Overview

Mary is the Director and founder of Allen Evans Family Lawyers. She is a highly respected and experienced Family Lawyer in Sydney who was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW and High Court of Australia in 2002.

For a number of years Mary worked at prominent private law firms in Sydney working for a significant number of family law clients including those requiring her expertise on complex property, financial (including spousal maintenance and child support) and parenting matters. Possessing the drive to expand her practice she established Allen Evans Family Lawyers with the goal to provide exceptional legal services whilst placing a strong priority on client needs and, in parenting matters, the best interests of the children.

Mary is passionate about protecting her clients’ interests and working together with them to achieve the best possible outcomes throughout separation (including the pre-separation phase), and the family law property/parenting settlement process. She does this with unparalleled professionalism, insight and approachability.

Areas of expertise

Family Law – Property/Financial Matters

Mary is highly sought-after and has been engaged on numerous property/financial matters for men and women and for those in de facto or same sex relationships.

Often those matters are successfully settled at an early stage and, where necessary and early settlement is not possible, Mary has confidently run litigated matters including numerous Interim hearings, Final Hearings and Appeals to achieve just and fair outcomes for her clients.

Statistically, 98% of Mary’s litigated matters settle prior to Final Hearing.

These matters often involve the assessment of all aspects of property settlement including real estate, businesses, trusts, shares, superannuation and other interests, including valuation of those interests.

Spousal maintenance, financial support including mortgage payments as well as child support matters have also been a significant part of Mary’s practice and she has successfully settled and litigated numerous matters of this type. Mary has assisted a variety of clients in need of her expert services, including clients who are both payers or payees.

• Property settlement for all types of asset pools including complex matters and high net value
• Strong relationships with pre-eminent Counsel and Senior Counsel of Australia’s leading Family Law Barrister’s chambers
• Strong relationships with Sydney’s best forensic experts: business and property valuers and forensic accountants
• Represents men, women, parties to a de facto relationship and same sex couples
• Urgent spousal maintenance/financial matters, expert analysis of need, expenses and spousal support
• Child Support and child support departure applications

Family Law – Parenting Matters

Mary is highly respected by her peers and is in high demand for her expertise in parenting matters. She has been engaged on a vast number of parenting matters including those involving an amicable settlements at early-stage Mediation as well as significantly more complex matters involving family/domestic violence and contentious issues.

She has confidently conducted serious litigated parenting matters in the Federal Circuit Court and in the Family Court including issues of family/domestic violence, mental illness and substance abuse requiring the engagement of forensic expert psychologists or psychiatrists as is necessary in determining the best interests of the children.

Mary frequently conducts relocation and recovery matters, Hague Convention matters (international child abduction), urgent parenting matters where time with the children has been unfairly restricted by one party. She has always litigated or settled parenting matters applying great care and expertise with a view to always providing realistic advice, resulting in fair and expected outcomes for her clients.

Where a child has unfortunately been subjected to family violence, abuse or risk, Mary has acted for her clients with the utmost empathy and professionalism, working together with Family Law experts to achieve the most appropriate outcomes with the best interests of the child/ren always prioritised.

• Mediation/early settlement
• Litigated Court matters
• Unfair restriction of time
• Urgent parenting matters
• Family Violence/child abuse/mental illness/substance abuse/anger issues
• Engagement of forensic expert psychiatrists/psychologists
• Hague Convention (International Child Abduction)
• Recovery matters
• Relocation (interstate and overseas)

Recognition

Qualifications and Admissions:

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) (with major studies in Psychology)
• Diploma in Legal Practice (Dip.Leg.Prac)
• Solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW
• Solicitor of the High Court of Australia
• Collaborative Law Solicitor qualified
• Independent Children’s Lawyer qualified

Expertise/Practice Areas

• Family Law (Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia – FCFCOA)
• Family Provisions Claims (Supreme Court of NSW)

Memberships

• Law Society of New South Wales
• Law Society Professional Standards Scheme
• Law Council of Australia (Family Law Section)
• Collaborative Professionals (NSW)
• Women Lawyers Association of NSW