Your Dedicated Team

As a founding partner of SG Lawyers, Chris Shopov brings his more than 30 years of experience to the firm.

Chris began practising in 1983 at Elston & Gilchrist, where he was quickly made partner before finding similar success at Mouldens.

Alongside sharing his many years of experience in a number of legal fields, including insurance, personal injury & industrial law, Chris primarily practises in worker’s compensation law. He specialises in acting for self-insured employers in complex matters in Adelaide and regional South Australia, regularly travelling to advise clients and run trials, particularly to Mount Gambier.

Chris is listed in Doyle's Guide as a Leading Workers' Compensation (Defendant) Lawyer and is a member of the Law Society of South Australia. Chris is result-oriented and brings the utmost degree of integrity, communication, and professionalism to ensure that clients see their best possible outcomes.

With more than 15 years of practice in the field of employment injury law and workers’ compensation across the country, Nick Giourgas brings a wealth of experience and top-class practice to his role as founding partner of SG Lawyers.

He initially received a Bachelor of Law from Adelaide University and, having completed College of Law, was thereafter admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Nick spent time practising in Victoria, where he gained invaluable experience acting on behalf of global and national insurers. Having returned home to South Australia, Nick made waves in a global firm before securing a role and proving his capabilities in a national firm to be made partner - a position he held for several years.

Nick advises and represents employers, self-insurers, specialist insurers and associated entities in the field of employment injury law and worker’s compensation. Nick’s expertise lies in litigation and insurance, advising on state statutory class claims.

Nick levies his substantial experience gained prior to co-founding SG Lawyers to represent his clients at the highest level and proudly carries the firm's values of collaboration, integrity, and professionalism to every case.

As a founding partner of SG Lawyers, Vas Giourgas brings a high degree of familiarity with workers’ compensation and return to work practice to the firm. Vas has a wealth of specialist expertise in complex litigation and personal injury matters.

He completed his studies for a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice at Flinders University and was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of South Australia. Following Vas’ admission, he undertook legal practice within various legal firms in South Australia before becoming a founding partner of SG Lawyers alongside Chris Shopov and Nick Giourgas.

Vas specialises primarily in the field of workers’ compensation and return to work practice, appearing within the South Australian Employment Tribunal, with extensive experience acting for self-insured employers and other insurance entities.

As a member of the Law Society of South Australia, Vas contributes to the strong vision of the firm with a dedication to assisting clients reach sound, desirable and efficient outcomes, whilst fostering strong relationships built on trust, integrity, and professionalism.

As a consultant with SG Lawyers, Chris Sargent brings with him a broad range of legal and public service experience that he uses to offer incredibly rounded representation within the firm.

After graduating from the Adelaide University Law School in 1977, Chris pursued a career in the State Public Service, undertaking various statutory positions, including that of Deputy Registrar of the District Court and a Review Officer on the Workers Compensation Review Panel. Later, he was admitted to the Supreme Court as a solicitor with Elston Gilchrist Lawyers. In his career, Chris has succeeded as a partner with both Donalson Walsh Lawyers and Thomson Playford Lawyers, and, after a short period at the Crown Law Office as a Senior Legal Practitioner, he worked with Sparke Helmore Lawyers for 16 years as a consultant.

Chris now consults in SG Lawyers for employers and self-insurers as a solicitor and counsel before the various Tribunals vested with the workers' compensation jurisdiction, conducts various training sessions for his clients, and has attained a Certificate IV in Workplace Training to complement his extensive legal knowledge.

Chris is regularly named in Doyles Guide to the Best Lawyers in South Australia.

As an associate at SG Lawyers, Lisa levies her extensive career throughout the legal system of South Australia to provide rounded, effective advice and notably collaborative relationships with clients and professionals within the system.

Lisa completed her Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice from Flinders University before her admittance to practice in South Australia in 2016. She is a member of the Law Society of South Australia and Self Insurers of South Australia (SISA). Before joining SG Lawyers in 2022, she spent three years in private practice across a broad range of areas, including CTP and general civil liability matters and workers' compensation.

Lisa specialises in worker’s compensation, providing legal advice and representation to employers and insurers in employment law and associated matters. With the experience gained throughout her career, Lisa provides strategic advice and risk management at all levels of claims management and related litigation.

At SG Lawyers, Lisa effectively embodies the values of the firm, bringing professionalism, collaboration, and the utmost integrity to clients and their cases.

Matthew Mai brings a fresh perspective to the team at SG Lawyers as a promising practitioner of workers' compensation and employment law.

Matthew graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2021 with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in international business. Soon after graduating, he was admitted to the Supreme Court and registered as a Practitioner of the High Court. Matthew began his career at a national firm, gaining invaluable experience and expanding his knowledge of worker’s compensation and industrial law before moving to SG Lawyers in 2023 to work with Nick Giourgas.

Matthew works with the team at SG Lawyers to represent clients in the field of employment injury law and workers' compensation, bringing his fresh, charged perspective to cases, and providing innovative insights where they’re most effective.

As a valued member of SG Lawyers, Matthew proudly exhibits the team's dedication to providing top-class advice and professional representation, while raising the benchmark for legal services in the industry.

Anita brings a wealth of experience as Special Counsel to Shopov Giourgas Lawyers with nearly 15 years of experience predominantly in the Workers Compensation jurisdiction. She has advised and acted for Government departments, Return to Work Corporation and Self Insured employers and together with her previous experience as a claims consultant she is able to quickly identify legal issues and advocate on claims agent and employers behalf.

Anita has completed a Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science) at Adelaide University in 2003. Following her degree, she obtained employment as a case manager for CGU insurance, Department for Correctional Services and Challenge Recruitment and co-currently studied Law at the University New England. Soon after her admission in 2009 she practiced Law in various firms including the Crown Solicitors Office and national law firms.

Anita has acted as instructing solicitor on significant matters for the Return to Work SA scheme which were heard by the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of SA. Anita provides high quality legal advice and representation to her clients in the South Australian Employment Tribunal and thrives in achieving the best possible outcomes for her clients.