Accredited
Specialists
Belbridge Fleming Law are very proud to have two Accredited Specialists in Business Law and one Accredited Specialist in Wills and Estates Law. Below, you will find information about Specialist Accreditation and the solicitors who have attained the achievement.
An Overview
Belbridge Fleming Law has three Accredited Specialists: two in Business Law and one in Wills and Estates Law.
Once someone becomes an Australian Legal Practitioner (more commonly known as a solicitor or lawyer) , there are a variety of options open to them to advance their careers and offer more value and expertise to their clients.
Some lawyers choose not to pursue any further formal qualifications, instead focusing on professional growth by gaining practical experience and staying up to date with changes in the law.
Others decide to study a Master of Applied Law, go to the bar (become a barrister) or even aspire to become a magistrate or judge.
One other option is to apply to become an Accredited Specialist. The NSW Law Society website states:
"To be an Accredited Specialist, a practitioner must pass a structured assessment process which requires the individual to draw on their existing knowledge and skills to demonstrate their competency and expertise in their chosen area of law... it is both challenging and fulfilling"
For more information on NSW Specialist Accreditation, you can check out the NSW Law Society information here
"Paul Muntz and I each gained our accreditation 30 years ago, in 1994. In order to retain that accreditation, we have to undertake additional continuing legal education every year and apply annually for re-accreditation. The process is time-consuming and challenging; it has enabled each of us to not only enhance our skills, but also to develop friendships and networks amongst other accredited specialists throughout Australia. That ability to “bounce ideas” is of great value."
- Rob Meers, Director - Belbridge Fleming Law
The requirements
Just like our Accredited Specialists in Business Law and Wills and Estates Law, to become a NSW Accredited Specialist in a chosen area, a lawyer/solicitor must:
Have practised law on a full time basis for at least 5 years. Extensive time must have been spent practising the chosen area of law in the last 3 of these years.
Pass a detailed take-home assessment, also known as a mock file. This requires drafting multiple documents.
Satisfy a written exam. This can be open or closed-book depending on the area of law, and is typically 3 hours long.
Pass live assessments, which can comprise a peer interview, a simulated client interview, a mock hearing and/or a briefing.
Our Specialists
Rob Meers
Solicitor Director
Accredited Specialist - Business Law
Rob is a director of Belbridge Fleming and has decades of experience in business law, wills and estates and succession planning. When asked about his experience and what drives him as a solicitor, Rob continues to come back to the same core values:
“I do my best work when I am helping clients to avoid or minimise the risk of claims against their assets in the future. It’s a bit like playing chess and thinking 5 moves ahead – you need to think “what if X occurs”. I get the most satisfaction when a client comes in saying “I’ve got a problem, X has just happened” and I am able to reply “Don’t worry, I covered that for you in the documents a few years ago”.
I help people who are buying or selling businesses, or who are entering into arrangements with other people in the course of their business. I prefer to work with clients who are building their wealth, being positive, creating things – not looking over their shoulder into the past and arguing over past issues.
I do a lot of work advising people about the creation and maintenance of their wealth, and ultimately how to protect passing that wealth on to the next generation. Many families are now faced with situations where the risk of a challenge against their Will (after their death) is a concern – I can help those clients to prepare for such risks arising and help them to structure the ownership of their assets to reduce or eliminate such risks. I can also help them to prepare Wills in situations where they have a child who is disabled, or to prepare Wills to protect their assets for “their own bloodline” if a child is bankrupt, or where a child is going through a family law property settlement. I see a lot of “blended families” where the partners have different children from different marriages – I can offer advice about alternative ways to structure things to deal with those issues.
I really enjoy being able to help families across the generations, knowing what to anticipate and having the background knowledge of their asset ownership structures to be able to give proactive advice to them.
Some years ago a retired ex-farmer who was living simply in a very small community nearby came in to see me and said “Rob, I’m your best client”.
I enquired of him “Jack, what makes you say that?”
He replied “My grandparents were clients of this firm, my parents were clients of this firm, I’m your client, I’ve made sure that my children are clients of yours and I’m going to make sure that my grandchildren become clients here too”.
I agreed – “Jack, you are my best client”.
When we are at home, my wife Margie and I enjoy spending time with Patsy the West Highland White Terrier.”
Kellyanne Allwood
Solicitor Director
Accredited Specialist - Wills and Estates
Kellyanne is a director of Belbridge Fleming and practices extensively in the areas of estate and succession planning, estate administration and claims upon deceased estates.
She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Canberra and a Master of Laws (Applied Law) majoring in Wills and Estates from the College of Law. Kellyanne is an Accredited Specialist in Wills and Estates and is the only local practising solicitor who holds accreditation in this area of law from the Law Society of New South Wales. Kellyanne is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), and the only local practitioner who is a member of this international organisation.
Clients seek Kellyanne’s advice and expertise on a wide range of estate planning issues, ranging from complex strategies for farming families, blended families and vulnerable beneficiaries, to tax effective wills incorporating testamentary trusts and more straightforward planning incorporating financial powers of attorney, guardianship documents and advanced care planning. Clients also seek Kellyanne’s advice and expertise in complex estate administration matters, as well as the negotiation and litigation of deceased estate disputes.
Kellyanne understands the difficulties clients experience planning their personal affairs or dealing with the estate of a close friend or relative. She enjoys developing strong relationships with her clients and their other advisors, as well as her professional colleagues and approaches her practice with compassion, empathy and attention to detail.
Kellyanne is committed to community education and regularly gives presentations on estate planning and elder law issues to community groups and her professional peers.
Kellyanne is a graduate fellow of the College of Law, an active member of the Law Australasia Estate Planning Special Interest Group and provides pro bono legal services to a charitable organisation. She is a member of the NSW Law Society, a past member of the Specialist Accreditation Wills & Estates Advisory Committee and a past office-bearer of the Albury & District Law Society.
Paul Muntz
Senior Counsel
Accredited Specialist - Business Law
Paul was a director of Fleming Muntz Solicitors, prior to its merge with Belbridge Hague Law. He has practised in Albury for over 50 years and is a Law Society of New South Wales Accredited Specialist in Business Law.
Clients appreciate the depth of Paul’s experience when seeking creative or tax-effective solutions to estate planning and commercial issues – especially when complex or extensive assets are involved. Numerous rural families throughout regional Victoria and southern New South Wales have sought out Paul’s assistance negotiating estate plans fair to all family members, and to restructure their affairs to ensure smooth succession of on- and off-farm assets between generations.
In his practice, Paul has provided legal services to a number of Government and quasi-Government bodies as well as regional, national and international businesses and has particular experience in:
- complex rural land transfers
- estate and succession planning
- succession planning for farming families
- services to the medical profession
Paul is a past President of the Albury & District Law Society and is a past Chair of the Estate Planning section of Law Australasia. He has been a regular speaker on estate and succession planning for professional bodies and at public seminars.
