Samantha has been a lawyer since 2001 having followed in the steps of her father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather who were all lawyers in Newcastle at the family firm – Harris Wheeler Lawyers (amalgamated with Hall & Wilcox in 2017). No one can say she didn’t know what she was getting into!
After completing year 12 at Merewether High School Samantha studied a combined Science and Law degree at the University of Newcastle and was admitted at the beginning of 2001 as a solicitor in NSW and Australia. Samantha then moved to the UK where she was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2002. After working in, and experiencing several different areas of the law in large London firms, Samantha determined that family law was her calling and she hasn’t looked back.
After qualifying in the UK Samantha worked for a small family law practice in Surrey where she got a lot of ‘hands on’ experience very early on in her career. Her husband was working as a derivatives trader in London and when their first child was born Samantha took extended maternity leave.
In 2015 the family, by then including three young children, made the decision to move back to Newcastle. They spent seven months traveling around Europe in their VW campervan “Connie” before loading everything into a shipping container and heading ‘home’.
Samantha has been working back in Newcastle since January 2016.
Since returning to Newcastle Samantha has completed her Master of Applied Law (Majoring in Family Law) ensuring that her legal knowledge is comprehensive and completely up to date.
Samantha thrives on taking people from what is sometimes one of the most vulnerable and stressful moments in their lives through to being able to plan and see a happy future ahead of them.
