Congratulations to Michael Labiris, Senior Lawyer in our Private Clients group at Moores, who has been recognised as a Rising Star in Wills, Estates & Succession Planning – Australia, 2020.
Michael has been identified by senior level Wills & Estates lawyers and barristers for his outstanding knowledge and expertise in this area.
As an accredited specialist in Wills & Estates, Michael regularly advises executors and beneficiaries in the areas of estate challenges and disputes, superannuation benefit claims and implementing tax-effective estate planning strategies.
Congratulations Michael.
To find out more about our Wills, Estate Planning and Structuring team at Moores, click here.
Moores’ Elder Financial Abuse lawyer, Jessica Latimer has been crowned Winner of the ‘Special Counsel of the Year’ Award at the Australian Law Awards 2020.
Jessica joined Moores in 2018 to establish one of Australia’s only dedicated elder financial abuse and elder law practices. We are so proud that Jessica’s innovation, passion and dedication has been recognised and awarded as the winner of the ‘Special Counsel of the Year’ Award.
As a passionate industry leader, Jessica applies her commercial litigation skills and her understanding of elder law to achieve outcomes for often distressed older clients who have lost property or funds as a result of elder financial abuse.
Find out more about Jessica’s practice here or for more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Jennifer Dixon, Lachlan McKenzie, Krista Fitzgerald and Luke Haley have all featured as leading lawyers in Doyles Guide 2020, recognised by their peers and referrers for their expertise in Wills & Estates Litigation and/or Wills, Estates and Succession Planning.
This ranks Moores as a First Tier Law firm in both the ‘Wills & Estates Litigation‘ and ‘Wills, Estates & Succession Planning‘ categories this year.
Our expert team is experienced in assisting families with complex Estate Planning arrangements as well as challenging and defending all manner of Disputes relating to Wills, Estates, Trusts, SMSF and Bequests.
For more information or to speak with one of our experienced lawyers, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Moores is delighted to announce Rebecca Lambert-Smith’s appointment as a Practice Leader of the firm, leading the For Purpose team at Moores.
As a long-standing member of the Moores team, we are thrilled to welcome Rebecca to the Practice Leadership, in recognition of her exceptional talent as a charity law expert as well as her valuable strategic insights and leadership capabilities.
Rebecca works with a range of clients including charities, not-for-profits and social ventures on a wide range of legal and governance matters.
As a trusted advisor to For Purpose clients experiencing creation, crisis and change, Rebecca enjoys helping clients navigate the challenges of the current regulatory environment. This includes helping new organisations get established, providing complex structuring advice, improving governance, resolving internal disputes and responding to ACNC investigations.
Congratulations Rebecca.
Melbourne, Australia: Values-driven law firm, Moores, today announced former Manager of the Legal Unit at the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission, Tessa van Duyn, has been appointed as CEO and Practice Leader, after joining the team as Practice Leader in July 2019.
Ms van Duyn is a leading human rights and public law expert with over 15 years’ experience. She brings to Moores a proven record in creating positive social change through strategic litigation, establishing effective partnerships across different sectors and influencing public policy.
Previously, Ms van Duyn held an impressive 11-year tenure at the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission, which saw her lead some of the most significant human rights cases in Australia. Tessa’s advocacy led to significant public policy reforms in the community housing, justice and education sectors, where human rights have become central to decision-making and service delivery. Prior to this, Ms van Duyn held the role of Senior Lawyer and Pro Bono Coordinator at Clayton Utz.
Moores was the first major law firm in Australia to abandon time based billing, which enabled the company to introduce a revolutionary, new business model that priced value, not time. In the last two years, the company has grown more than 14 per cent, and was recently recognised by Macquarie as a “high performer” in the $10-$50m category.
As a forward-looking law firm with a team of 80 staff, Moores is proudly flexible, inclusive and diverse. The company has no gender pay gap, 50 per cent of practice leaders are women (this stands in contrast to the broader legal industry, where law firms are struggling to gain equality-some are aspiring to have 35 per cent in the next five years), and three quarters of staff and two thirds of practice leaders utilise part-time or flexible working arrangements.
Moores has a Private Client practice with one of the largest specialist estate planning teams in the country, as well as an Organisational Client practice with deep expertise focused on not-for-profits and purpose aligned organisations.
Speaking of her appointment to the role of CEO and Practice Leader, Ms van Duyn said she was looking forward to continuing to build on the strong legacy left by outgoing Managing Principal, David Wells.
Tessa van Duyn, CEO and Practice Leader at Moores, said: “In Moores, I have found the perfect fit with my values, my experience and my purpose. I am delighted to be entrusted by the team to lead Moores into the next version of itself.
“Throughout my career, I have always been driven by a desire to create a positive and meaningful impact in the community, so the values alignment with Moores shone bright. We clearly walk the talk on some fundamental areas. We actually innovate – we were the first law firm to ditch timesheets in favour of value pricing. Our staff love working here – in 2018, Moores ranked in the top 5 per cent of Australian organisations surveyed by InSync in relation to employee engagement. And, we are a purpose-driven organisation – we focus on working with ethical clients to deliver great outcomes that benefit the community.”
Ms van Duyn added: “David Wells and the ambitious leadership team’s visionary outlook has served Moores brilliantly over the years, and I’m privileged to have inherited something founded and grounded in such strong values, to continue to advance the company into an even healthier workplace. I am looking forward to being part of Moores’ journey and helping the firm evolve.”
Andrew Sudholz, Board member and Practice Leader at Moores, said: “We are thrilled to have Tessa take over the leadership of the firm. With its values-driven approach and its purpose of doing good, there is a natural alignment between Moores and Tessa’s commitment to social justice, equality and subject matter expertise. As we grow we want to remain the best version of ourselves, with our finger on the pulse, and we believe Tessa is the best person to guide us on this moving forward.”
Having been with the company now for over 30 years, Andrew has seen first-hand just how vital the value pricing model has been to Moores’ ongoing success.
“The culture of time-billing is competitive, stressful, fails to award efficiency, inhibits communication and certainty for clients, and discourages collaboration amongst employees. It was a bold move to remove billable targets firmwide, however it has paid off, and I’m proud of the firm we are today,” Mr Sudholz added.
Ms van Duyn continued: “Our human capital is Moores’ key to success. We will always be people-before-profits-driven, because we know that if we have the right people, the profits will follow. We focus on community and connection and the health and wellbeing of our people is a core focus as it enables our strong relational approach. As such, meeting employees’ needs in the context of what they value personally will remain paramount to the success of the company.”
To find out more about Moores, visit: https://moores.com.au/ or do not hesitate to contact us.
Moores is delighted to announce the appointment of Tessa van Duyn as a Practice Leader of the firm in our Corporate Advisory Team.
Tessa is a leading human rights and public law expert with over 12 years’ experience providing expert legal and strategic solutions.
Previously head of the legal unit at the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission, Tessa joins Moores to continue her commitment to social justice, equality and inclusion.
Tessa brings to Moores a strong record in governance support, developing collaborative partners and leading innovative projects to be impactful and effect social change. And as a passionate leader with an inclusive nature, we are all looking forward to working with Tessa and introducing her to our clients.
Welcome aboard Tessa.
Moores is proud to announce the establishment of its Elder Law and Elder Financial Abuse practice. Moores is one of the only law firms in Australia to have a dedicated practice and expertise in this area.
David Wells, Moores’ Managing Principal, says “Developing a new practice in Elder Law and Elder Financial Abuse was brought about by the growing need to help our senior clients protect their wealth and provide them with specialist legal advice should financial abuse occur”.
“It also helps us support many of our Not-For-Profit and For Purpose clients who care for the elderly by providing training and advice around recognition, prevention and remediation of financial abuse to ensure their senior clients are receiving the best care, support and protection.”
Jessica Latimer is one of Australia’s leading Elder Financial Abuse Lawyers and heads up the Elder Law and Elder Financial Abuse practice. Jessica’s early career, before becoming a lawyer, was as a health therapist when she discovered first-hand some of the difficulties and vulnerabilities experienced by elderly people. As a practising lawyer for the last 12 years, Jessica’s expertise and passion is focused on protecting the elderly and righting the wrongs inflicted on them.
Elder law is an area that concerns all legal matters relevant to ageing. Elder law includes preparing intra-family loan agreements, granny flat agreements, assisting clients who are considering downsizing, advising on VCAT Guardianship and Administration matters, advising on legal issues concerning accommodation and care and advising clients who wish to financially assist their adult children with minimal risk.
Elder financial abuse is where vulnerable older clients have been taken advantage of by family, friends or a third party. Cases include being pressured into or forced to transfer property, assets or cash and misappropriation by a power of attorney. Vulnerable and older clients’ financial losses may not become apparent until funds are required for residential aged care or for a higher level of home care. We have successfully recovered residential property, shares and cash on behalf of our older clients. Our elder financial abuse practice also includes bringing claims against banks, financial advisers and other third parties who may be responsible for the losses of an older person.
Click here to learn more about Elder Financial Abuse and Elder Law.
If you would like to discuss how Moores could help your organisation or an individual in your care, please do not hesitate to contact us.