HOW THE BUSINESS STARTED
Our History
Providing Legal Help on the Sunshine Coast since the 1970’s
Early in his career, Ian undertook his articles with top tier Brisbane Law Firm Cannan and Peterson (now part of the Norton Rose Group) and on admission as a lawyer, joined Fox and Fox in Caloundra for a short period, which firm became Fox Mildwaters in 2001. Until the retirement of Kennedy Fox, Brian Fox and Colin Mildwaters in 2014, Ian maintained a good professional relationship with all three partners and they regularly referred work between each other.
All four Practitioners were highly respected and regarded in the legal industry and also amongst clients and the community. It was therefore obvious that upon the retirement of Kennedy, Brian and Colin that Ian proactively sought out Lawyer Melissa McDonald who had been employed at Fox Mildwaters since 1999. Having started her career as office junior Melissa was guided and mentored through various roles in the firm before being admitted as Lawyer.
Melissa promotes the same client focus and family orientated culture that Ian and his clients expect. Melissa attributes her competency and business ethic to the mentoring and support she received early in her career and holds Kennedy, Brian and Colin in the highest regard. Melissa brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience that compliments Ian’s.
Solicitor Brian Carson joined the firm in 2021 and has proved to be a “good fit” with the culture, ethos and experience of the firm.
Brian commenced his legal career later in life having initially followed the path of accounting. Consequently, Brian brings to the team a wealth of knowledge and life experience that has proven invaluable to clients, especially those navigating complex financial family law matters and Estate disputes. Brian also shares the same culture and values as Ian and Melissa when it comes to our firm, our clients, our family and our team.
In addition to the three Lawyers, we have an awesome team that supports us and all our clients. It really is a family. Ann-Maree Douyere has worked with Ian for decades and is one of our biggest assets. Karen Norup and Anne Walker worked with Melissa at Fox Mildwaters for many years. Lea Gleave came to an interview for the role of Ian’s assistant and Ian knew from the outset that she was the perfect fit. Recently, Yvonne Lamb saved our sanity by accepting the role of Office Manager and Administrator and has all our accounts and office processes under control and in compliance despite some pretty strict and tricky Trust Accounting rules and regulations.
Our Clients
Our client base is quite large and varied. We provide legal support to some of the Coast’s wealthiest clients through to those that have little to no financial means to fund their legal needs. Griffiths McDonald Carson offers assistance in most legal matters having extensive experience in Property Law, Estate planning, administration and litigation, civil litigation and Family Law just to name a few.
We look after our whole community
Our Point of Difference
Each of Ian, Melissa and Brian practice across various fields of law with considerable experience and knowledge in various specialised fields also. Our clients get the benefit of competent knowledge and experience but also continuity with the same Lawyer. It’s like going to the GP who is also a specialist or surgeon. The general practice firm is becoming quite rare. Most firms are practicing solely in one field of law alone or you deal with a different Lawyer in the same firm each time your legal needs change. Whilst practicing in multiple fields requires more continual development, knowledge base and diligence for us, it means that we are better able to support our clients in all their legal needs especially where some matters cross over various fields of law.
Our whole team works hard for our clients, and we enjoy building on and developing our knowledge and skillset with the ever-changing landscape of law, so it’s not onerous to be doing this to the benefit of our clients. Seriously though, who else stays out of retirement at 70, but for the love of their job!!! Our clients can rest assured we’re dedicated in what we do.