Senior Family Lawyer
Becoming a lawyer was never the obvious direction for me, however, after completing high school, a career choice needed to be made, and I took the plunge to study law. In 1996, I was accepted into the Law School at the University of Sheffield (England being my home at that time), and away I went. After completing my Bachelor of Law, I progressed to complete the post-graduate Legal Practice Course before becoming a trainee solicitor in a law firm in the North-East of England. At that time, the training program required the trainee to gain experience in at least 6 areas of law over a two-year period. My final placement in that law firm was in its Family Law department and it was here that I heard my calling, and a family lawyer I became.
Since then (2002), I have practiced exclusively in Family Law. I spent the next 3 years practicing in England. A significant amount of this early work involved me representing clients in parenting proceedings, domestic violence matters, and child protection matters, much of which required regular court appearances. In doing this, I quickly acquired confident advocacy skills, and this propelled me into realising that my passion was for being a voice for people who are trying to navigate their way through their family law issues, and to advocate for their best interests.
In 2005, I made the big move to relocate to Australia and, since then, I have called the Gold Coast my home. Prior to joining BGM, I was a family law solicitor at a well-established Gold Coast law firm.
I have been assisting Gold Coast families with their family law matters for the last 12 years. My work has fallen across property settlements, parenting arrangements, child support, divorce and domestic violence. I enjoy work in this field, and have developed good relationships with my clients, working together to achieve strong and durable outcomes for them.
Outside of work hours, I volunteer my time by advising on family law matters at the Robina Community Legal Centre once a month. Meanwhile, as a member of the Queensland Law Society’s Family Law Committee, I am able to keep my finger on the pulse of emerging family law matters, and be involved in advocating for changes in the family law system.
