I found Grace very confident, eloquent and in her presentation of her submissions and argument with the Judge, her responses were astute and she engaged with the Judge hearing the matter assisting him in his determination and understanding of her argument.
I have found Grace’s preparation to be thorough and well considered in terms of a range of possible outcomes. In family law matters I have found that clients generally prefer to meet with Counsel to assure themselves that they are in good hands. In the matters that I have briefed Grace in she has become actively involved in preparations with the client, she does a good job of communicating the issues to the client, is able to build a good rapport and can demonstrate to the client that she has good knowledge of the facts. I have found that Grace is effective in anticipating issues that may arise during the course of a matter and is open to the views of myself and clients in considering those issues. I found Grace to remain focused and steady in her presentation. She had a good grasp of the facts as well as the context in which issues arose. … Grace was always quick to respond and was willing to put in the extra work that was needed to get the job done. She was very good at maintaining a positive momentum when communicating with both myself and the client and discussing all options in a frank and thoughtful way.
We had a complex unfair dismissal matter in the Fair Work Commission that needed to be briefed out quite quickly. … I sent a mountain of paperwork to Grace and contacted her the next day to discuss the case. Not only had Grace waded through all the material, but had already identified what the matters were which would be critical in the case in the context of the law around unfair dismissals. … Grace had no problems explaining the legal aspects of the case to our member … in a way he was able to understand. … Our member was completely at ease knowing that his case was in the hands of someone who had taken the time to listen to him and to get a full understanding of the issues. At all times, Grace was friendly, professional and took the time to ensure our member understood how the law applied to his case, kept us up to date with preparation and gave clear and concise instructions when further material or information was required. Having identified all of the issues critical to the case, Grace then thoroughly assessed and explained the prospects if the matter were to proceed to our member in a way he could understand. Throughout the settlement discussions, Grace ensured our member understood what was being put and provided full and frank advice on all of the settlement options which were explored. … Being successful in settlement negotiations requires preparation, preparation, preparation and not just a desire to avoid formal proceedings or deal with a matter quickly. All options put and considered were thoroughly considered and discussed throughout the settlement process. Our member was left in no doubt that the settlement achieved was the very best that could have been achieved in all the circumstances
“I found Grace very confident, eloquent and in her presentation of her submissions and argument with the Judge, her responses were astute and she engaged with the Judge hearing the matter assisting him in his determination and understanding of her argument. Grace’s attitude and professionalism was impressive. … She spoke to the client in a manner in which he undertook and provided both sides of the case to him. … I sincerely appreciated Grace’s availability and attentiveness to my enquiries when I seek advice. She quite often goes out of her way without being requested to do so. … Grace is ‘user friendly’ and I appreciate her availability, quite often at short notice. … After 30 years of Practice and involvement with other Counsel, I find Grace very confident and value her advices and guidance that she provides in assisting to resolve issues”.
Grace’s writing style is clear, concise and engaging. All of her work is comprehensive and well-researched, which makes it an invaluable educational resource for the lawyers who use our service. We have received consistently excellent feedback from lawyers on Grace’s work, who find her topics practical and highly relevant to their practice and professional development.
“Grace can capture the essence of complex drafting or issues and express or summarise them simply. Grace is thorough and clearly takes pride in the quality of her written work. She knows what she needs to get out of a document, and how to structure it so it’s easy to follow”.
Grace applies a succinct style to drafting BFAs. Her style accurately captures the particulars in any financial settlement arrangement. I would recommend Grace to any solicitor wanting a BFA drafted by experienced and capable Counsel. Grace produces high quality BFA documents which always comply with legislative requirements in a style that is not only concise and complete but also easy to follow. Further, Grace is always a pleasure to work with.
I am extremely impressed in the way that Grace not only has the ability to succinctly fashion an Affidavit for family court matters but also to attempt to anticipate the issues raised by opposing parties and following precisely the requirements under section 75 and 79 leaving out emotional or provocative wording. She attempts to be available at all times and clients do appreciate that. I would recommend her as Counsel for any family law matter.
There are few individuals that have an ability to effectively communicate the critical values and capabilities necessary for young lawyers stepping into the challenging discipline of law. Grace is most certainly one of those individuals, a talented advocate and a compelling educator who has a significant and positive effect on our law students. Grace’s approach is both engaging and transformational, and our students have consistently expressed their delight at having learned from a lawyer who displays incredible empathy and authenticity in every engagement with them. I actively encourage my students to seek out role models whom they can carefully observe and imitate as they embark on their legal careers, and Grace is undoubtedly one of those remarkable lawyers to whom my students look for that exemplar of true professionalism.
Students consistently comment that Grace’s enthusiasm for teaching Dispute Resolution is contagious. Grace is able to take stories and examples from her practice, and incorporate them into her teaching in a way that is authentic and relatable. I am often told by students that Grace is the best tutor that they have encountered in the law school. As a university lecturer and co-ordinator of large undergraduate subjects, it is really important to have a sessional tutoring team that inspires learning in law students. Despite Grace’s busy professional practice, she is an incredibly reliable member of my teaching team. Grace is meticulously prepared for classes that she needs to deliver, she presents wonderfully, and is very conscientious in the feedback she provides to students on items of assessment. Her commitment to her teaching role makes her such a valuable person to have as part of a teaching team.
Grace delivered a very engaging presentation with Legalwise Seminars in March 2015. Delegates attending her session on Plain English really appreciated her practical approach and how she used examples throughout presentation. It was obvious to us and to our delegates that she is very passionate about the topic and she motivated delegates with great content, conveyed in a clear and insightful manner.
During Grace’s employment with Quinn & Scattini her passion and regard for her clients was remarkable and this was reflected in feedback received from our clients. Grace was a valued member of our Family Law team and was often called upon to impart her expertise during presentations arranged for the benefit of the public. Grace was always entertaining and able to hold the public’s attention whilst providing information that was relevant, precise and uncompromising.
Grace’s style of teaching was highly effective as it was practical and encouraging. She gave us a technique, demonstrated it and encouraged us to use the technique. Being able to do that at the time she provided the guidance encouraged my full attention and participation. Because of Grace’s encouragement I was able to remember what she taught. It was the practicality and involvement that made her teaching highly effective. I have used what she had taught and obtain great feedbacks thanks to her lessons. As a student our attention spans are extremely short if we are disinterested. Because Grace was so practical and encouraged us to participate my attention gave Grace my full attention and because of that I was able to achieve from what she taught. Thank you Grace. You’ve been a huge inspiration to me.
I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Grace during my Practical Legal Training course at QUT where she was the judge in our Mock Trial. I found Grace to be very approachable in answering any queries we had regarding the various stages of a trial. Grace engages with students through her passion for the law and her advice is often drawn from her own experiences as a practitioner which I found to be very relevant and practical. Grace provided detailed feedback during the Mock Trial and as a result, I was able to put her feedback into practice which allowed me to gain greater confidence in my ability to formulate appropriate questions and effectively conduct my examination in chief and cross examinations.
“Learning from Grace is one of my best learning experience. Not only because she could provide the examples and personal experiences to guide students in the right directions but also, and more importantly, she does it in a way that is easy to understand and relate to. Grace saw the potentials in all of us and encouraged us to do the same. She has a humble attitude despite her seniority as a barrister and saw and respected our group of fresh graduates as her colleagues. She would respectfully address our questions and opinions even if it differs to her own. I believe Grace is someone that I will always remember and look up to in my future years of legal practice.”
Grace had no problems explaining the legal aspects of the case to our member … in a way he was able to understand. …. Our member was completely at ease knowing that his case was in the hands of someone who had taken the time to listen to him and to get a full understanding of the issues. At all times, Grace was friendly, professional and took the time to ensure our member understood how the law applied to his case, kept us up to date with preparation and gave clear and concise instructions when further material or information was required. Having identified all of the issues critical to the case, Grace then thoroughly assessed and explained the prospects if the matter were to proceed to our member in a way he could understand. Throughout the settlement discussions, Grace ensured our member understood what was being put and provided full and frank advice on all of the settlement options which were explored.
I sincerely appreciated Grace’s availability and attentiveness to my enquiries when I seek advice. She quite often goes out of her way without being requested to do so, to provide an Advice by email. She displays a sound knowledge not only of the issues but also legislation and case law. Grace is “user friendly” and I appreciate her availability, quite often at short notice.
I approached Grace as I was looking for a barrister who was approachable and had a wealth of knowledge. The legal advice that Grace has provided to our firm and clients has been exceptional. With a practical approach, Grace is able to explain complex legal issues in a way that is easy for our clients to understand. Her experience and depth of knowledge is clearly evident and I highly recommend engaging Grace in family and estate matters.