Barristers – Family Law

Zoë Brereton was called to the Queensland Bar in October 2021. Zoë has over 24 years’ experience as a lawyer, having previously practiced as a solicitor being first admitted in England and Wales in 1997 and then in Australia in 2006, including as principal of her own private practice.

Zoë practises in a broad range of commercial matters, family law, domestic violence, estate litigation and immigration law.

Zoë is also a nationally accredited mediator (NMAS).

In addition to Zoë’s undergraduate qualifications in Law, she holds a Post Graduate qualification in Australian Migration Law and Practice from the Australian National University.

Other relevant affiliations and positions held by Zoë are:

Member of the Queensland Bar Association

Member of the Family Law Practitioners’ Association

Treasurer of the Gold Coast Bar Association

Member of Gold Coast District Law Association

Member of Law Right

Logan was called to the Queensland Bar in 2014, having previously practised as a solicitor in top tier firms in Sydney and Brisbane for 18 years. He regularly appears in arbitrations, appeals and in the Supreme and District Courts.

Logan is a specialist in building and construction law and commercial, contractual and insurance related disputes. He has particular experience in matters involving security of payment disputes and complex projects, including:

• transport & marine infrastructure ;
• electrical infrastructure & power stations;
• gas and renewable energy;
• commercial, government and residential/mixed-use projects
• property disputes

Logan’s commercial litigation practiced also extends to partnership and corporations disputes.

Logan also has a substantial Alternative Dispute Resolution practice (arbitration, mediation and expert determination) and is a NMAS accredited mediator.

Logan has been consistently recognised in Doyle’s Guide – Leading Construction Law Barrister Rankings – Queensland from 2019 to 2024.

Because of his extensive commercial and property litigation experience, Logan is increasingly briefed in complex Family Law Property disputes.

He is a member of the Queensland Bar Association – Building & Construction Committee and regularly assists in providing CPD training to Queensland registered Security of payment adjudicators.

Paula was called to the Bar in Queensland in 2022.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Paula:

• graduated with a Juris Doctor of Laws from Bond University in 2014;
• was admitted in 2015 to the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia; and
• Following her admission, Paula worked predominately in Family and Criminal law in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.

Paula’s primary areas of interest are:

• Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law
• Commercial Law
• Common Law/Personal Injuries
• Criminal Law
• Equity
• Family Law and Guardianship and
• Regulatory Law (all types)

Paula is a dedicated and compassionate Barrister, providing detailed advice and advocating strongly on her client’s behalf.

Paula was called to the Bar in Queensland in 2022.

Following 10 years practising as a solicitor in large national and international firms, Jane commenced practice as a barrister in 2009. As an advocate she has a broad practice encompassing commercial, insurance, personal injury, professional negligence, medical negligence, building and construction, administrative, estate, family law (property) and tax disputes. Jane appears alone in applications, trials, appeals and other hearings in both State and Federal jurisdictions. Jane also leads junior counsel.

Jane is also an accredited Mediator and Farm Debt Mediator. Her mediation practice extends to disputes in:

• Wills & Estates;
• Commercial;
• Personal Injury;
• Historical abuse;
• Medical Negligence;
• Professional Indemnity;
• Complex Family Law property matters;
• International recovery of children; and
• Tax.

Jane holds degrees in Law and Business (Accounting) from QUT, as well as a Master Advocate Designation from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy in the USA. In addition to her practice at the Bar, Jane has taught advocacy and trial skills to trial lawyers and barristers in Australia, Bhutan and the USA since 2010
Jane has chambers in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.

Shaun was first called to the private bar in 2006 where he developed a broad advice and litigation practice encompassing criminal, tax and private law. In 2009, Shaun joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Queensland) as a Crown Prosecutor and conducted numerous criminal trials, sentences and appeals across Central and South-East Queensland.

In 2011, Shaun joined the Australian Taxation Office and gained extensive experience in federal income tax and superannuation law. He has worked on international, public and private group, and private wealth (family groups and individual) taxation matters.  Shaun has particular expertise in the taxation and regulation of self-managed superannuation funds.

Since returning to the private bar in 2022, Shaun predominantly practices in the areas of taxation and superannuation (primarily SMSFs). His experience is increasingly being called on in associated private wealth matters, particularly as applied to the fields of family, trusts and succession law.

Shaun is an accredited specialist advisor (SSA®) with the Self Managed Superannuation Fund Association and a full member (TEP) of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Shaun is also a member of the Tax Institute and the Family Law Practitioners Association.

Stephen has been practicing since 1990 and was called to the Bar in 2016.

Over more than three decades Stephen has practiced broadly, but his particular areas of interest are:

• Family Law (including Domestic Violence)
• Criminal Law & Professional Discipline
• Administrative & Public Law

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Laws and is also a qualified and experienced costs assessor having been appointed to the Supreme Courts panel in December 2008.

Other relevant affiliations and positions held by Stephen are:

• Member Bar Association of Queensland
• Member of LawRight

His present practice calls for him to appear regularly in the courts of Queensland, N.S.W. and Victoria in matters including:

• The conduct of appeals as sole Counsel (unled) before the Court of Appeal and the Full Court of the Family Court. These appearances include the following reported cases: Yein & Zihao (2019) FLC 93-889;
  Allen v Ruddy Tomlins & Baxter(2019) 1 QR 225;
  Beckham & Quarrington (2019) FLC 93-913;
  Weng & Wah and Ors (2019) FLC 93-933; and
  McLaren v Wiltshire Lawyers Pty Ltd [2019] 3 QR 158.)
• Complex property and parenting trials in the Family Court and Federal Circuit Courts of Australia.
• Criminal trials (including matters involving allegations of historical sexual abuse and serious assault) in the District Court of Queensland.
• Investigations and reports (briefed by Church body) of allegations of physical and sexual abuse.
• Civil penalty hearings in the Federal Court of Australia.
• Civil trials in the District and Supreme Courts of Queensland.
• Applications for review under the Migration Act 1958(Cth) in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.

Reimen is a barrister and nationally accredited mediator. He has a broad commercial litigation practice, with particular experience in disputes involving:

• Business Structures (including shareholder disputes),
• Bankruptcy and Insolvency, and
• Property

Reimen also practices in:

• Administrative Law,
• Estate Law (particularly Family Provision Applications),
• Family Law, and
• Human Rights (which extends to Employment Law and Discrimination matters).

Reimen’s practice includes international matters, especially in the South Pacific, and includes experience in international arbitrations.

Before being called to the Bar, Reimen worked as an associate at a leading international insurance law firm. He has also worked as a lawyer at a boutique Brisbane commercial litigation firm, as a registrar of the Supreme Court of Tonga, at a top-tier national firm, as a judge’s associate, and as a legal officer at a UN-backed war crimes tribunal in Cambodia.

Reimen is a member of the Bar Association of Queensland’s human rights committee; he also a member of the Australian Lawyers for Human Right’s Queensland committee and Business & Human Rights subcommittee. He was awarded the Australian Young Lawyer of the Year in 2019 by the Law Council of Australia.

Reimen is also a member of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association.

Prior to being called to the Bar, Reece worked as a solicitor in general litigation, commercial and not-for-profit matters. Reece also spent time working at one of the Big Four accounting firms in a specialist employment tax team.

Reece has experience across a broad range of legal areas. A large part of his work as a solicitor involved establishing charities and not-for-profits, as well as advising existing charities and not-for-profits on structuring, corporations law, governance requirements, taxation (both state and federal), discrimination laws and employment related matters. It also included responding to historical abuse claims (both common law and National Redress Scheme) and giving advice relating to trusts and use of trust assets. A significant part of this work was for religious entities, so Reece has a strong understanding of the legal issues that often arise in relation to such entities. Reece also has experience with non-state schools in Queensland and understands the unique issues faced by those schools.

Reece has a particular interest in administrative law and taxation. He also accepts Family Law briefs for property and parenting matters.

Reece understands that legal services are required by people from all walks of life and endeavours to be approachable and provide advice that is comprehensive, understandable, that enables his clients to make informed decisions.

Reece holds a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from Griffith University. Reece is also entered in the High Court Register of Practitioners.

Outside of work, Reece enjoys playing and making guitars and amplifiers, motorbike riding and mountain bike riding. He also currently serves as a director of a large private school.

Ms Deanna Musumeci was called to the Queensland Bar in October 2021.

Previously, Deanna practiced as a solicitor for 8 years in Townsville with a particular practice interest in Family Law and Commercial Litigation.

Deanna has acted in complex Family Law and Commercial Litigation matters involving:

• The interpretation and enforcement of a Deed of Family Arrangement;
• Acting for third party intervenors in a family law property dispute involving issue of trust, debts and gifts;
• Acting for a legally aid funded respondent mother in relation to parenting and access issues involving complicated social issues such as drugs, alcohol, neglect and abuse.

Deanna, in addition to a busy private practice, is passionate about social justice and volunteers her time to various social justice institutions such as:

• Townsville Community Law; and
• North Queensland Women’s Legal Service.

Other relevant affiliations and positions held by Deanna are:

• Townsville Hospital Ethic Committee;
• Townsville District Law Association Committee Member; and
• North Queensland District Law Association Committee member.

Giles was called to the NSW Bar in October 2012 after a 20 year career in banking and commerce in Sydney and London, holding senior positions in Banking and Investment companies.

Giles was previously called to the London Bar in 1994.

He maintains chambers in QLD and NSW.

Giles practices predominantly in Family Law and Property and Equity. In Family Law cases he appears for clients in all types of property and parenting disputes.

He has extensive experience having appeared led and unled in in excess of 120 contested interim and final hearings since 2013.

He also has ever increasing appellate experience.

Giles also acts for clients in all aspects of commercial law in all jurisdictions, bringing his extensive commercial property, banking and finance experience to his advocacy practice for the significant benefit of his clients.

Other areas of law in which Giles accepts briefs include:

• Commercial, Property and Equity disputes
• Estate Law matters including Family Provision Applications

As a solicitor, Jessica gained vast experience working in Brisbane firms representing clients in matters relating to traffic, criminal, child protection, domestic and family violence, parenting, property and divorce.

Prior to her call to the Bar, Jessica was employed by Legal Aid Queensland as a Senior Family Lawyer and Independent Children’s Lawyer.

Jessica is available to be briefed in all matters relating to family breakdown including: representing clients in mediation, parenting arrangements, property settlement, interim and final hearings, advices and contravention proceedings.