JMA LEGAL - Key Persons
As one of the director's Amanda is a senior member of the commercial team. She has focussed on a wide range of business succession and other commercial matters.
Amanda is highly experienced in providing technical tax and trust advice to clients, accountants and other lawyers. She advises on and prepares estate planning documents to suit a wide range of clients, and particularly enjoys working on ways to deal with complex business and family situations.
She has extensive experience in:
Wills and estate planning - simple wills, testamentary trust wills, wills dealing with complex business structures and discretionary trusts,
Preparing partnership, shareholder and unitholder agreements,
Advising clients in relation to trusts, companies and superannuation,
Establishing and restructuring business structures,
Succession planning,
Transfer duty and the available exemptions;
Capital gain tax, with an emphasis on the small business concessions;
Dealing with the transfer of property out of companies, with an emphasis on the provisions contained in Division 7A; and
Business entity and transactional taxes generally.
Amanda has a strong commitment to preparing documents that are in plain English but also effectively deal with the many complexities that arise due to family and business circumstances.
Denise joined JMA in 2021 and previously worked with NSW Communities and Justice for 15 years, where she developed extensive experience in:
Administration of Deceased Estates both testate and intestate, Trusts, Powers of Attorney including conveyancing and the transfer and sale of various assets.
Succession Planning Documents, including preparing Wills, Powers of Attorney and Enduring Guardians.
Advocating for clients with various cognitive and physical abilities and cultural backgrounds.
Financial Management of persons under Financial Management and Guardianship Orders, working with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal and those most vulnerable in our community.
Denise has completed a Diploma in Business (Legal Services), a Diploma in Law and a Master in Legal Practice.
Denise most enjoys the opportunity to work with clients to achieve realistic and tailored practical solutions to complex problems.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Adina Care
- Special Counsel
Jim grew up on a farm west of Cootamundra and, except for time away at boarding school and jackarooing, has lived there all his life.
In his spare time Jim is Chair of Adina Care, a local community owned aged care facility, teaches ethics at the Cootamundra Primary School and does regular presentations about the urgent problem of climate change. For relaxation it is time with family and friends and gardening.
John is managing director of JMA Legal and a senior member of the commercial team with a focus on business sales and purchases, commercial and rural property, commercial and rural leasing, finance law, superannuation and employment law.
John's background in banking, government, agriculture and agribusiness management assists in understanding the needs of his business and agribusiness clients.
He has extensive and broad experience in:
Sale and purchase of a business including Hotels and Motels
Commercial and rural property transactions including Water Access Licence transactions
Commercial and rural leasing including solar farm projects
Liquor licences and gaming entitlements
Employment law including drafting and advising on employment contracts and advising on employment law
Wills and estate planning - simple wills, testamentary trust wills, wills dealing with business structures,
Preparing partnership and shareholder agreements,
Preparing and advising clients in relation to loan agreements, mortgages and security agreements under the Personal Properties Securities Act,
Establishing business structures, Self Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSF) including limited recourse borrowing arrangements
John is passionate about getting the best results for his clients and maintaining the relationship of trusted business advisor, he has a strong commitment to preparing documents that are in plain English but also effectively deal with the many complexities that arise in business areas.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Conveyancer
- Member of the Property Group
Karen grew up in Gundagai and commenced her legal career in Gundagai at the age of 17. She also worked in the legal industry for firms in Canberra and Tumut prior to taking a break for family.
Karen worked for JMA Legal's Gundagai predecessor prior to commencing with JMA Legal in 2010
During that time Karen Studied with Macquarie University to obtain the qualifications to enable her to become a Licenced Conveyancer.
Karen has been Licensed to practice as a Conveyancer since March 2010 and has been a Justice of the Peace since 1992.
In addition to her work in conveyancing and property law, she has extensive experience in the administration of deceased estates.
Karen is a member of the property group and focuses on residential and rural sales and purchases within the Gundagai and Tumut region, as well as probates.
In addition, Karen assists the commercial group with various property transactions and aims to keep all staff up to date with new processes involved in conveyancing especially electronic conveyancing. Karen also assists with providing regular probate and property training to the members of the property and probate teams.
Articles for the local newspapers relating to conveyancing topics are also regularly written by Karen.
Karen prides herself on providing an excellent service to all her clients and all clients of the firm ensuing clients are fully informed due the course of their matter.
When not at work Karen loves to spend time with her family, pottering around in the garden and skiing.
Madaline grew up in the town of Young and lives in the Hilltops area with her partner. She completed her studies at the University of Canberra in 2020 and joined the JMA legal team in 2021.
Madaline completed her Graduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice from the College of Law and was admitted a Solicitor in June 2022.
Madaline has a Bachelor of Laws Degree and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology Degree from the University of Canberra.
Outside of work she likes to spend time with her friends and family.
Madeleine grew up on a family farm in Gundagai and always intended to move back to the area following University. She now lives on her husband's family farm outside of Cootamundra and is based primarily in the firm's Cootamundra office.
She currently works on a range of matters from commercial, to property, to tax, with her focus being in the commercial team. She works closely with senior members of the commercial team in complex taxation and business succession matters.
Her experience and passion primarily focuses on:
Estate planning - preparation of enduring powers of attorney and enduring guardianship appointments. Simple husband and wife mutual wills involving the family home, bank accounts and personal effects and contents. More complex wills with blended families, multiple properties and other assets, life interests, company/partnership/trust interests and self-managed superannuation funds. Testamentary trust wills designed for flexibility or asset protection.
Property law - simple residential conveyancing, commercial conveyancing with GST complexities and leased premises, rural conveyancing with multiple titles, water access licences and easements.
Leases - retail leases and associated lessor and lessee disclosure statements, commercial leases, rural leases involving multiple titles.
Business sales and purchases - dealing with employee entitlements, stamp duty implications of business assets, PPSR registrations and transfer of statutory licences.
Providing assistance with transfer duty and capital gains tax issues - duty exemptions and concessions including the first home buyers assistance scheme, transfer of land used for primary production between family members, change in trustees of discretionary and unit trusts, transfers to self managed superannuation funds and transfers between custodians and trustees of self managed superannuation funds and trusts. Capital gains tax implications including eligibility for the small business CGT concessions.
Providing assistance to the commercial team with matters involving trusts, companies and superannuation generally.
Margot is a director of JMA Legal and a senior property lawyer with expertise in property law, rural conveyancing and agribusiness. Margot has a rural background and has had extensive experience in all areas of property law.
Margot leads the conveyancing team and has many clients who have worked with her for years and include farming businesses, corporate clients, family businesses and private clients across New South Wales. Margot acts for buyers and sellers of rural properties, residential and commercial properties and businesses as well lessors and lessees of commercial and farm properties.
Margot has had many years' experience with deceased estates and is also responsible for the firm's probate and estate administration practice.
She has extensive experience in:
Property law with emphasis on rural sales, purchases, leases and water access licenses.
Preparing and reviewing complex contracts and agreements
Advising clients in relation to their purchases including contract review, purchasing entities, restrictions, access and matters generally.
Intergenerational transfers of rural land.
Transfer of land pursuant to wills.
Farm leases.
Probate, Letters of Administration, administration of estates, Family Provisions and simple wills.
Margot provides knowledge and experience to her clients. She acknowledges her client's wishes and works with them and other specialist members of JMA to provide the best outcomes available.
Maxine joined our office in November 2019 and primarily focuses on probate for deceased estates. She was admitted to the Supreme Court in May 2021, having previously graduated from Southern Cross University with a Bachelor of Law in November 2020 and having completed the Associate Degree in Law, majoring in Conveyancing, graduating in 2017.
Holding a special interest in Wills and Estates, Maxine is passionate about assisting clients through the administration of deceased estates, taking some of the stress out of what can potentially be a very difficult time.
Michaela spent most of her childhood in Queensland and prior to becoming a lawyer was a member of the Defence Force.
Michaela joined JMA Legal in 2012 and is a senior member of the commercial team with experience in:
Wills and estate planning - simple wills, power of attorney, guardianship appointments, testamentary trust wills,
Succession planning - including dealing with complex business structures, discretionary trusts and superannuation, and transfer of properties,
Commercial probate matters,
Preparing partnership, shareholder and unit holder agreements,
Preparing trust and superannuation deeds
Advising on Revenue NSW duty and available exemptions and preparing rulings
Advising on capital gains tax, particularly small business exemptions and preparing rulings
She has expertise in a wide range of commercial matters focusing particularly on business structuring, business succession and personal estate planning including testamentary trusts where necessary, powers of attorney and guardianship appointments.
Michaela also manages the commercial aspects of complex probates, assists junior lawyers when complex issues arise in property matters and is increasingly involved with issues concerning self-managed superannuation funds. She also works closely with Jim Main on complex rural and urban business succession strategies and solutions.
Michele grew up in Cootamundra and, after finishing high school, moved to Canberra for many years, returning to Cootamundra in 2002.
Michele joined the staff of JMA Legal in 2013 as a paralegal and completed studies with Macquarie Law School in September 2020 to qualify for the grant of unrestricted Conveyancing Licence.
She is a strong member of the property conveyancing team and has extensive experience in:
Residential sales and purchases
Small rural sales and purchases; and
Electronic settlements.
Michele also provides support to other team members, helps train new staff, and provides support to the Directors of JMA Legal in larger property transactions, gaining invaluable skills and expertise as she moves forward as part of the team.
She is focused on building rapport and trust with clients and taking care with their transactions in sales and purchases.
With Michele's new qualification as a Licensed Conveyancer, she looks forward to continuing and building her reputation amongst her clients and legal colleagues as a reliable and efficient professional.