and experience are second to none.

Sarah Verstak LLB

An experienced practitioner of over 20 years, Sarah Verstak’s corporate and senior commercial law background is greatly appreciated at Alphastream. Sarah brings experience at the highest level in trademark and copyright law, contract law and commercial litigation. An author with a passion for travel, Sarah recently cleverly combined both interests by writing a children’s adventure novel.

Rachel Renkema BA LLB

A key member of the Alphastream band (sorry, team), Rachel Renkema’s professional talents are multifaceted. Not only has she developed a proficient practice in property law, wills and estates over 10 years in the law as an experienced legal practitioner, but she is also a highly-accomplished pianist of note. If only we could fit a baby grand in the office. While we continue to rehearse (sorry, live in hope), Rachel applies her considerable talents for the benefit of all our probate and estate administration clients.

Richard Ryan LLB

Still young enough to nominate for the draft, while he still waits for that elusive AFL call up, Richard has resolved to bide his time by carving out a career as a family law and litigation lawyer.  Richard approaches being a lawyer in the same way as he likes to play his football – he’s not a flashy half forward – but rather a calm, measured and tenacious utility who always surprises by playing taller than his size.  Richard also has passion for travel and camping and like, all talented sportspeople, doesn’t mind a hit of golf.  As the rising star of Alphastream’s footy tipping competition, Richard is looking forward to also achieving excellent outcomes for our clients.

Carolyn Purnell-Webb

Office sailing lessons may be on the cards with Carolyn as part of the Alphastream team. After hours Carolyn’s preferred method of unwinding is sailing her small yacht around the Bay with her partner and border collie Kirby (named after Justice Michael Kirby). Carolyn’s penchant for the deep goes further – her fascination with sharks has led to a number of swims with the great white’s off Port Lincoln. Oceans aside, Carolyn has a wealth of business and life experience – having a background in property management, hotel ownership & operation, together with many years in the real estate industry – before becoming a solicitor. With a deep desire to help people leading her to set sail upon a career in the law, Carolyn gets to live out her ambitions by assisting our clients with their wills, powers of attorney, probate and estate needs.

Anna Orsulic

Introducing our front-of-house star Anna Orsulic. With over 16 years in the legal profession up her polished sleeve, Anna brings a wealth of knowledge and commitment to providing service and support to clients and staff alike. Our reception and administration are in safe hands with Anna. Anna is also an active member of the firm’s chocoholic co-hort. When freed from the shackles of reception, Anna enjoys country drives, camping and going home to the farm to mend fences and chase rogue goats (talents that might also come in handy during work hours…).

Kerrie Fisher – Licensed Conveyancer

Kerrie’s thirty years of practice in the conveyancing arena ensures her clients are offered a wealth of knowledge, experience and support. She first stepped foot in a legal office at the tender age of 16 years and had set up her own conveyancing business by the age of just 25. When not supporting clients with their property purchases during the week, Kerrie (mostly cheerfully) runs a personal Uber service for her high-achieving sporting children at the weekends and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

Connie Liu – Licensed Conveyancer

Connie is our resident NAATI accredited Chinese interpreter and knowledgeable conveyancer with over 10 years of experience. While she thrives on seeing her client’s excitement upon settlement of their property, she thoroughly enjoys travel even if just for a day. When not traveling or assisting clients you will likely find Connie using her green thumb in her garden.

Sara Marasco 

Sara joined the team after a career in the real estate industry. Her passion for property and customer service has made the transition seamless and she continues to be dedicated to achieving the best for her clients. Currently studying an Advance Diploma in Conveyancing, she is excited to be learning about what happens behind the scenes. With a young toddler and two energetic dogs in tow, Sara traverses the local parks of Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs at weekends. Alternatively, she’ll dig out her old roller skates for a spin and reminisce about her past hobby as a roller derby player.

Kari Presant BA (Psychology); BA (Social Work)

Hailing from the Californian sunshine by birth, Kari Presant is an important addition to our Alphastream team. Taking on the onerous task of managing marketing and staff matters, it is generally suspected (by the staff) that Kari draws extensively on her psychology and social work degrees in her day to day role. While a Melbourne local since 2005, Kari has never quite shaken her American accent or love for the beach, with her family’s favourite local haunt being Phillip island.

Rebecka Schenker (Becky)

Our roller-skating queen, Becky is studying fourth-year law at Deakin University and assists in the office two days per week. Another traveller, Becky’s bucket list includes touring each of the seven continents and we are reliably informed she’s already half-way there with three down and four to go. She has even seen Shakepeare’s old stomping ground The Globe Theatre, lucky duck. Becky enjoys identifying the key argument in a legal matter (an extremely useful skill in this profession) and critiquing the relationship between the law and society. A life-long roller-skater thanks to her family’s involvement, Becky now coaches skating and also loves the theatre, especially musicals.

Sarah Farmer

Office cat or dog, or goat

If we had one, we could write about it here. Surely a goat is the most environmentally friendly option, excelling as it would in document shredding. This is a good option for a law firm. And if you like this idea, feel free to tell the boss. (After a number of years, he’s still waiting on a client to, at the end of our engagement, authorize the destruction of their documents via the goat).