Our Legal Team of Lawyers
Robert Lindsay
Robert is a proud Novocastrian who has lived and worked in Newcastle< all his life.
Robert has been a principal of Mullane & Lindsay since 1980. His long experience over more than 30 years means he knows the "nuts and bolts" and practical operation of most property and commercial transactions, from the ground up.
Robert leads our Commercial & Property Law group. He is actively involved in all aspects of commercial and residential leasing and property transactions. He also advises on local government law, bankruptcy and company liquidation matters, estate planning issues and estate litigation including contested will cases. He has represented both claimants and executors in contested will claims. Robert has expertise in various forms of civil litigation including professional indemnity, public liability and general insurance claims and commercial disputes in particular.
Robert’s major clients include multi-national general and indemnity insurers, major regional corporations engaged in a range of activities such as property development and manufacturing; company liquidators, and a wide cross-section of business and professional organisations in the Hunter, Central Coast and Sydney areas.
Robert is a member of the Australian Insurance Law Association, the Australian Insurance Institute and of the Commercial Law Association of Australia. Robert was the secretary of Newcastle Law Society for 5 years.
Robert is the director responsible for Mullane & Lindsay’s branch office at Tea Gardens.
You can contact Robert at robert.lindsay@mullanelindsay.com.au
Mark Sullivan
Mark is the leader of our Family and Relationships Law group and a NSW Law Society Accredited Specialist in Family law.
He has practised in this area for 30 years, including in parenting cases, child support disputes and many complex commercial and property disputes arising from relationship difficulties. As a result he has developed particular expertise in assisting clients through the trauma of relationship breakdown and in analysing and deconstructing various business arrangements, such as trusts and corporate groups.
Mark also has a thorough understanding of superannuation issues both in the area of relationships law and generally. His abilities in this field have been recognised by his appointment as a director of the trustee company of the Nationwide Superannuation Fund, which has Funds under management of around $400M and more than 30,000 members. Mark also advises senior executives and professionals in connection with business structures, both in relation to actual or anticipated family law disputes, and as a general advisor.
The laws relating to property settlements, superannuation and same-sex relationships overlap, and Mark enjoys being able to advise clients on how to avoid pitfalls in the constantly changing arena of Relationships Law. He is focussed on finding mediated and negotiated solutions for clients and when necessary litigating clients’ claims to achieve the best and most equitable outcomes for them.
Mark is a member of the Hunter Valley Family Law Practitioners Association; regularly attends the Family Court Judges Liaison group and is a member of the Regional/Country Committee of the Family Law Section, Law Council of Australia. He is also a member of the Greater Newcastle Gateways Project and of the Community Advisory Committee of the Family Relationships Centre.
Mark graduated from Macquarie University in 1980 with a BA/LLB and was admitted as a solicitor in 1981. He has been a principal and later director of Mullane & Lindsay since 1985 and takes great pride in the firm’s ability to provide practical and cost effective advice to its client.
The Family and Relationships Law group is a cohesive and enthusiastic group of skilled lawyers committed to providing quality services to clients with relationship problems. It is constantly updating its legal knowledge and systems and Mark takes great pride in working with and mentoring younger lawyers and being the leader of this specialist team.
Mullane & Lindsay is also one of the few Hunter firms that practise in defamation law and Mark has acted for numerous well-known local identities in litigation in this field.
You can contact Mark at mark.sullivan@mullanelindsay.com.au
Tony Cavanagh
Tony is the leader of our Dispute Resolution & Litigation Law group and practices almost exclusively in civil litigation.
He has been practicing law since 1984. He became a principal of Mullane & Lindsay in 1993 and has been a NSW Law Society Accredited Specialist in personal injury law since 1994.
Mullane & Lindsay has developed a special expertise in the areas of professional indemnity and general insurance claims, and Tony is our liason partner for insurer clients as well as a ‘hands on’ practitioner in insurance litigation of various kinds. His clients include a number of general and indemnity insurers such as LawCover Insurance Pty Limited, the professional indemnity insurer of solicitors in NSW and the ACT. He has presented to a number of professional groups on rsik management issues.
Tony also advises and acts for workers (including professionals and senior executives) and employers in termination of employment claims and on industrial and workplace issues generally. Tony was for many years a Conjoint Lecturer in Industrial Law at the Faculty of Law at The University of Newcastle, and continues to lecture final year law students at the University of Newcastle on an occasional basis.
Tony is or has been a member of the Australian Insurance Institute, the Australian Insurance Law Association, the Australian Lawyers Alliance and the Industrial Relations Society of NSW. He has been both Secretary and Treasurer of Newcastle Law Society, a member of the Criminal Law committee of the Law Society of NSW and Chair of the NSW Young Lawyers Criminal Law committee.
He graduated from Sydney University in 1984 with BA(Hons) LLB. Tony is also a Notary Public.
You can contact Tony at tony.cavanagh@mullanelindsay.com.au
Michael McGrath
Michael joined Mullane & Lindsay in 2002 and is a senior member of our Commercial & Property Law group.
Michael’s work focuses on commercial and property issues including residential and commercial property transactions; business sales and purchases; commercial and retail leasing; wills and estates and other general commercial and property related transactions.
Michael has developed a particular expertise in commercial leasing, and in the GST implications of various commercial and property transactions. He works closely with the other professional advisors of our commercial clients, to provide a fast and efficient service that delivers a business as well as a legal outcome.
Michael has an excellent understanding of practical business issues, having worked for 8 years in the retail sector prior to completing a Bachelor of Economics and then a Bachelor of Law (LLB) and Diploma of Legal Practice. This included completion of the highly acclaimed legal professional program at the University of Newcastle Law School. Michael’s prior experience in the ‘real’ world of business helps him provide practical and relevant advice to our clients.
Michael is also a member of both the NSW and Newcastle Law Societies.
You can contact Michael at michael.mcgrath@mullanelindsay.com.au
Kristy Nunn
Kristy Nunn is a senior member of our Dispute Resolution & Litigation group and has been with Mullane & Lindsay since 2004.
Kristy focuses on commercial and insurance litigation, and acts in professional indemnity claims against solicitors, real estate agents and other professionals. She regularly appears in court and attends at settlement conferences and mediations. Kristy has presented seminars to solicitors on risk management issues.
She has also developed a practice in administrative law, and her clients include the University of Newcastle, and other organisations requiring advice or representation on issues such as Freedom of Information requests and disputes; harassment or discrimination allegations; and Equal Opportunity issues.
Kristy is a graduate of the Newcastle University Law School, where she was awarded an Honours degree for her academic achievements. Kristy also holds a Bachelor of Business degree, with a major in Industrial Relations.
Kristy is a member of the Law Society of New South Wales, the Newcastle Law Society and the Australian Insurance Law Association.
You can contact Kristy at kristy.nunn@mullanelindsay.com.au
Ashleigh John
Ashleigh joined our firm in 2007 and is a member of our Family & Relationships Law group.
Ashleigh is an active member of the Greater Newcastle Family Pathways Network – which is an interagency of family service providers in the Newcastle and Hunter region – and is currently a member of its Steering Committee.
Ashleigh is the secretary of the Hunter Family Law Practitioners Association, a position she holds jointly with fellow Mullane & Lindsay solicitor Ashley Stevens.
Ashleigh has strong ties to Newcastle having completed her Law degree and practical legal training at the University of Newcastle in 2006. She is a former Youth Mayor of the city, a position she held for seven years. Ashleigh also holds a Bachelor of Communication, with a major in Public Relations, from the University of Newcastle.
Ashleigh is a member of the Law Society of New South Wales, the Newcastle Law Society and the Newcastle Hunter Junior Chamber. She is admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales and is entered on the High Court register of practitioners and entitled to appear in all federal courts.
You can contact Ashleigh at ashleigh.john@mullanelindsay.com.au
Sally Davies
Sally joined Mullane & Lindsay in early 2010 and is a member of our Commercial & Property Law group.
Sally is a graduate of the University of Newcastle and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Communication Studies) degree and a Bachelor of Law degree. She also successfully completed the highly competitive legal professional programme to gain her Diploma of Legal Practice.
Prior to joining our firm, she had acquired particular experience in the areas of Wills and Estates, specifically the preparation of Wills (including Testamentary Trusts), Power of Attorney, and Enduring Guardianship documents, as well as applications for Probate and Letters of Administration, and the administration of deceased estates. Her work also includes general commercial and property related transactions.
Sally has first hand experience and knowledge of the retail industry having worked in her family's Newcastle business for many years. She is also a keen writer, having studied both creative writing and journalism at Newcastle University, and has had a number of pieces published. 2010 also saw her first play performed as one of the 'Top 10' in Newcastle's inaugural Short + Sweet festival.
Sally is admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and is entered on the High Court register of practitioners. She is a member of the Law Society of New South Wales, Newcastle Law Society, Hunter Junior Business Chamber and the NSW Young Lawyers Association "Regional Issues" committee. She is also the solicitor responsible for our Gwandalan office located at 2/61 Gamban Road Gwandalan.
You can contact Sally at sally.davies@mullanelindsay.com.au
Ashley Stevens
Ashley joined our firm in 2010 and is a member of our Family & Relationships Law group.
Ashley completed her Law degree at the University of Newcastle in 2006, and also completed a Bachelor of Science (Forensic) in 2004. She undertook her practical legal training at the College of Law in Sydney, where she obtained her Diploma of Legal Practice.
In the four years since leaving university, Ashley has had experience in a number of different areas of law including conveyancing, wills and estates, and local court criminal matters, however family law has always been her primary interest area, and she is working towards her goal of becoming an Accredited Specialist in this area.
Ashley is currently the secretary of the Hunter Valley Family Law Practitioners Association, a position she holds jointly with fellow Mullane & Lindsay solicitor Ashleigh John. Ashley is also a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, the Newcastle Law Society, and the Law Society of New South Wales. Ashley has a keen interest in business matters, and has recently been elected as a director of the Newcastle and Hunter Junior Chamber.
Ashley is admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and is entered on the High Court register of practitioners and is entitled to appear in all federal courts.
You can contact Ashley at ashley.stevens@mullanelindsay.com.au