TONY VAUGHAN
Chief Executive Officer

Tony is our Chief Executive Officer being responsible for all areas of Firm Management. Tony is experienced in Business Management, Business Systems, Administration, Marketing, Client Development, Information Technology, Financial Management and Human Resources Management. Tony has over twenty three years legal management experience.

Tony’s background is General Management within the New Zealand Defence Services, management positions with the New Zealand government and primary sectors, consulting to legal and medical entities, developing information technology strategies for ongoing business development and advising on business matters.

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DEANNE DRUMMOND
Practicing in Family Law and de facto law

Deanne was admitted as a solicitor in 1996 after obtaining her Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce degrees at the James Cook University, Townsville Campus. Deanne also completed a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice in Brisbane, at the Queensland University of Technology. Deanne has been with Farrellys since early 1997, becoming an Associate in March 2000. Deanne is also qualified to act as an Independent Children’s Lawyer (ICL) in family law disputes.

Her professional associations include being a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, the Cairns branch of the Family Law Practitioners Association (FLPA) and the Far North Queensland Law Association (FNQLA). She is a past President and Secretary of the North Queensland Law Association (NQLA) and former lecturer in family law at JCU

Deanne practices predominantly in the area of family law and associated jurisdictions, with extensive experience in children's matters, property settlements, de facto property disputes, child support and spousal maintenance applications.

Deanne has a commitment to continuing professional development and has delivered papers to allied professionals on a range of family law matters.

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JENEVE DIBDEN FRIZZO - B.A. (Hons), L.L.B. (Hons)
Practicing in Estate Planning & Succession Law

Jeneve joined Farrellys in January 2004 following twelve months of service as Associate to Her Honour Judge Sarah Bradley of the District Court in Cairns.

She completed her Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at the Cairns campus of James Cook University in 2002, previously having been to the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) majoring in English Literature in 1998.

Jeneve practices primarily in all aspects of succession law including estate planning, wills and enduring powers of attorney, and deceased estate administration.

She is experienced in representing clients in all aspects of the administration and litigation of deceased estates, including applications for unusual grants of representation and challenges to wills for lack of capacity, and application to the court for better provision from the estate.

She also practices in criminal and traffic law, domestic violence applications, and criminal injury compensation.

Jeneve has an extensive history of voluntary service to the community, holding office in school P & C associations and sporting clubs, university law society as well as holding membership of such organisations as Amnesty International, Far North Queensland Law Association and Women Lawyers Association of Queensland.

She has acted as Duty Lawyer in the Cairns and the Cooktown Magistrates Courts. She is currently a director of KickArts – Cairns leading contemporary art organisation – and recently became a member of the Cancer Council Queensland Free Will Service panel.

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ROWAN PACK - LLB
Practicing in Commercial & Litigation

Rowan is a litigation lawyer who comes to Farrellys with a background of practice ranging from rural and regional practice through to the world of international litigation.

Rowan started his career in Townsville working during the day as a Judge's Associate whilst studying for his law degree at night. He didn't have much time other than work and study then but the hard work was rewarded when, after a few years working at a large Townsville practice, he moved to London where life could not have been more different.

Initially the high flying world of international law was attractive, seeing Rowan work as an in-house lawyer for GlaxoSmithKline, a huge pharmaceutical company based in London where he had the opportunity of working on international disputes. Lawyers are accustomed to long hours and Rowan, with thoughts of travelling, took on a second job working nights with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, an international firm that worked around the clock. There Rowan entered the world of mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Rowan worked on a variety of projects including the sale of hedge funds and mining interests in the North Sea. Rowan also worked on large contractual agreements for major clients such as Virgin Atlantic and Tesco.

After his experiences in the practice of international law, glamorous though it sounds, Rowan is looking forward to a more personal interaction with his clients. The opportunity to work closely with his clients and look after their interests, rather than the impersonal and commercial interests of a conglomerate of huge corporate entities, is something that Rowan values highly. With litigation matters in Australia, particularly in regional practice, the one on one contact with the client is something that Rowan values.

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TONY SMITH
Practicing in Commercial Law

Tony was born in Ingham and aside from brief stints in Canberra and Sydney all his working life has been in North Queensland. His CV includes time spent driving trucks and aircraft for a living, a relatively long time as a public servant and running his own office support consultancy whilst studying at university.

Tony came to university study as a mature age student. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Degree in Law, both gained at James Cook University in Cairns. He followed this up by completing a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Australian National University, resulting in his admission as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the ACT. His introduction to professional practice was on the Sunshine Coast, possibly the only area in Queensland with a greater pace of development than Cairns, where he worked in a small three person practice.

Returning to Cairns to join Farrellys Lawyers, Tony brings with him his life experience combined with a down-to-earth practical approach and recognition of the need to build long term relationships with his commercial clients.

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NICHOLAS TAFT

Nick was born and raised in Cairns. After completing high school he studied at the University of Queensland from 2001 to mid-2007, where he obtained degrees in both Law and Arts with a double major in Media Studies. In 2004 he took a break from study and lived and worked in Japan. Nick joined the firm as a Trainee Solicitor in July 2007. He is currently gaining exposure to a variety of areas, including Commercial, Civil Litigation, Property, Family and Estates and was admitted to practice on 15th August 2008. In his free time, Nick annoys the other residents of his apartment building by playing the saxophone (badly).

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PETER PHILLIPS
Conveyancing Manager

Peter initially worked for the Public Trust Office, obtaining experience in conveyancing and estate work. Since leaving the Public Trust Office in October 1988, Peter has worked with a number of local law firms, specialising mainly in conveyancing, whilst also handling business contracts and leasing. Peter commenced employment with Farrellys as the Conveyancing Manager in October 1998.

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