Ron Smooker

James holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and a Masters of Law. James has practiced exclusively in family law since admission. He is experienced in all aspects of family law including complex property matters, contested parenting matters, Financial Agreements, Child Support matters, same-sex/LGBITQ matters, surrogacy and alternative conception procedures and Intervention Order matters. James prides himself on providing practical and cost-effective advice to ensure t...

Paul Fildes is an Accredited Family Law Specialist with over four decades of experience, having practised exclusively in family law since 1983. Recognised nationally for his expertise, Paul is ranked as one of the Preeminent Family & Divorce Lawyers in Melbourne by Doyle’s Guide 2026 and is also recognised nationally as a Leading Family & Divorce Lawyer. Paul has been consistently listed by Doyle’s Guide as a Preeminent family lawyer every year from 2019 through 2026, refl...

Ed’s practice covers private mergers & acquisitions (both local and international), with particular specialism in mid-market deals in Australia, distressed M&A and inbound international transactions. Ed has significant experience running large projects including company establishment, corporate restructures and succession for large family groups. Ed has advised on over 200 M&A transactions including acting for buyers and sellers across a range of sectors in share sales, busi...

Emma Woolley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates and Wealth Management / Succession Planning Practice. Emma, who practices law in Melbourne, Australia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Emma is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Cameron acts for insurers, self-insureds, government departments, statutory authorities, statutory corporations, ASX-listed companies and private companies in the defence of liability claims across Australia. His clients include major government bodies and national insurers. He is based in Melbourne. Cameron advises on and defends claims in public liability, professional indemnity, product liability, contractors all risk, property, industrial special risk and dust diseases. His practice also ...

One of Australia’s leading estate planning lawyers, Bernie has over 40 years’ experience advising individuals, family groups and businesses on all aspects of estate and business succession. Often acting as advisor to prominent families, Bernie’s knowledge of family trusts, superannuation and estate and elder law enables him to provide clear, practical solutions for clients with complex family and asset structures. He is often asked to provide a second opinion on existing suc...

Jackson is Managing Partner at Roam Migration Law and has worked in immigration since 2008, primarily on employer sponsored visa matters. His experience ranges from Fortune 500 and ASX companies to start-ups and boutique SMEs. His current practice is focused on employer sponsored visa matters, corporate compliance, the Global Talent program and advocating for policy reform. Jackson is particularly interested in the confluence of immigration and employment law and how government policy shapes ...

Kate is a Principal at Harwood Andrews in the Planning, Environment and Local Government team. She recently joined Harwood Andrews from a national law firm where she was a Senior Associate in the Public Law Group, specialising in planning and environment law. She was admitted to legal practice in 2003 and holds a Bachelor of Arts/Law from Deakin University. Kate acts for both government and private clients in metropolitan and regional Victoria. She regularly appears in a variety of planning m...

Lu is a pragmatic disputes and business lawyer who has built a practice helping people solve contractual and property disputes, shareholders disputes, building disputes and other commercial disputes. She also assists clients with debt recovery and insolvency. She is known for putting her clients’ goals and needs at the forefront of all work - and advising from a commercial perspective if they should be proposing a settlement or choosing to proceed with litigation. In any event she will ...

Nik has a broad practice including assisting clients with both potential and actual patent disputes, the drafting and prosecution of patents in the information technology, software and business method fields, and advising on freedom-to-operate, patent infringement and validity in the telecommunications, medical device and software industries. Nik’s background is in both the hardware and software aspects of computer systems, as well as networking and telecommunications. This enables Nik ...