Personal Legal Services

Bankruptcy and Financial Difficulty

Anyone can find themselves suffering financial difficulty due to a range of personal circumstances and external events. To achieve the best possible outcome, it is critical to take action early. Seeking professional assistance may avoid or limit the consequences of your financial situation. A bankruptcy lawyer from our team can advise you on the options available if you have encountered financial difficulty and the relative merits of each alternative. You may even be able to avoid bankruptcy altogether. We have helped many people in the Cairns and North Queensland region who experienced financial difficulty achieve a brighter financial future.

Employment Advice

From pre acceptance advice on an employment contact to unfair dismissal or adverse action matters, choosing to work with an employment lawyer from Miller Harris Lawyers means you will have access to professionals experienced in all aspects of employment law. The relationship between employer and employee can often be complex and governed by a range of legislation and civil law including employment agreements, enterprise bargaining agreements, awards and industry specific legislation. Our employment lawyers are able to advise you on a wide range of employment law issues, taking into account your specific personal circumstances. We have worked with employees from a wide variety of Cairns and North Queensland industries providing advice which is sensitive, confidential and actionable.

Estate Dispute Resolution

Unfortunately, the process of distributing assets according to a will is not always simple and the assistance of experienced lawyers to resolve claims against an estate made by beneficiaries or external parties may be required. Estate litigation is complex and often emotive and Miller Harris Lawyers understands this and respects the (often complicated) family relationships involved. When it comes to estate disputes or estate litigation, our lawyers provide confidential advice on the range of options available to you taking into account the specific circumstances relevant to your situation. We act professionally and with sensitivity to handle any required mediation or litigation that is required to achieve the desired outcome. Our dispute resolution lawyers have assisted people from throughout Cairns and North Queensland achieve positive outcomes from estate disputes and estate litigation.

Family Law

Miller Harris Lawyers has a dedicated team of family lawyers who are focused on achieving the best outcome for your personal circumstances. We provide expert legal advice in all family law issues and associated matters such as estate planning and corporate and tax restructuring. Our lawyers can advise you on separation and/or divorce, child custody and children's matters, marital property settlements, mediation and arbitration, spousal maintenance and a range of other family law matters. We have helped many families throughout the Cairns and North Queensland region on the path to a brighter future.

Probate and Estate Administration

Estate administration is, for many, a difficult and emotional task which can often be complicated by personal grief, business obligations or family disputes. The executor of a will must comply with various laws and rules that govern the administration of a deceased estate. Our lawyers understand that seeing a solicitor and handling these affairs, may be daunting. We aim to guide you through the process of administering the deceased estate and obtaining probate (where necessary) with sensitivity. Miller Harris Lawyers wealth of experience in this area provides you with peace of mind as you protect and represent the interests of the estate beneficiaries. Our wills and estates lawyers adopt a sensitive approach to guiding executors and beneficiaries through the estate administration process.

Property Law and Conveyancing

Miller Harris Lawyers offer competitively priced conveyancing and property law services delivered by experienced conveyancers and lawyers. Property purchases, sales and developments are integral parts of modern Australian family life and are areas in which the experts at Miller Harris Lawyers have extensive experience, knowledge and specialist accreditation. Our property lawyers and conveyancers understand the Cairns and North Queensland property market and can advise you on the potential risks and opportunities relevant to your property transaction.

Retirement Living

Retirement and aged care villages or shared residences are becoming an increasingly prominent part of society but, can involve very complex legal and operational arrangements which are often difficult to come to grips with late in life. Our lawyers understand the different structures used by retirement living facility operators, the legal issues involved and, can explain them all in plain language so you understand what you are committing to with your potential new home. We provide retirement living legal advice to both operators and residents in the Cairns and North Queensland region and can assist you in understanding the issues and risks involved.

Wills and Estate Planning

Estate planning is so much more than simply making a will and seeking advice from an experienced wills and estate lawyer from the outset is critical. The preparation of an estate plan starts with an entire review of the state of your personal, family and business affairs with a view to determining how you want things to be finalised after you pass away. Whilst a will is a good starting point, there are a lot of other matters to be considered including powers of attorney. A well-prepared estate plan considers your current lifestyle needs, business and tax arrangements, plans for retirement and, details the allocation of your assets according to your wishes. Your estate plan can also make allowances for unforeseen events such as sickness, divorce or family dispute. Our experienced lawyers can advise you on the variety of issues that need to be taken into account when planning an estate . We have been helping Cairns and North Queenslanders put their affairs in order for over 25 years.

Meet the experts in
Personal Legal Services

Sean Walsh

Partner

Sean is an experienced business and commercial lawyer, having practised exclusively in these areas for almost 30 years.

Email Show Number Show Number more about Sean

Elaine Jesurasingham

Partner

Elaine is a civil litigator and dispute resolution lawyer with a work background in commercial, property and building disputes.

Email Show Number Show Number more about Elaine

Tim McGrath

Partner

Tim has over 25 years experience in the fields of commercial litigation, insolvency (personal and corporate), corporations law, statutory compliance and industrial relations.

Email Show Number Show Number more about Tim

Nigel Hales

Partner

Nigel is the only Queensland Law Society accredited property law specialist in Cairns.

Email Show Number Show Number more about Nigel

Melissa Nielsen

Partner

Melissa has extensive experience in all facets of business, commercial and property law with her clientele base ranging from larger publicly-listed corporations through to privately-owned companies and self-employed clients.

Email Show Number Show Number more about Melissa