Melissa McDonald is a Lawyer who grew up on the Sunshine Coast and worked in a large Sunshine Coast Legal Firm for 16 and a half years prior to her admission as a Lawyer in February 2015. Melissa had the benefit of working alongside three of the Sunshine Coast’s most well known and respected senior Practitioners, Kennedy Bennett Fox (Ken Fox), Brian Gordon Fox and Colin Mildwaters, prior to their retirement in 2014. Having completed a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Southern Queensland and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at Australian National University, Melissa is admitted as a Practitioner in Queensland and in the High Court of Australia.
Melissa has a particular passion in Estate Administration and Litigation but also enjoys practising across a variety of legal areas and has gained experience over the years in many different fields of law including:
- Succession Law and Estate Planning including Wills / Testamentary Trusts / Enduring Powers of Attorney and Advance Health Directives.
- Succession Law, Estate Administration and Estate Litigation including contesting Wills and Family Provision Applications.
- Property and Conveyancing including property development and off plan contracts.
- Commercial Conveyancing, Commercial and Business transactions, Commercial, Retail Shop and Residential Leasing.
- Family Law and Domestic Violence.
- Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal matters including debt recovery, Neighbourhood disputes and adult guardian matters.
Just to name a few.
Having appeared in the Supreme Court, District Court, Magistrates Court and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia on behalf of clients as a Private Lawyer, Legal Aid Lawyer, Duty Lawyer and Friend of the Court, Melissa is able to assist clients through all aspects of their matter. In expanding her knowledge across a broad range of legal fields, Melissa hopes to guide and assist clients throughout all their legal matters, offering clients the continuity of being able to deal with one Lawyer, who knows them and their circumstances, as opposed to various departments within a firm.
Melissa commenced her career with Ken Fox, Brian Fox and Colin Mildwaters in February 1999 in Caloundra at the firm Fox and Fox. Whilst starting in office administration and Trust Accounting, Melissa was assisted in the merge of the firm to Fox Mildwaters in 2001 and was a law graduate at the firm when it merged to Fox Taylor Mildwaters in December 2014. After leaving Fox Taylor Mildwaters in 2015, Melissa tried to find another firm with the same culture of a family atmosphere amongst the staff and a dedication to looking after clients the old fashioned way. After the birth of her first daughter in early 2017, she was encouraged by Ian Griffiths to join him at his firm, Griffiths Lawyers Pty Ltd and has never looked back. Melissa is now a partner with Brian Carson in the firm now rebranded to Griffiths McDonald Carson.
With over two decades of legal experience and a proactive attitude, Melissa aims to provide professional and efficient assistance to all clients across a broad range of legal matters.