Chris is a Senior Solicitor at the Stacks office in Tweed Heads and an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury by the Law Society of NSW. He was admitted as a lawyer in 1994.
Chris has worked principally in New South Wales and Queensland personal injury litigation, both on the Gold Coast and in Newcastle. His work has mainly involved work injury damages claims, motor vehicle accident claims and occupiers liability claims in both states. He has negotiated thousands of claims for personal injury over the last 25+ years of legal practice.
He has worked on cases involving traumatic brain injury, amputation and serious spinal injury. In many cases he has advised and represented police officers, paramedics and fire brigade personnel who have suffered physical and psychiatric injury during the course of employment.
As a WIRO accredited solicitor through the ILARS scheme, Chris is able to represent injured workers in NSW at the commission level, which is a prerequisite to pursuing a work injury damages claim under NSW law.
Chris advises his clients on the correct regime of treatment to be implemented early, so as to achieve early stabilisation of the injuries and bring about an early resolution of the claim if possible.
Chris believes that lawyers need to be proactive in keeping up to date with the scope of legislative change in NSW and how it affects the claims of each and every one of their clients. Chris knows the tactics of navigating a complex and often restrictive system, which is changing constantly.
Chris has a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Earth Sciences in addition to his legal qualifications. When he completed his specialist accreditation course in 2004, his mock file and exam results were disseminated afterwards to other candidates as a model of excellence for subsequent course participants.
Chris has a down-to-earth attitude and is approachable and helpful. He treats his clients with empathy and understanding, noting that dealing with insurance companies often takes its toll on injured claimants. Because he has a detailed and expert knowledge of the system built up over nearly 30 years of practice, his clients are well advised as to their prospects in any given claim and how to maximise their damages award.
When not at work, Chris likes to spend as much time as he can with his 11-year-old daughter, who lives in Coffs Harbour. He enjoys spending time with his family, going to the beach and playing guitar. Chris is a member of St Joseph’s Parish at Tweed Heads.
