Allan Cowley

Director

Prior to being admitted as a solicitor, Allan worked in merchant banking covering the areas of company takeovers, corporate governance and real estate development. Appointed as a Public Notary, Allan has been trained to act in alternate dispute resolution matters as both an Arbitrator and Mediator. He has been with the Firm since 1980. His is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation and an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law. Allan is also a qualified Mediator, Arbitrator and CARS Assessor (appointed by the NSW Motor Accidents Authority). Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law Mediator, Arbitrator, CARS Assessor

Stuart Garrett

Director

Stuart has lived in the Northern Rivers since 1980. He has practiced mainly in commerical, property and more recently elder law. He has substantial experience in property law, particularly subdivision, commercial and cottage conveyancing. He also works in commerical leasing for owners and tenants. Of recent times he has been increasingly active within the aged care industry both for facilities and residents and understands the issues in this expanding area. This has added to his previous involvement in elder law and estate planning which continues to be a rapidly growing part of this practice.

Ben Carroll

Director

Ben commenced working with the firm in 1998 as a law clerk while still a law student at Southern Cross University. He was admitted to practice as a solicitor in 1998 and worked initially in Workers Compensation Litigation. Ben became a Partner in the firm in 2003 and now heads our Lismore Office. Theses days Ben does primarily commercial work. He deals with Business Structuring Advice, Mortgage Initiation, Property Transactions, Leasing, Wills and Estate Planning, Asset Protection, Commercial Litigation and Probate. Ben is a fellow of the Taxation Institute of Australia and holds degrees in Environmental Science and Law. He has a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practices.

Jim Fiford

Solicitor

Jim has been practicing law in the region since 1965. He joined the Firm in September 2007 when Fiford Law merged with S+P Lawyers. He has many years diverse legal experience in conveyancing, wills and estate administration, court litigation, local government law issues and family law. Currently Jim's principal areas of work are conveyancing, commercial matters and deceased estate administration. Jim is also a qualified CPA Accountant and has a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Cross University with a double major in Japanese. Jim is a past President of the Far North Coast Branch of the Law Society and has extensive involvement in Rotary.

Michele Joncourt

Solicitor

After graduating from the University of Sydney with degrees in Arts and Laws, Michele worked as a Judge's Associate in the District Court of NSW. Subsequently, Michele practiced as a commercial property lawyer in Sydney for six years. In 1997, she moved to the Northern Rivers with her young family. Michele has practiced locally with an emphasis on property law including commercial leases; sales of businesses; liquor licensing; wills & probate. She speaks fluent French and elementary Italian. Michele has a preference for transactional matters in all aspects. Michele has been active in the Byron Bay High School P&C and School Council and has an excellent insight into the local community as a result.

Jessica Riddell

Solicitor

Jess was raised in North-Western NSW in the small rural community of Mungindi. For her secondary years of schooling, Jess attended boarding school in Toowoomba and went on to study at Southern Cross University in Lismore undertaking two degrees; Law and Business. She now resides in Lennox Head with her Border Collie, Bindi, and likes to spend her time being outdoors playing tennis, surfing and enjoying all the live music gigs and events the North Coast has to offer. Jess has been employed full-time at S+P Lawyers since 2008 and assisted Personal Injury Specialist Allan Cowley while she completed her university studies and the College of Law's Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. She has now been admitted as a solicitor and is a member of our Litigation Team in Byron Bay and Lismore. Her areas of interest include Personal Injury, Workers Compensation & Litigation.

Meredith Duensing

Paralegal

A Northern Rivers area resident all of her life, Meredith's local knowledge is of great benefit to her clients. She has developed a great rapport with local real estate agents and is known for her enthusiastic approach to her work. Meredith has formalised her experience by completing an Associate Diploma in Paralegal Studies (QLD) and is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Law Degree.

Cathy Shearman

Paralegal

Cathy grew up in the Northern Rivers and is both highly experienced as a Conveyancing Law Clerk and in the area of Workers Compensation. Her detailed local knowledge is of great benefit to her clients as she has developed a particularly strong rapport and understanding of the regional real estate industry. Cathy has an Associate Diploma of Business (Legal Practice) from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (now Latrobe University). She is also an Associate Member of The Institute of Legal Executives (Victoria).

Katrina Bell

Paralegal

Katrina has lived in Cabarita Beach for 20 years and has over 25 years of legal experience. She has a detailed knowledge of the local area and a great rapport with the local business community

Megan Middleton

Megan is Sydney born and has been residing on the Tweed Coast for over 25 years. Megan is experienced in both NSW and QLD conveyancing and through her enthusiasm and approach to life has developed a good relationship with local agents.