A little about me…

I help women who feel intimidated by the legal industry to find out about their legal rights and ways to stand up for themselves. I love the fact that I can empower women through knowledge, because the more knowledge women have, the more opportunity they see. 

As well as running the law firm, TBA Law, since 2012, I am also the Founder and CEO of Legally Wise Women. This consumer education community was set up to help address access to justice issues for women, reduce the cost of legal resources for women, help women learn how to negotiate and have difficult conversations, and how to find and hire the right lawyer.

I’m an Australian woman in my thirties, a military wife, and live with my husband and our fur-baby just north of Melbourne.

I am also a lawyer. I studied law straight out of high school, and graduated in 2006. A practicing lawyer ever since, I have proudly owned and managed my own law firm since 2012. After acquiring the practice from a retiring sole practitioner, I have grown it to three times the size, with offices and staff in several Victorian towns and in Melbourne.

I have always wanted to be a writer, since as young as I can remember. My mother tells me that my first sentence as a child was “read a book”, as I would demand that she read to me almost constantly! My interest in writing has resulted in publishing three legal books: In Case of Emergency, Death and Social Media and The Sandwich Generation.

Despite working as a lawyer, my belief in the justice system has diminished over time. I see many people disadvantaged because they don’t know where to start, and not getting professional advice because they are fearful of the costs. Or worse, I see people get poor advice and spend way too much to resolve conflict. This resulted in Legally Wise Women, my legal innovation project which graduated from the Centre for Legal Innovation in 2021.

Most recently, I have also completed Advanced Collaborative Practice training, as well as becoming a Nationally Accredited Mediator. Providing alternative dispute resolution services through TBA ADR and the Centre for Family Estate Disputes.

Education

MASTERS OF APPLIED LAW (WILLS AND ESTATES)
College of Law Applied Law Program focusing on estate planning, wills, probate, estate administration, superannuation, and estate litigation. (2013-2015)

BACHELOR OF ACCOUNTING
University of SA conducted through Open Uni, with a minor focus also on business, marketing, management, and IT systems. (2009-2012)

BACHELOR OF LAW
The first Degree through Deakin University Pure Law. (2002-2006)

Memberships

• Law Institute of Victoria
• Mediation Institute
• Victorian Association of Collaborative Practitioners
• Australian Association of Collaborative Practitioners
• The Rural Woman Cooperative
• Rotary
• HerBusiness
• Remarkable Woman
• The UN Women National Committee Australia