KERIN BENSON LAWYERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Member of the Australian College of Strata Lawyers
Allison is a strata & community titles lawyer who has provided general advice, acted in disputes, including building defect disputes, and worked with clients in preparing and enforcing by-laws and strata management statements since 2008. From 2012, Allison has acted exclusively on behalf of owners corporations, associations and lot owners in respect of providing advice and acting in strata and community association disputes and also in respect of building and construction disputes.
Allison has extensive experience in commercial litigation and dispute resolution, having represented clients in contractual claims, interpretation of by-laws and rules, Home Building Act 1989 claims and levy recovery claims at all levels of court proceedings, including in the Court of Appeal and in the former CTTT (now the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal known as NCAT).
Allison's knowledge across a variety of strata schemes matters enables her to advise owners corporations, lot owners and other interested parties on a range of issues and to represent their interests both informally and before the courts and NCAT.
Since the 2015 strata law reforms Allison has been providing advice on an increasing number of strata renewal matters and assisting owners corporations and lot owners with this process.
Allison seeks to provide pragmatic advice in a straightforward manner, focussing on the needs of her clients and the cost-effective resolution of each matter.
Allison is a member of the Australian College of Strata Lawyers, the Newcastle Law Society and the Society of Construction Law Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Business from the University of Newcastle.
A regular author of blogs & vlogs on her Thoughts of a Strata Lawyer blog Allison has recently started a podcast of the same name. She has either authored or co-authored a number of articles for the NSW Law Society Journal and has recently assisted in the Lawfully Explained initiative of the NSW Law Society, QLD Law Society and the Law Institute of Victoria taking part in two podcasts on property law which are available on Listnr.
Outside of work, Allison has a keen interest in scuba diving, getting out into nature and trying to train her beloved dogs Ollie Dogasaurus and Melvin
Thomas joined Kerin Benson Lawyers in January 2021 as a Senior Associate. Thomas has experience in a...More
In 2021, Ashley graduated from the University of Wollongong with a Bachelor of Laws with Distinction and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Sociology and Philosophy with Distinction. She went on to complete a Graduate Diploma of Legal Professional Practice at the University of New South Wales.
After joining Kerin Benson Lawyers, Ashley was admitted as a Lawyer in October 2022. As part of the Strata team, Ashley is responsible for assisting with various strata matters, including by-law drafting, by-law registrations and consolidations.
When she is not at work, Ashley enjoys pampering her beloved cat and reading a good book.
Christopher worked for many years in leading commercial construction law practices acting for government, developers and contractors in the building, transport infrastructure and resources sectors.
He has been involved in all forms of dispute resolution including litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution in a range of jurisdictions in Australia. Christopher also has a number of years' experience in contract drafting, risk analysis and providing general construction advice having been involved in a whole range of construction projects, from minor works to projects worth billions of dollars.
Christopher holds a Masters of Laws, is a Law Society of NSW accredited specialist in commercial litigation and is a member of the National Editorial Panel of the Australian Construction Law Newsletter. He has published in a range of law journals and associated publications.
In the last few years, he has brought his specialist construction industry knowledge to the strata sector and now only acts for owners corporations in a range of jurisdictions.
Christopher has also developed a specialization in ACT strata law, acting for ACT owners corporations in a range of matters. He has provided training to most ACT strata managers and is the author of the Kerin Benson Lawyers Guide to ACT Strata Law which is intended to become the standard reference for strata law in the ACT.
Allison is a strata & community titles lawyer who has provided general advice, acted in disputes...
Gemma joined Kerin Benson Lawyers in August 2016 after being awarded her Juris Doctor from University of New South Wales. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Melbourne in Art History. Gemma's previous legal background is in property and conveyancing which complements her strata law practice at Kerin Benson Lawyers.
At Kerin Benson Lawyers, Gemma is responsible for acting and advising owners corporations and lot owners in strata disputes under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 including building management agreements, lot and common property disputes and by-law disputes. Gemma also acts for home owners and owners corporations on building defect matters under the Home Building Act 1989 and for owners corporation in relation to disputes between neighbours. Gemma has carriage of matters in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal including the Appeal Panel, the Supreme Court and the Land and Environment Court. Gemma is responsible for drafting, reviewing and advising on by-laws and has assisted on advice regarding collective sales and strata renewal
Gemma is in communication daily with strata managers, individual lot owners, strata committee members and building experts.
Gemma has been published in the Australian Construction Law Newsletter and is a member of the City of Sydney Law Society.
When she is not at work, Gemma likes to tackle difficult recipes and equally challenging outdoor adventures.
In 2021, Ashley graduated from the University of Wollongong with a Bachelor of Laws with Distinction...
John-Paul graduated from Australian Catholic University with a Bachelor of Laws with high-distinction in 2021. He completed his Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the College of Law in 2022. John-Paul also graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Communications in 2015.
Prior to starting his legal career, John-Paul worked in business development and operations, managing a large team in Sydney. John-Paul has worked closely with strata and building management teams, implementing foundational procedures and providing key staff for large residential building complexes located in Sydney's CBD, North Sydney, and the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
As part of the Building and Construction team, John-Paul is responsible for assisting with various matters including building & construction disputes, fire and life safety issues and strata law advice in NSW.
When John-Paul is not at work, he enjoys exercising, keeping up with the latest technology and travelling.
Job Titles:
- Member of Kerin Benson
- Member of the Law Society of New South Wales
- Special Counsel
Matthew is a member of Kerin Benson lawyers' Building and Construction team. Matthew graduated Laws from UNSW with Honours, and has practiced as a solicitor for over 10 years in civil litigation and have acted for and advised clients in a range of matters, including in disputes with respect to: property damage, development approval, strata, insurance, contracts, trusts, consumer law, and class actions.
In addition to legal practice, Matthew was a contributor to Wolters Kluwer's Australian Company Law Commentary and an author to LexisNexis' Practical Guidance for Total and Permanent Disablement Insurance.
Matthew is an active member of the Law Society of New South Wales and was appointed by the President of the Law Society of New South Wales to: its Business Law Committee since 2021, where Matthew has particular interest in Financial Services and is a member of its Financial Services Sub-committee; and its Costs Committee since 2023.
Outside of work, Matthew enjoys: cooking playing music, very casual tennis, and reading the classics.
In 2022, Mia graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Economics majoring in Financial Economics. She went on to complete her Graduate Diploma of Legal Professional Practice at the College of Law in 2023.
Prior to starting her legal career, Mia worked as a Trainee Strata Manager at a national strata management company. She has around 3 years of strata management experience.
As part of the Building and Construction Team, Mia is responsible for assisting with matters such as building & construction disputes, fire and life safety issues and strata law advice both in NSW and in the ACT.
When she is not at work, Mia likes to play competitive sports and practice her French.
Thomas joined Kerin Benson Lawyers in January 2021 as a Senior Associate.
Thomas has experience in a range of areas of legal practice including insurance claims, debt recovery, statutory prosecutions and administrative law, building defect claims and strata disputes.
He has appeared in a number of jurisdictions including the Local Court, District Court, Supreme Court of New South Wales, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the Federal Court.
He has acted for large insurance companies, self- insured entities, government bodies and individuals. He now primarily acts for owners corporations and lot owners.
In addition to litigation, Thomas enjoys providing advice on all matters related to strata law including procedural issues, building and strata management statements, subdivisions and by-laws. Thomas enjoys working with people and assisting them with their legal issues. He aims to provide clear advice and attain the best outcomes for his clients.
Matthew is a member of Kerin Benson lawyers' Building and Construction team. Matthew graduated Law...