About Us

He’s almost always the youngest person in the room but when Stipe speaks, even the oldest hands listen. Stipe has earned the gratitude and respect of many established company directors and individuals who he has helped through financial hardship, insolvency and business reconstruction.

He speaks fluent accountancy and insolvency practitioners enjoy his repartee on topics ranging from extending convening periods or remuneration approval to recovering voidable transactions and public examinations.

With a pedigree that boasts large British and Australian multinationals across the consumer goods, manufacturing and retail space, Stipe has worked on complex and high-profile cases that most lawyers will only ever read about. His professional mantra is that being a lawyer is easy, but being a good lawyer is hard.

We know Stipe is better than good. He’s won many awards and accolades for being both young and quick-witted, so if you need the best and brightest to rescue your distressed assets, Stipe’s your man (unless someone whisks him away for a coffee, and then you may find he’s distracted for a minute or two).

Mark firmly believes that his role is finding the legal answers to fulfil his clients’ greatest commercial desires.

His wealth of experience and deft touch makes his services a magnet for major national and international corporations and he has acted for industry heavyweights Goldman Sachs, Babcock & Brown, P&O and Sirtex Medical Limited, fashion brand Oroton, national sporting body Cricket Australia, and the largest video game publisher in the world, Electronic Arts.

A towering figure both figuratively and literally, Mark has represented a US supercomputer company in tenders to supply their products to overseas governments, conducted legal and IP audits in New Zealand for major manufacturing and technology companies, and ushered in new corporate structures and governance procedures for numerous national industry representative and not-for-profit bodies including ANCAP, APPEA, and the Australian Automobile Association.

Whether it is working on the international acquisition of a major manufacturing business, establishing a global licencing network for a breakthrough technology, or working as board member for multiple major national healthcare organisations, Mark is known for forging concrete results for his clients out of the toughest of situations.

Mark is the Chairman of the ACT branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF Australia), a director on the board of the National Heart Foundation of Australia (ACT Division), and is the Chairman of all our board meetings here at Chamberlains.

Angela has over 10 years’ experience as a commercial and property solicitor and has been involved in a wide range of matters including conveyancing, corporate/business transactions, commercial litigation, bankruptcy & insolvency, wills and probates, and financial services.

Angela focusses in servicing the wide ranging legal needs of business operators and owners and takes a commercial and common sense approach to giving legal advice.

Originating from Araluen NSW, a small country town near Braidwood with a population of around 200 people. From her small town origins Angela understands the importance of building and maintaining good relationships with everyone she has dealings with.

Angela values the importance of education and supports students in various aspects. For many years Angela has been working as a mentor for the ANU Legal Workshop providing guidance to law students who want to be admitted to practice law. Angela is also the President of the Braidwood Preschool Committee.

Angela believes that education about the law should not be limited to law students. There are so many small business owners who don’t have access to education about their legal obligations and advice about how best to set up and operate their business. It is for this reason that Angela also regularly volunteers at the Legal Advice Clinic for Small Business in Canberra, operated by the University of Canberra, in conjunction with Legal Aid ACT.

Angela was the 2017 Canberra Business Woman of the Year.

Angela has extensive experience in various property related transactions, business transactions, complex wills and estates planning matters, and employment law.

Injury cut short his water polo career, but it definitely didn’t impede his competitive spirit. Since becoming a lawyer, Michael has carved an impressive career predominantly in construction litigation at large commercial law firms where he is well known for his aggressive approach which balanced by his ability to identify and achieve commercial outcomes for his clients.

While his will to win is admirable, it is his team mentality that now makes Michael a perfect member of Chamberlains. Based in Sydney, Michael heads up our Building and Construction Litigation team in both Sydney and Canberra and can be found regularly in the Supreme Courts of both jurisdictions.

As an elite athlete, Michael’s main complaint was often directed at the referee. Perhaps ironically, in his professional career Michael has become the legal equivalent of a referee in the construction industry as he is an accredited adjudicator under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW).

Clients rave about Michael’s ability to deliver plain English advice and his tenacity in pursuing or defending claims. Michael’s experience as an advocate and as an adjudicator assists him to consistently deliver exceptional results to his clients.

When not practicing law, Michael maintains an avid interest in sport (particularly the NRL and his beloved Wests Tigers) and can usually be found playing sport, watching sport or thinking about sport.

Michael is also a member of the Society of Construction Law Australia.

Lachlan has extensive experience as a commercial litigator, with a focus on insurance and debt recovery related issues. He has demonstrated expertise in litigation involving insurance, heavy motor and transport issues, debt recovery, contractual interpretation, corporations law, and commercial fraud. Lachlan has advised and assisted in a number of high profile litigation matters. He understands the impact litigation has on the individuals and businesses involved and provides professional, tailored advice to help his clients in their time of need.

Jon has been a lawyer in the Australian Capital Territory since 2007, during which time he has run some of the largest litigation in the ACT.

Jon has extensive advocacy experience and routinely appears before the Federal Court of Australia, the ACT Supreme Court and ACT Magistrates Court as a solicitor advocate.

Jon applies a practical client-focused approach to each case, which means that he works closely with his clients to achieve the best result in each case. This approach is borne out of Jon’s ability to problem solve difficult legal issues in highly litigious circumstances.

Jon is known for his ability to run complex estate litigation matters and also medical negligence claims. He has run some of the most complex medical negligence litigation in the ACT and in doing so has achieved many great results for his clients.

Harold has over 20 years’ experience working in the areas of property and corporate & commercial law and has extensive knowledge across commercial property, media, retail, commercial, and telecommunications matters.

He has acted and advised on: multiple major facility management agreements, data center and telecommunications leases with licences involving some of the world’s largest information technology companies, commercial-, industrial- and retail property acquisitions, as well as  joint ventures, mergers and business acquisitions.

Gary has been a practising solicitor since 1976, after graduating in Arts and Law from the University of Sydney. He undertakes work on behalf of the NSW Trustee and Guardian and the State Legal Representation Office, as well as private sector clients. Gary also appears as a solicitor advocate in proceedings before ICAC, PIC and other regulatory tribunals.

Gary is an Accredited Specialist in Advocacy, Dispute Resolution, and Personal Injury Law, and an Assessor and DRS Decision Maker of the Claims Assessment and Resolution Service (CARS), appointed by the State Insurance Regulatory Authority of NSW.

He is a member of the Law Society Specialist Accreditation Dispute Resolution Committee and Personal Injury Advisory Committee, and is accredited as a Mediator by the NSW Law Society.

Gary has been an Arbitrator in the Supreme Court, District Court and the Local Court, is a member of the Council of Australian Tribunals, and was a part-time tutor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Sydney.

Grounded, pro-active and thorough, Kellie is exactly the conveyancer you want dealing with the intricacies of buying or selling a property.

Kellie handles large volumes of ACT conveyancing like no other. Kellie seamlessly prepares, organises and tracks the mountains of paperwork sometimes required in transactions and, importantly, is able to explain the conveyancing process in plain English.

With a background in real estate, Kellie’s stable of repeat clients is a testament to her experience, client service and the speed with which she gets the job done.

Sayward’s practical, methodical and focused approach to legal practice consistently brings her clients the results they seek.

These are traits she has cultivated not only through studying the law, but from her background in equine science and her work in the horse industry, where efficiency and commerciality are also key issues for clients.

In addition to her insolvency work with personal clients, SMEs and insolvency practitioners, Sayward heads up Chamberlains’ specialist equine law service.

One of the few Canberra-based specialists in this field, Sayward offers legal advice on everything from buying and selling horses to dispute resolution.

She is also a keen dressage rider and is producing her own young dressage prospect.

Gillian is an accredited Family Law specialist, having practised exclusively in Family Law for 18 years. Gillian has extensive experience in all areas of family law and has a reputation for achieving comprehensive and practical outcomes that are tailored to the individual needs of her clients.

Gillian is firmly committed to exploring out of court solutions for her client’s and is experienced in mediation, collaborative law and arbitration. If your matter is unable to be resolved without going to Court, Gillian can support you through the process as a highly skilled Solicitor Advocate who regularly appears in the Family Law Courts in Canberra, Newcastle and Sydney.

Gillian has a particular expertise in complex parenting matters including relocation and international issues, property matters including restructuring commercial interests, preparation of Financial Agreements including child support matters, surrogacy matters, and family violence Orders matters.

For Bobby, the law is an instrument that he professionally wields to help business clients carve out commercial outcomes.

He views it as part of a triangle of success that melds legal frameworks with practical considerations and commercial goals.

Bobby has effectively applied this thinking to many cases, from complex pre-insolvency restructures, to the ultimate buy-out of a shareholder in a family-owned company where emotions had risked derailing the transaction.

This strategic mindset also underpins his advice to industry associations, small to medium businesses and financial consultancies.

Known around the office as ‘The Fixer’, Bobby is always looking for opportunities to solve challenging, complex problems, but privately wishes he could use the same skills to improve his golf handicap.

James is a corporate and commercial litigator based primarily in Chamberlains’ Sydney office. However, he spends much of the week working from his home on the NSW Central Coast.

In 2018, after a decade in the profession, James kicked off a revolutionary series of videos called “Coffee and a Case Note” giving casual, brief reports on recent legal cases over a cup of coffee. The series continues to this day. It is an approach that has been occasionally mimicked, though never for very long.

Aside from managing a YouTube channel, Instagram page, Twitter account, Facebook page, TikTok page and podcast sharing knowledge about recent decisions, James also regularly gives talks and papers for leading legal education providers and universities.

However, sharing his legal knowledge far and wide is not the only string to his bow. James also prides himself on being approachable.

While knowledge is all well and good, approachability is fundamental to James’ practice. Whether he’s before a judge, dealing with an opponent, assisting a colleague, or advising a client – he prides himself on making sure the right message gets through.

His approachability, combined with his knowledge, sees James regularly recognised as a prominent member of the legal profession.

James uses his skills to help companies, trusts and partnerships (and the people in and around them like directors, trustees, shareholders, partners and beneficiaries) protect and, where necessary, project their interests. This will often involve Court work where James is equally happy “on his feet” before the judge, or serving as part of a team, along with a barrister or two.

In his off time, you might find James recording his horror movie podcast “Spooko” or reminiscing about the days when he used to make rap music.

Linda is a registered Patent and Trade Mark attorney who has experience across a variety of intellectual property sectors and brings a strategic focus to her advice. Linda has worked with large multi-national organisations, as well as small to medium sized businesses and individuals. Linda enjoys delivering tailored advice to her clients in all aspects of patent, trade mark and design filing and prosecution.

Harrison believes that tax law is a powerful tool – it can be used to build highly successful businesses and families or bring them to their knees. In the hands of a highly-skilled tax lawyer like Harrison, you know you have a lawyer who will strive for the best tax outcomes possible.

Harrison advises across the range of Australian taxes, including state duties and international tax issues. He has a background working at both the ATO and the private sector focused entirely on tax advisory and disputes. He uses his ATO expertise to understand what the ATO is thinking to resolve tax disputes and protect his clients quickly.

He has acted for businesses of all sizes, as well as wealthy families and international investors. He has advised on business sales, restructuring businesses and corporate tax, expanding businesses overseas, GST advisory, tax planning for start-ups and of course, tax disputes.

Mr. Dell states, “To be a tax lawyer, it goes without saying that you need deep legal knowledge, attention to detail and understand your client’s business. You need all those things plus top listening skills and have a passion for problem-solving”.

Tim has worked exclusively in family law since 2014 and is qualified with a Bachelor of Law, Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and Master of Law specialising in Family Law.

Tim is experienced in all aspects of family law including property matters, financial agreements (including pre-nuptial agreements), parenting matters, child support, divorce, same-sex and de facto relationships and spousal maintenance.

Tim’s particular expertise lies in medium to high net worth financial cases, and matters with issues relating to bankruptcy, insolvency and third-party interests. Tim also has extensive experience in complex parenting matters with particular expertise in matters with issues relating to relocation and family violence. Tim also has broad experience in appellate level work and has appeared as solicitor-advocate in proceedings before the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia.

Tim is a pragmatic and resolution focused lawyer. He applies a strategic mind to his cases with an understanding and emphatic approach. Tim is passionate about alternative dispute resolution outside of the court and applies a pragmatic and commercial approach to his work and resolution strategies.

Tim is also a highly experienced litigator and regularly appear as solicitor-advocate in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia and the Family Court of Australia and also at appellate level in the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia.

In 2017, Tim was appointed to the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales.

In 2018, Tim was appointed to the Family Law Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales.

Tim is also a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, a Graduate Fellow of The College of Law and regularly presents continuing professional education seminars to the profession.

Tim works across our Canberra and Sydney offices.

For Hugh litigation lawyers are guardians who, while may not be liked, are the unsung heroes of protecting people from others and sometimes themselves. He describes great lawyers as those who can engage with clients on a personal and intellectual level in order to humanise what can be a lengthy, tedious, frustrating and mechanical process.

As someone who works in a field where framing arguments and steering debates is a constant state of mind, Hugh strives to be true to his own moral code alongside providing his clients with the best legal position.

When not steering debates, Hugh may be found working on his car steering while pursuing his interest in mechanics which was partially fostered after completing a TAFE welding course. He’s also fluent in Spanish, so if anyone needs a Spanish-speaking certified welder and litigation lawyer, Hugh’s your man.

Since being admitted as a Lawyer in February 2017, Faizah’s has gained experience in areas such as; covered medical negligence, personal injury, workers compensation and motor vehicle accidents claims. Whilst she has typically litigated in ACT Courts, Faizah has also appeared in NSW Supreme and District Courts.

Faizah has been operating in these fields for approximately three years with the most experience comprising of medical negligence and personal injury claims. Some of the matters she has dealt with in the past would generally fluctuate in complexity from supposed wrongdoings in emergency medicine, birth trauma and specialist surgeries to psychiatric injuries, just to name a few.

With her disciplined approach, perfectionist attitude and flexibility in ensuring her clients feel supported throughout the litigation process; her primary purpose is to help deliver the most optimal outcome her clients that they deserve.

Neil started at Chamberlains Law Firm as a paralegal in early 2016, and is now working as a lawyer within the Litigation & Restructuring Team in our Canberra office. He was admitted as a solicitor in the ACT Supreme Court in October 2019 and his areas of specialisation currently include corporate & personal insolvency, debt recovery and commercial litigation (including professional negligence, nuisance and unit title management disputes).

Being one of our youngest solicitors in the office, Neil developed a deep interest in his areas of specialisation at a very young age. He recognises the important role that lawyers play in serving individuals and corporations during times of need, and prides himself in assisting his clients in a creative and efficient manner to resolve their disputes. He has earned the respect of his clients and colleagues, with his hard work and dedication over the years both at university and in our office, earning him a spot as a finalist in the Law Student of the Year category of the 2018 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards.

Neil’s witty humour and enthusiasm in the office is cherished by his colleagues. He is not only the go to litigation lawyer within our Canberra office, but he is also the fire warden and is responsible for running the annual Pool Tournament at Chamberlains Law Firm. During his spare time, Neil is an avid hiker and traveller and he remains deeply involved with his global Hare Krishna community. When not stuck in Canberra because of a pandemic, Neil spends his annual leave with his family between India and Slovenia. He can also fluently speak 4 languages with Croatian as his next mission.

Neil knows that being a good lawyer requires a commitment to ongoing development in this field and he intends to use his high values and passion for his work to carve his own path in this industry.