Caroline is an Accredited Specialist in Wills and Estates Law and is a dual qualified solicitor in New South Wales and in England and Wales. Her work at the firm includes complex estate planning (incorporating advice regarding testamentary trusts and multi-jurisdictional assets and control arrangements), contentious trusts and estates litigation, trusts planning, statutory wills applications, and estate administration, including applications for grants for probate, letters of administration and reseals of grants from other jurisdictions.
Caroline also provides advice (and representation with leave) for financial management and guardianship applications to the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) and the NCAT Appeal Panel.
Caroline was rated as ‘Recommended’ in Doyle’s Guide Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyers – New South Wales, 2024 and in Doyle’s Guide Estate Litigation Lawyers – New South Wales, 2024. Caroline is a co-author (with Richard Neal and with Craig Birtles, now at the Bar and formerly with the firm) of the 10th edition of Hutley’s Australian Wills Precedents, Lexis Nexis publishing.
Her area of special interest is capacity. Caroline has experience of various forms of capacity and best interests litigation, including actions relating to elder abuse, management of property and finances, emergency medical treatment decisions, applications for appointment of professional deputy/appointee, and statutory will applications. In the UK Caroline also had day-to-day management of Compensation Trusts for adults lacking capacity as a result of brain injuries.
Prior to moving to Australia Caroline had 12 years’ English legal experience specialising in mental health, judicial review and all aspects of work with incapacitated adults, including Court of Protection proceedings regarding medical treatment decisions, issues of residence, contact, finances and deprivation of liberty. She was an Accredited Specialist in Mental Health, and was regularly instructed by the Official Solicitor of England and Wales, which included providing assessments of capacity to inform their decisions and those of the Court.
