About Us
Overview
Philip is an experienced lawyer in the areas of wills, estates and family law.
Philip has also obtained a broad range of experience across many other areas of law, including insolvency, commercial litigation, debt recovery, bankruptcy, trusts, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), incorporated associations, building disputes, Australian Consumer Law, property, driver licence, body corporate disputes, commercial leases and conveyancing.
Before entering the legal profession Philip worked for a bank, an insurance company, worked for several years as a journalist and spent two years on a working holiday in London. Philip’s broad range of experience in the workforce allows him to relate and be empathetic to people from all walks of life.
Areas of expertise
Wills and Estates
Philip has extensive experience in drafting wills for clients. This often-simple document is of vital importance and usually benefits from the input of an experienced professional. Where a child is being excluded from a will, Philip advises clients of the effectiveness of a will and possible legal challenges to the will.
Philip has assisted many clients in their role as executor of a will to obtain Probate in the Supreme Court, having also worked with solicitors in the UK to obtain Probate and reseals of Probate. He has also arranged for the transmission of real property and provided advice on life tenancies.
Philip has also brought applications to the Supreme Court for Letters of Administration where there has been no will. In a more complex case he obtained identity documents from overseas and arranged for a notary public to translate those documents.
Philip has acted for many clients where wills have been contested, where clients have not been adequately provided for in a will, or left out of a will altogether. He has also acted for executors defending claims against persons who feel that they have not been adequately provided for in a will. Philip has assisted clients to resolve these will disputes, including attending mediations. His approach is to resolve disputes with a minimum of legal costs and erosion of the value of the estate.
Family Law
Philip has acted for many clients to finalise property matters by way of Binding Financial Agreements or Consent Orders, whether for de facto couples or married couples.
He has also drafted many Binding Financial Agreements or Consent Orders for clients intending to enter de facto relationships or marriage where protection of assets is a priority.
Philip’s approach is to seek an agreement between parties in property and children’s matters, bringing matters to Court only where agreement cannot be reached.
Philip has also acted for many clients in obtaining Divorce Orders.
Recognition
- 1984: Bachelor of Economics (B. Econ.) from the University of Queensland
- 1988: Bachelor of Arts (B.A) from the University of Queensland
- 1997: Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from Queensland University of Technology
- 1997: Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (Grad. Dip. Leg. Prac.) from Queensland University of Technology
- 1997: Admission as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland
- 1999: Admission as a Solicitor of the High Court of Australia
- 2000: Admission as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
