Name: Jane Needham SC

Qualifications:  BA, LLB (Hons), Senior Counsel (appointed 2004)

‍Title: Senior Counsel

Organisation: St James’ Hall

State: NSW

Immediation Practice Area: Mediation

Profile   

I am a senior counsel practising in equity, trusts, estate law, and inquiries, at the Sydney bar, although I have a national and international practice (having conducted hearings or mediations in all states and mainland territories of Australia, and in Fiji and Samoa) .

I have a busy practice in advice and court work, and often advise in strategy and estate planning as well as conduct complex litigation. My area of expertise is contested estate work. I undertake mediations both as mediator and representing parties in mediations. 

I am a former President of the NSW Bar, and former Deputy President of the NSWADT (precursor to NCAT) and have recently (2020) completed the AICD Company Directors' Course. I am recognised as a leading senior counsel in Australia by Doyle’s in the estate and litigation category (and have been recognised consistently by Doyle’s for the past five years). 

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Personal Comment

Conducting mediations is a natural extension of my professional practice; I try to enable parties to deal with both their legal and their personal issues in a creative and non-judgmental way.

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Immediation Area(s) of Expertise

• Banking and Finance (Taxation - State)
• Common law and professional regulation (Professional negligence)
• Corporate and commercial (Contracts, Corporations, Directors’ Duties, Partnership, Shareholder remedies, Unconscionable conduct)
• Employment, industrial relations and discrimination (Discrimination, Equal opportunity)
• Government and administrative law (Judicial review and merits review, Public administration and governance, Statutory interpretation)
• Property, construction, environment, oil, gas and mining (Property, Restrictive covenants)
• Wills, estates and charities (Charities, Equity, Family provisions, Guardianship, Trusts, Wills, estates, probate and administration)