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Solicitor Director Commercial & Corporate
Tim Osborn holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business from the University of Newcastle and has been qualified as a solicitor since 2004.
Tim was previously employed as Associate in charge of the business and corporate team at a large Newcastle law firm where he concentrated on commercial transaction work and commercial litigation before founding Osborn Law in January 2011.
Tim regularly advises clients and their financial and accounting advisors on:
He further assists clients in making certain they have adequate tools in place to ensure their dealings with customers and suppliers do not expose them to undue business risk. This includes advising on and preparing credit application forms, general terms of trade, director’s guarantees and providing advice on general commercial debt recovery methods.
Tim prides himself on providing accurate, relevant, timely, and above all, practical advice to his clients.
Tim is an Honorary Commander in the Hunter Defence Support Network (HDSN) which was formed in 2015 as a single-purpose community support and advocacy group focused on improving the lifestyle of Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families whilst posted to the Hunter Region.
He is a member of the Camp Quality Newcastle MotoCyc committee responsible for organising the annual fundraiser motorbike ride through country NSW combining his passion for motorbike riding and supporting great local charities.
Tim is also a former Director on the Board of NUSport (2008-2018), an incorporated body of the University of Newcastle which is responsible for the development of sport and fitness through services, facilities and activities, along with being a member of their Finance and Infrastructure Committees.
When not in the office, Tim loves spending time with his family, being outside and being active. Tim is a keen dirt bike rider and four wheel driver, and enjoys the bush and camping.
Solicitor Director Employment & Litigation
Christie Howson brings a wealth of experience to Osborn Law in the constantly changing and ever challenging area of employment law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Accounting) and has been qualified as a solicitor since 2000.
Christie has practiced extensively in this area for over 18 years and some of the work that she has performed involved the following:
Christie regularly conducts in house training sessions for Osborn law’s client employers to assist our clients and their managers on how to deal with effective performance management, and bullying and harassment claims. She has also conducted workplace investigations into claims.
Christie also worked for 4 years in a national law firm in insurance law where she acted on behalf of workers compensation insurers. This background assists greatly in employment law work when complex workers compensation issues are involved.
In addition to the employment law work, Christie manages major commercial litigation disputes, particularly those in the Supreme Court of NSW but also in the District and Local Courts. Some of the work that Christie has performed involved the following:
Partner
Laura Bennett has more than 14 years of experience in the legal profession. Following her completion of a Bachelor of Laws at Newcastle University she took up a full time paralegal position before being admitted as a solicitor in 2008.
She has particular expertise in commercial contract negotiations and drafting. She has an exceptional set of drafting skills and a “can do” approach to client service.
Laura’s experience in commercial and property law includes:
Senior Associate Commercial & Estate Planning
Lana Black is a Senior Associate at Osborn Law.
With a Masters in Wills and Estates and over a decade’s experience specialising in this area, Lana heads up our Wills and Estates team.
Lana’s practice is primarily focused on estate planning and commercial structuring arrangements, along with deceased estates.
Lana is passionate about providing practical advice to clients and looks to ensure her clients’ affairs are appropriately structured both in their lifetimes and after their death.
Lana believes effective estate planning is as much about preserving relationships among family members, as it is about transitioning wealth. Lana enjoys getting to know her clients on a personal level – understanding their family, their asset structure, business needs and their priorities. There is no “one–size–fits–all” approach to this area and the strategies we use very much depend on the priorities of clients and the risks they are comfortable/uncomfortable with.
Lana also has extensive experience in the administration of deceased estates, including advising both executors and beneficiaries in a wide variety of estate matters such as family provision claims; questions of capacity; questions of informal wills; taxation; duties and responsibilities of executors/administrators; and general administration of estates.
Stemming from her background in wills and estates, Lana is responsible for dealing with the establishment, amendment and vesting of trusts for Osborn Law clients. Lana is also experienced in advising clients in relation to associated asset protection and structuring and works closely with Osborn Law’s commercial team when looking at clients’ commercial structuring arrangements and business succession planning.
Lana is a Committee Member for the Bean Counters Ball, an annual fundraiser held to support underprivileged youth and their education pathways. Lana is also regularly involved in other charity initiatives including managing Osborn Law’s involvement with Westpac Rescue Helicopter’s Wills Week and coordinating our Red Nose Day fundraising.
Lana is a member of Newcastle Law Society, Hunter Young Professionals and Hunter Business Women’s Network.
Senior Licensed Conveyancer
Yvonne has a proven track record of almost 30 years’ experience in the legal industry in both an administration and professional capacity.
Working her way up from receptionist as a 16 year old she has progressed to legal secretary, paralegal and then recently completed the Conveyancing Law and Practice course through Macquarie University to become a qualified Licensed Conveyancer.
She has worked in both large and small legal practices in Newcastle working with staff at all levels, which has equipped her with the skills and values required to carry out her role. She has a high level of attention to detail and accuracy and prides herself on her commitment, self-discipline, confidentiality, teamwork, multi-tasking, planning and prioritising.
Yvonne’s experience in property law includes both residential and commercial transactions such as:
Yvonne is a member of the NSW Australian Institute of Conveyancers and strives to identify and satisfy client needs with quality service, confidence and commitment in all aspects of her work.
Senior Associate – Employment & Litigation Accredited Specialist (Commercial Litigation)
Tasha has more than 9 years’ experience in the legal profession. Tasha has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New England and was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia in 2016.
Tasha began her career working as a paralegal for a mid-sized firm in Sydney. Once admitted, she accepted a role at the same firm as a Solicitor, advising the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation in relation to insolvency matters (both personal and corporate) and the Workers Compensation Nominal Insurer in relation to debt recovery.
After making the move back to Newcastle following the birth of her first child, Tasha has continued to develop her practice in the areas of debt recovery, home building disputes, insolvency litigation, and the effective use of security of payment legislation.
In 2023, Tasha became an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation – a structured peer to peer assessment process enabling legal practitioners to be recognised for their expertise. To be accredited, specialists must pass a series of meticulous assessments on both legal knowledge and its application in practice. To retain their accreditation specialists must undertake significant additional professional development in their area of expertise each year.
Tasha’s expertise includes:
Tasha aims to assist her clients in avoiding expensive litigation where possible by providing accurate and timely advice to assist in managing commercial risks, and by engaging other parties at an early stage to explore amicable resolutions to disputes. Tasha places great importance on keeping her clients informed of the costs and likely costs of assisting with their legal issues.
When not in the office, Tasha enjoys spending time with her young family and enjoying a nice glass of red wine – not always in that order.
Senior Associate - Commercial & Corporate
Zoe graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) in 2019. Since being admitted as a solicitor, Zoe has gained a range of experience in corporate and commercial law acting for not-for-profit organisations and private, public and ASX listed companies.
Zoe has a keen interest in corporate and commercial law and has experience advising clients on:
Zoe further leads our Company Secretary service, overseeing and meticulously managing all aspects to guarantee that the company adheres to its regulatory and statutory obligations. Her responsibilities encompass a wide range of duties aimed at maintaining legal compliance and upholding the integrity of the organisation.
Zoe always endeavours to assist clients in achieving a commercial outcome. She prides herself on her professional yet personable nature and values developing long-lasting relationships with her clients.
On her days off, Zoe enjoys keeping fit, spending time outdoors and hanging out with family and friends – nothing will keep her inside on a nice day!
Solicitor
Sam is Communications graduate (2019) and is completing his Diploma of Legal Practice at the University of Newcastle. With a major in News and Digital Media, Sam is experienced in interviewing and empathising when a client brings a problem. He is also passionate about clear communication and delivering solutions with sophistication and simplicity.
Sam is part of the employment and litigation team and is often tasked with undertaking a range of problems which don’t fit under a specific category of law. This has grown him as a versatile thinker, taking on tough questions which are rarely asked, but which can be all important to the client.
In his spare time, Sam is a keen surfer and enjoys exploring new surf spots. He also regularly volunteers at his local church, playing guitar and helping the youth group.
Licensed Conveyancer
Callie is a Licensed Conveyancer with over 10 years’ experience in the legal industry. She commenced her career straight out of school as a legal assistant concentrating on conveyancing matters before completing the Conveyancing Law and Practice course at Macquarie University in 2023.
Callie Joined the Osborn Law property team in 2020 and since this time has gained experience in a wide range of conveyancing matters and is a valued member of the Osborn Law Team.
Callie’s experience in property includes:
When out of office Callie enjoys playing league tag, spending time with friends and family & catching up on a good TV show.
Solicitor – Property & Commercial
Terence holds a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of New South Wales and was admitted as a solicitor in 2020.
Since admission, he has worked in property law. He continues to build his skills and experience in this field, working within the Commercial and Property Team at Osborn Law.
Terence has a range of experience in:
In his spare time, Terence enjoys watching a good movie, a nice coffee or board games with friends.
Terence is fluent in Mandarin and English.
Legal Secretary Wills & Estate Planning
Erin has more than 20 years’ experience in the legal industry having started her career as a young trainee completing Certificate III then Certificate IV in Business Administration. Since this time, she supported teams in a variety of firms of different sizes before finding her niche within Estate Planning.
Erin is compassionate and understands the importance of assisting clients at what can be a difficult time in their lives.
She is an absolute pocket rocket – a real doer committed to ensuring our clients and team are supported – and all done with a smile.
When not in the office you will find Erin spending time with her family including enjoying a nice meal and bottle of wine with partner Ryan along with exploring our local beautiful bush trails.
Front Office Executive
Therese has more than 40 years’ experience in all aspects of client services and customer support roles over a wide variety of sectors.
Therese (affectionately known as Aunty Therese by her OL family) is half of our wonderful front office team that welcomes clients and friends of Osborn Law.
A definite people person, Therese enjoys meeting and getting to know people and listening to their interesting stories. She loves supporting clients which is evident through her management of processes and procedures at Osborn Law to ensure the best service is delivered.
Therese is also a real jack of all trades committed to assisting our entire team – not afraid to roll up the sleeves to make sure jobs gets done.
When not in the office, Therese loves to go camping with her family to see what our wonderful country has to offer; breakfast on the beach after a 4WD on the sand dunes along with catching a live show/musical with family and friends.
Legal Secretary
Meg is an experienced Legal Secretary that has been working in the industry for over 9 years’ predominantly in the areas of Commercial and Property law. She started her career in legal undertaking her Certificate III in Business Administration, a move that made her love working in the legal industry.
Mainly assisting the commercial team, Meg is the point of call for the rest of the OL team when needed and is also well known to our commercial clients.
During her time as a Legal Secretary, Meg has worked in boutique and national law firms and has developed a broad range of experience and skills in the following areas:
Meg strives to assist the team and clients to ensure that the experience is a positive one.
She enjoys that no two matters are the same and the constant learning through each new challenge thrown her way.
As an outdoors person (with a green thumb), Meg loves to spend time in the garden when away from the office as well as camping and going to the beach with family and friends.
Accounts Manager
Kylie has more than 20 years’ experience in business bookkeeping and accounting roles. She has been part of the OL family for 9 years during which time she has been responsible for all accounting and IT functions across the firm.
She enjoys working with the team and supporting where necessary. As an avid lover of spreadsheets (she will tell you!) and our practice management system, LawMaster, guru she is extremely handy to us all and we would be lost without her!
Kylie likes spending her time with family and friends when not in the office – whether this be travelling or trying new restaurants and cocktails. She also enjoys relaxing with a good book for some chill time.
Did we mention she also has THE best laugh?
Marketing Manager
Jacqui is a born and bred Novocastrian, completing her studies at the University of Newcastle where she attained a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing and HR/IR.
Following 3 years at the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, she then joined Lawler Partners (now known as PKF Newcastle and Sydney) as head of marketing for 6 years before moving to her current role as Marketing Manager of Osborn Law.
Jacqui loves working with the OL team to assist in ensuring they are (and feel) supported in their career journey.
Jacqui is passionate about giving back to the community and treasures her role with Camp Quality over the past 7 years as a committee member organising and running the Giggle Ball and now the By Invitation dinner. Her desire for assisting others comes from close to home, having been raised in a family heavily involved with the not for profit sector. She knows first-hand the difference these wonderful organisations can make to the lives of those who most need their support.
When out of the office, and not raising her 3 kids, she enjoys walking, catching up for a coffee or a good bubbles with family and friends, or listening to the odd John Farnham song…
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