In this sponsored post “CityNews” speaks with local lawyers who share a common interest in getting the best results for clients.

WHEN things go awry and legal services are needed, people want to find a lawyer they can trust to get them through what is often a difficult and emotional time.

Whether it’s criminal law, commercial law, property law, family law, wills and estates law or personal injury law, the ACT is full of trusted and leading lawyers to help them overcome any legal matters. 

This week “CityNews” speaks with some of these local lawyers who, no matter what their area of law is, share a common interest in getting the best results for clients. 

Growing firm’s big on honesty

HAVING launched Megan North Lawyers in January, solicitor Megan North is proud of her growing Queanbeyan-based firm.

Megan, who has been practicing law for more than 10 years, recently welcomed Jenna Storrier to the team, someone she describes as a skilled family and estate lawyer. 

“Jenna comes to my firm with extensive experience in a wide range of family law matters including both property and financial matters as well as parenting arrangements,” Megan says.

“With Jenna joining my team, we can now look after more clients having to battle the minefields of family law.” 

Jenna, a keen advocate for resolving matters with “out of court” solutions such as mediation, family dispute resolution and collaborative law, is also skilled at representing cases in court, if court proceedings are necessary, says Megan.  

At Megan North Lawyers, Jenna will be focusing on acting for clients requiring family law, estate law and succession advice, and Megan will continue to look after their conveyancing, commercial and criminal law matters. 

“My favourite part of my job is working for my clients to get the right results for them,” she says. 

Overall, Megan says they deliver their clients a fair, quick and cost effective resolution of their matters, while providing approachable and honest legal services. 

“Many of my clients pop into the office just to say hello,” she says. 

Megan North Lawyers, Unit 5, 69-71 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan. Call 02 6299 5566, email megan@megannorthlawyers.com.au or visit megannorthlawyers.com.au

Necia likes to take a different approach to getting the best solutions for clients

FALCON Legal is all about looking at problems in a holistic manner, says managing partner Necia Wearne.

Located in Holt with free, accessible parking and only a two minute walk from the Kippax bus interchange, Falcon Legal was established 15 months ago, with a goal to look at everything from a different perspective to see how the team can help the client in the best possible way, Necia says. 

Covering most areas of law, with a focus on conveyancing and wills and estates, Necia says they make things easier for clients to get a solution. 

“We can give initial advice in any general area of law and if we don’t have expertise we will find someone who does,” she says.

For people who need help through the probate process after someone dies, Necia says Falcon Legal can also look after the paperwork involved.

“During a stressful time, we do the hard work for our clients so they can get on with life,” she says. 

“And we have flexible appointments, as I know how hard it is to meet during business hours for some people.”

Falcon Legal Canberra, Unit 5, 12 Hardwick Crescent, Holt. Call 6188 3850 or email info@falconlegal.com.au

Resolving family matters without the wait

WITH family law matters filling up the court system, Mazengarb Family Lawyers gets families through difficult matters without the stress and wait time of a court hearing, says the firm’s partner Jess Wolski.

At this time of year Jess, an accredited family dispute resolution practitioner, alongside fellow firm partner Geoff Mazengarb, says parents are keen to finalise their family law matters prior to Christmas and as a result more applications are filed with the court. 

“A recent court decision has re-emphasised the need for parties to engage in counselling and the court is less willing to grant exemptions from this process,” she says. 

This means that more parties are using family dispute resolution to come to a resolution out of the court system, with the two main providers in Canberra now backlogged by a waitlist, says Jess.

Parents are now facing lengthy delays to resolve their parenting arrangements, according to Jess, who says Geoff and herself are able to help separated parents in discussing all issues relating to their children and reaching a resolution that meets the needs of their family.

“We can provide a joint session for parties to get their matters dealt with in a shorter time frame, or in the case of parties who don’t want to be in the same room as one another, we can host a ‘shuttle session’ where we move from separate rooms to speak to each party,” she says.  

“The court process can be stressful and costly. In family dispute resolution or mediation, the parties have more control over the outcome.”   

Mazengarb Family Lawyers. Level 5, 11 London Circuit, Civic. Call 6230 0199, email officemanager@mfamilylawyers.com.au or visit mfamilylawyers.com.au

Experienced property lawyer builds on value

DARYN Griffiths of Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators enjoys helping anybody in the property sphere. 

The property solicitor says he can help people who are buying or selling, or older people who might be downsizing and moving into a retirement village.

While Daryn covers all areas of commercial and property law, he says commercial property transactions for small businesses are his area of expertise, and what he thoroughly enjoys.

“I like to be able to get inside a client’s business knowledge and see how I can value-add to that,” he says.

Being a former small-business owner, Daryn says he gives his clients more than just straight legal advice and can talk to them about their documentation, business set-up and monthly bills.

“My services would be beneficial for anybody who’s in the property sphere, including commercial property purchases, such as property or business assets,” he says. 

And, he says the Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators’ team is well integrated internally and has good relationships with third parties such as real estate agents, body corporates, the land titles office and financial institutions.

“The team at Capon & Hubert can also advise on the new ACT stamp duty legislative developments and the new PEXA system used for NSW conveyancing,” he says.

Capon & Hubert Lawyers & Mediators, First Floor, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip. Call 6152 9203, email enquiries@chsol.com.au or visit chsol.com.au

Empathetic family lawyers deliver outcomes with care

NEILAN Stramandinoli Family Law directors Anna Neilan and Lucy Stramandinoli have been providing a holistic and empathetic approach to family law for more than 30 years, combined. 

Located on London Circuit, Lucy says the boutique law firm offers a personalised service when getting families through stressful and emotional situations in all areas of family law such as parenting arrangements, division of property, entitlements, binding financial agreements and family violence. 

“The first question we ask clients at meetings is: ‘What do you need to know when you walk out?’” she says.

“We want our clients to understand all the options open to them.”

Lucy says this can also mean referring clients to other specialists such as counsellors and financial planners to help them make informed decisions.  

“We focus on the best options available and outline solutions that are most efficient and cost effective for our clients,” she says.

“Our passion for assisting our clients and caring about the outcomes for them is what sets us apart.”

Lucy says the firm uses “collaborative law” approaches such as dispute resolution, mediation and negotiation to resolve most matters without the need to go to court, which can be a lengthy and costly experience, and creates more acrimony between the parties.  

“We exercise a blend of skills, compassion and emotional intelligence to best guide you through these difficult times so you can achieve your best possible outcome,” says Lucy, who is often told by her clients that her insight and expertise give them a great sense of reassurance and confidence during difficult times.

Neilan Stramandinoli Family Law, Suite 2, ground floor, 11 London Circuit, Canberra City. Visit nsfamilylaw.com.au or call 6152 0493.

Lawyers fight to get clients fair compensation

SUPPORTING the Canberra community since 1985, Maliganis Edwards Johnson specialises in personal injury law and has extensive experience in legislation and gaining fair compensation for its clients, says partner Deb Rolfe.

“We’ve been around so long that our previous clients’ children are coming to us with claims,” says Deb.

“While it’s not the best circumstances, it’s reassuring for them to know that we’re able to support them through what can be a traumatic time.”

Maliganis Edwards Johnson works on a “no-win, no-fee” basis and helps clients gain compensation for motor vehicle accidents, medical negligence, workplace injuries, public liability and construction site accidents.

“Our clients can be vulnerable and are often in difficult situations, and we know that taking legal action at a time like this can be challenging,” Deb says.

“We provide guidance and support as well as our expertise.”

With an experienced, knowledgeable team of hard workers that understand the complex compensation laws in the ACT, Deb says the firm is able to pool their resources and experience for the benefit of its clients. 

“As a team we have a weekly meeting where we brainstorm ideas in potentially difficult cases,” she says.

“We’re finding that insurers are becoming less interested in settling prior to a hearing, but our role is to get the best possible outcome for our clients.”

Maliganis Edwards Johnson, 60 Marcus Clarke Street, Civic. Call 6257 2999 or visit mej.com.au

Law firm keeps building on its long history of hard work

ONE of Canberra’s longest-running law firms, KJB Law has gone from strength to strength, and is currently a finalist in the Local Business of the Year category in the Canberra Region Local Business Awards, says practice manager Sue Hayes. 

KJB Law’s conveyancing manager Karen Watt has also won an award, the 2019 REIACT Conveyancer of the Year, after working for the firm for more than 13 years. 

But going back further, KJB Law was established in 1978 by sole practitioner Ken Johnston, who was joined by Allan Bedford the following year, before the firm was named Ken Johnston Bedford & Co in January 1981, to provide quality legal services at affordable prices. 

And even though both Ken and Allan have retired, Sue says the firm continues to provide quality legal advice on everything from estate planning, residential property sales and purchasing, family law to retirement village entry.

“We have an excellent office culture and retention of staff,” says Sue, who’s been there for 38 years.

“We’ve always been based in Woden and our current office in Corinna Street has plenty of space for the growing team. We have 28 staff, including nine lawyers and two conveyancing managers.”

Sue says the three principals of the firm, Jo Twible, Andrew Freer and Des Moore, all work hard and care about the clients and people they work with.

KJB Law, 10 Corinna Street, Woden. Call 6281 0999 or visit kjblaw.com.au