QLD

Claire Gibbs

Claire brings two decades of experience in personal injury and insurance law to her role in advocating for and achieving excellent outcomes for her clients in personal injury compensation claims across Queensland. Claire has the expertise to deal with a broad range of matters including the most complex and serious of cases involving motor vehicle accident injury claims, workers compensation injury claims and public liability injury claims. Claire was attracted to the firm because of the client focused culture and the commitment to technical excellence. Prior to joining us, Claire worked as a Principal Lawyer and had an esteemed 14-year tenure at a large national personal injury firm. She also worked at other national insurance firms as an insurance litigator and panel lawyer advising Workcover Queensland, motor vehicle CTP insurers and public liability insurers. Claire’s wealth of experience and unique expertise from both the perspective of the insurer and the injured person gives her the upper hand in negotiations and allows her to provide invaluable insights and advice to her clients. In addition to her law degree, Claire has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Diploma in Grief Counselling which underpins her trauma informed approach to assisting clients who have suffered life altering injuries or the tragic loss of a loved one in a road or work accident. Renowned for her authenticity and values-led approach Claire has an impressive track record for fighting to restore and enforce the rights of her clients and for providing excellent client service. Claire prides herself on having a deep awareness of the challenges her clients face coupled with a strong drive and desire to give them a voice and help them to reclaim their lives. Claire is a skilled advocate and formidable negotiator and does not back down in taking on insurance conglomerates and the big names in the corporate, building and mining industries and all levels of Government on behalf of her clients. Testament to this and her commitment to social justice, Claire led the team of instructing solicitors in the landmark High Court victory in Love & Thoms v the Commonwealth which recognised the important and unique status of Indigenous Australians under the Australian Constitution. Claire was a finalist in the Senior Associate of the Year at the Australian Law Awards in 2022. Outside of work Claire is a mother of three spirited children, including twins. As a “multi-mum” Claire is not easily surprised or intimidated and is adept at finding creative solutions, achieving more with less and maintaining a sense of humour. A dyed in the wool Gold Coast local, Claire never misses an opportunity to support her community and has been a life-long member of the Gold Coast Hockey Association serving previously as an elite player and coach and now parent and member of the Judiciary panel. Claire has also volunteered her time providing guest lectures in risk management to students at Griffith University. Claire is a foundation member and steadfast fan of the Gold Coast Suns. Ever loyal and the optimist, she lives in quiet hope of finals glory in the future.

Fernanda Dahlstrom is a writer, editor, and lawyer. She holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Master of Arts. She practiced law for eight years in criminal, child protection, domestic violence, and family law in the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Prue Prescott

Prue has been running personal injury claims for nearly 20 years. This has involved acting for injured claimants in most areas of personal injury law including serious and catastrophic injury claims (with injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, acquired brain injuries and other head injuries, amputations, severe burns and spinal cord injuries resulting in tetraplegia, paraplegia and the like), National Injury Insurance Scheme (NIISQ) claims, construction accident claims, mining accident claims, workers’ compensation injury claims, work injury claims, workplace injury claims, motor vehicle accident injury claims, motorcycle accident injury claims, other road accident injury claims, public liability injury claims, death and fatality claims, bullying and harassment claims, psychiatric injury claims and total and permanent disability claims. Prue enjoys handling the more complex claims, such as traumatic brain injury, fatal injury and nervous shock claims, as well as claims involving complex legal principles. Prue seeks to use her Masters qualification in writing and literature to tell each and every client’s individual story, ensuring they are treated fairly by insurers and that they obtain the compensation they deserve. In 2019, Prue was nominated by the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland Inc as an Inspirational Lawyer. Outside of work, Prue is a busy mum of boys but also tries to find the time to read, write and explore nature.

Helen Ashton

Helen is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law. As an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law, having been awarded the highest achiever award for the course in 2015, Helen has a high level of knowledge and technical expertise. Admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2001, she also has extensive experience in running all types of personal injury claims. Helen specialises in serious and catastrophic injury claims (including traumatic brain injuries, acquired brain injuries and other head injuries, amputations, severe burns and spinal cord injuries resulting in tetraplegia, paraplegia and the like), National Injury Insurance Scheme (NIISQ) claims, workers’ compensation injury claims, work injury claims, workplace injury claims, motor vehicle accident, motorcycle accident injury claims, other road accident injury claims, medical negligence claims, construction accident claims, mining accident claims, public liability injury claims, death and fatal injury claims, bullying and harassment claims, psychiatric and psychological injury claims and total and permanent disability claims. Helen has a friendly and approachable personality and strives to ensure that her clients are kept well informed and are provided with quality and practical legal advice. As a mother of three young children, Helen understands the impact events can have on a family unit and works proactively to achieve the right result for her clients in the shortest possible timeframe. Helen has the ability and the experience to assist clients with a wide variety of claims, including any personal injury claims with a high level of complexity and those that have had catastrophic consequences.

Craig Oliver

Knowing the law is one thing, being able to apply it to ensure the best possible outcome for your client is another. Craig excels at making the complex simple and making the law work for you. He is an expert personal injuries lawyer with over 20 years’ experience and success. Craig trained and worked at some of the best plaintiff and insurance firms in the UK before coming to Australia in 2011 and continuing to practice exclusively in personal injury litigation. Craig spent a decade in regional Queensland before working as a general manager in Brisbane for a large national firm creating client-focussed, high-performing and value-driven teams of expert personal injury lawyers. He knows how to win and deliver outcomes for his clients in all types of claims, including the most severe life changing injuries such as brain injury, spinal injury and amputations. Knowing how to help you and your family deal with issues and stressors that stem from these injuries is key to minimising their impact on you and your family. Being injured is never convenient and Craig’s solutions focused approach starts making a difference on the issues that matter to you from the beginning and not just asking you to wait for compensation at the end. Knowing a good lawyer who is prepared to listen and deliver solutions in line with your priorities can make all the difference to your experience. Craig is an expert in motor vehicle injury claims, workplace injury claims, public liability injury claims, product liability injury claims and has particular expertise in personal injury claims involving the mining industry. He has an unrivalled understanding of the law, backed by decades of successful outcomes for clients who were facing uncertain futures and long recoveries. Craig is an expert, fearless and uncompromising in his pursuit of justice and in advocating for his clients. But what does this mean for you? It means exceptional client service. It means the best possible legal representation with legal advice you can understand and trust. It means confidence in the success of your claim. It means maximum compensation for the fairest fees. It means having someone who cares in your corner, making a difference, who is committed to providing you with solutions and hope for the future, irrespective of your injury. Craig has been recommended by the prestigious Doyles Guide as a leading personal injury lawyer. He was also a finalist in the Queensland Law Society’s Regional Lawyer of the Year during his time in Mackay. Passionate about giving back to his local communities, Craig has also volunteered his time with several organisations in Queensland, from Mackay through to Caboolture and Brisbane. Even in his leisure time, playing golf, he has raised money for local charities, particularly for the local hospital foundation supporting medical research projects.

Sean Delpopolo

Sean is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law. Sean specialises in serious and catastrophic injury claims (including traumatic brain injuries, acquired brain injuries and other head injuries, amputations, severe burns and spinal cord injuries resulting in tetraplegia, paraplegia and the like), National Injury Insurance Scheme (NIISQ) claims, construction accident claims, mining accident claims, workers’ compensation injury claims, work injury claims, workplace injury claims, motor vehicle accident injury claims, motorcycle accident injury claims, other road accident injury claims, brain and head injury claims, spinal injury claims, public liability injury claims, death and fatal injury claims, bullying and harassment claims, psychiatric and psychological injury claims and total and permanent disability claims. He has been running personal injury claims in Queensland for over 25 years. Sean founded our firm in 2004 and the firm has grown and gone from strength to strength on the background of outstanding service, incredible results and charging really fair fees. With an innate sense of fairness and justice, this motivates Sean and his team to do everything they can to ensure that the results they achieve for their clients are something that they can all be proud of. In Sean’s mind, the interests of the firm’s clients come first, before anything else, and this value has flowed on through to the entire team. As a father of two daughters, Sean understands that his clients’ personal injury claims can make a huge difference to their lives and the lives of those around them. This is why he has made it his life’s work to fight for the “little guy” to obtain the compensation they deserve.