To minimise the legal and emotional cost, our first approach is to attempt to resolve the matter through negotiations, and have the agreement formalised and implemented without Court intervention. Negotiated settlements are always more cost effective, can be personalised to suit your family and the situation, and are much less stressful than having the matter determined by a Court.

Negotiated settlements are particularly important when children are involved. Despite separation, parents will still have an ongoing parental relationship for many years into the future. It is not helpful for the continuation of that parenting relationship if the parties are embroiled in a lengthy, expensive and acrimonious dispute.

An inflammatory, angry and aggressive approach that 'scores points' rarely achieves our goal. It may make you feel better at the time, but ultimately causes the negotiations and proceedings to be drawn out. In addition, legal costs escalate in proportion to the level of hostility and litigation.

However, we will not compromise your position in the pursuit of a negotiated settlement. If the other party refuses to take a conciliatory approach, or delays or frustrates the process, we will employ appropriate legal remedies to obtain a solution for you.

To ensure all of your needs are met, we work closely with other professionals such as counsellors, psychologists, social workers, accountants, tax specialists and financial planners. When we refer you to another professional, be assured that you will receive the same high level of service you get at Murdochs. We only work with other firms that are totally committed to taking care of their clients the way we do.

At the end of the day, the journey is one that belongs to you. We work to educate you about the family law system, your options, and the pitfalls, so that ultimately you are empowered and have control of the process.

Our Family Law Team

Tony Phillips
Managing Director

Tony has a particular interest in children's cases that involve relocation and parental alienation syndrome.

Tony is a well-respected law practitioner with over 27 years experience in family law. He still applies the same attention and detail to each client's needs and interests as he did when he first became a lawyer.

Tony's approach and the enthusiasm for family law work is captured by the stream of referrals from satisfied clients and fellow lawyers, confident to place the requirements of family and friends in times of need, to a most trusted and dedicated practitioner.

Tony's expertise is complex property divisions, including intricate trust and corporate structuring, large rural properties, farming ventures and trust cloning. An Accredited Specialist in Family Law, a registered mediator and arbitrator, Tony sits on the Family Law Committee of the Queensland Law Society.

Andrew Crooke
Director

To find opportunities for unique tax advantages and obtain the best financial result for each client, Andrew works closely with other experts such as accountants and financial planners.

Andrew is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law and having worked in this area since 1992, has experience in all facets of this area of the law. Some of which include complex property settlements, child support, spousal maintenance and children's issues involving relocation, abduction and child abuse.

Andrew has completed collaborative practice training with the University of Technology Sydney and an advanced course providing essential skills for collaborative practice lawyers in Canberra. Andrew is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Collaborative Law Association of Queensland.

Lesleigh Mayes
Consultant

Lesleigh's experience working within the Court system has given her a strong awareness of the emotional toll the family law process can bring. She will strive to minimise the trauma and associated legal costs involved.

Lesleigh uses her vast knowledge and experience to explore clients' legal rights to deliver practical options in achieving short and long term goals.

Lesleigh encourages clients to resolve their needs and expectations to family law issues through a conciliatory approach. A meticulous and strategic litigation lawyer, her detailed litigious preparation and back up is solid if a court case becomes necessary.

A former Olympic swimmer, Registrar of the Family Court, recipient of an Australia Day medal and mum of two, Lesleigh has an extensive and diverse breadth of life and professional experience.

She is well known and respected by Judges, members of the Court and legal practitioners, and has dedicated her professional life including 11 years in private practice and 14 years in the Family Court to solving clients' family law issues.

Sarah Bastian-Jordan
Associate

Sarah has a particular interest in complex property cases and children's cases which involve entrenched conflict between parents, and relocation disputes.

Sarah takes a very methodical, investigative approach to all cases. She considers it imperative that both the client and solicitor are fully aware of all relevant facts and possible obstacles from the outset, so that the client can receive precise legal advice and make informed and strategic decisions. She considers her role as a legal representative to be two fold first, in a professional role to provide legal advice and opinions, and second, in a personal role to assist clients through the emotional process of separation.

Outside of the office, Sarah is the youngest member of the Advisory Board of the World Congress on Family Law and children's Rights, and teaches English to refugee families through the Volunteer Refugee Tutoring and Community Support Program.

Elizabeth Charlotte Clegg
Lawyer

Elizabeth works closely with one of our family law accredited specialists (Tony Phillips), and with an extensive legal background in franchising, banking and finance, leases and commercial conveyancing, has particular interest and skill in family law and de facto property matters.

Her fluency in French enables her to assist a broad range of clients, and her friendly, organised and approachable manner puts nervous clients at ease.

Outside of the office, Elizabeth is a member of the Young Lawyers Group, undertakes pro bono legal work, and like many successful lawyers, has a soft spot for a good bottle of red.

Paralegals

Our paralegals work closely with lawyers to ensure they are fully up to date with each file and are able to assist where appropriate, to help keep costs down for our clients. We only have experienced, dedicated members in this role to ensure our service standards are not compromised. Clients often find that they can call their lawyer's paralegal to answer general queries. If they our paralegals feel that a query is out of their depth, they won't guess - they will refer your query to your lawyer to ensure quality and accurate advice.

Holley Watts
Paralegal

Holley prides herself on being one of the most efficient and thorough paralegals around. She ensures that our clients are kept fully informed about the progress of their case in a timely manner.

From the firm's perspective, she provides vital assistance to lawyers in the firm by managing the day-to-day requirements of each file. From a client's perspective, she works in conjunction with our lawyers, is aware of all events and issues relevant to each file, and is your key contact in relation to general queries or concerns.

Holley is devoted to providing our clients with friendly, helpful and efficient service. She has worked exclusively in family law over the past 5 years, and is a prized member of our team.

Jennifer Vaitkus
Paralegal

Jen's strong customer service background and her passion for people contact has seen her progress from our client services manager to paralegal. Prior to joining our team Jen worked as an optical assistant where she was working closely with customers, particularly children. Her commitment to best practice means that Jen will do everything she can to assist our clients and lawyers in getting the best result possible. Jen particularly enjoys working in the family law section because she has the opportunity to work closely with our clients and support them through what can be a difficult time.

Jen is the paralegal to Tony Phillips (Managing Director) who is an accredited specialist, working particularly on complex property and children's matters.