Experience

Deborah commenced her experience as a lawyer in a general law firm at Ipswich, she is an accredited family law specialist and has over 20 years of exclusive experience in Family Law.

During this time Deborah has worked on the following cases:

• Hague Convention – international custody disputes
• Property Settlements
• De facto property settlements
• Divorce
• Adult child maintenance claims
• Child support matters
• Spousal Maintenance
• Contravention Applications (for breach of Court orders)
• Appeals
• Domestic Violence Applications
• Child Protection Proceedings
• Acting as Litigation Guardian
• Binding Financial agreements
• Binding Child Support Agreements
• Pre-Nuptial agreements
• Surrogacy – advising on surrogacy arrangements

Deborah is also on the panel of Independent Children’s Lawyers, which enables her to be appointed by the Court to represent the interests of children in court proceedings both in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and the Children’s Court of Queensland.

Deborah appears regularly in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, Family Court of Australia and the Children’s Court, often as a Solicitor Advocate, avoiding the need to retain separate counsel. She also regularly participates in private mediations and roundtable conferences. Deborah’s approach is to work collaboratively with the client and other practitioners to resolve disputes in a cost-effective logical manner.

Professional background and education

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Information Technology (QUT) 1996
• Bachelor of Laws (QUT) 1996
• Accredited Family Law Specialist (Queensland Law Society) 2006
• Practice Management Course (Queensland Law Society) 2005
• Accredited mediator
• Family Dispute resolution provider
• Arbitrator

Admissions

• Supreme Court of Queensland 1996
• High Court of Australia 1998

Professional memberships

• Queensland Law Society
• Family Law Practitioners Associations Queensland
• Australia Law Council Family Law Section
• Child Protection Practitioners’ Association (Qld)
• Panel of Independent Children’s Lawyers and Separate Representatives
• Family Law Pathways Network
• Babes in Business
• Queensland Collaborative Law
• Family Law Section
• Australian Mediation Association

Positions

• Past President of Family Law Practitioner’s Association (Qld)
• Vice President of the Queensland Law Society – from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2015
• Member of the family law advisory committee for College of Law
• Member of the Professional Conduct Committee – Queensland Law Society
• Deputy Chair of the professional conduct committee – Queensland Law Society
• Chair of the Domestic and Family Violence Committee  – Queensland Law Society

Personal

Deborah is an avid hockey player, previously representing Queensland and enjoys travelling and watching her children play sport.

• Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers – Leading
• Leading Parenting & Children’s Matters – Leading
• Leading Family Law Mediators – Leading