Michael Garbett

Don is one of the senior partners in HopgoodGanim Lawyers' property practice and leads our work across residential and mixed-use developments including community title projects and other commercial property transactions. Don’s experience includes acting for property developers, banks and managers such as Aria Property Group, Gurner, Sunland Group, St George Bank and Balmain Asset Management in acquiring development sites, establishing community title schemes and selling proposed lots. D...

Sophie is a media lawyer and litigator with extensive expertise in media and defamation matters. She specialises in defamation, contempt of court, suppression orders, freedom of information and court access applications, confidential information claims, privacy law, pre-publication advice, copyright and cyber safety law. She has acted for and advised many of Australia’s largest media organisations, large corporations and politicians, authors, and high profile/high net worth individuals ...

Damien has practised for over 40 years in the Family law and de facto relationship fields. Damien is an Accredited Family Law Specialist, a Mediator and an Arbitrator with extensive knowledge and expertise in all areas of family law. He has a particular interest in complex financial and property settlements and international family law matters. Damien is consistently recognised by his peers in published reviews as a leader in the field of family law. Damien was invited to become a Fellow of t...

Wendy brings more than 25 years of experience in the development industry, first as a town planner and later as a planning and environment lawyer. She advises developers, government agencies and resource sector clients on complex planning and infrastructure matters, with expertise spanning planning litigation, statutory and strategic planning, infrastructure planning and agreements, and cultural heritage. Wendy is recognised for her ability to deliver exceptional planning outcomes through str...

Keith Carl is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Property Law. Keith, who practices law in Brisbane, Australia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Keith is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kirsten Van Der Wal is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Negligence. Kirsten, who practices law in Brisbane, Australia, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kirsten is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Melanie currently works in the Corporate and Commercial team at Thomson Geer, with a particular focus on Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Finance. Melanie has practices in international law firms in Australia and Hong Kong, specialising in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate finance, financial regulation and company commercial law.

Wendy is a highly experienced accredited family law specialist and an accredited family law arbitrator. Her strong preference is to assist clients settle their family law issues in a conciliatory manner through negotiation, mediation, arbitration or through the collaborative law process. However, if litigation is necessary Wendy will take immediate action to protect her client’s position. Much of Wendy’s work is with financial agreements and the often difficult corporate, trust an...

Matthew has over 25 years of China and Asia-Pacific legal and business experience, focusing on Intellectual Property (prosecution, litigation and transactions), Corporate (M&A) and International Trade. Matthew has been listed as a leading corporate/IP lawyer by various publishers and directories, and is an arbitrator (MCIArb) with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, the Beijing Arbitration Commission, Asian International Arbitration Centre, CIETAC, the Maldives International A...

Judy Stewart is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Judy, who practices law in Brisbane, Australia, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Judy is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.