John de Mestre – Principal
John has practised as a solicitor in Sydney since 1984. John established John de Mestre & Co Pty Ltd in 1992. He has been involved with many and varied areas of general practice including:
- Appearing in most of the various levels of different Australian Courts and jurisdictions.
- Sports law including appearances in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and advising large sporting organisations on corporate governance and sports law issues
- Presenting conference papers and providing legal comments on topical legal issues (see Publications/Cases).
John was also the Chairman of the Tattersalls Club (http://www.tattersallsclub.org) and was a director on the board of the FSHD Global Research Foundation (http://www.fshdglobal.org)
Michael de Mestre – Director
Michael is a Director of John de Mestre & Co with over ten years of practising experience, specialising in strata title and property. He has extensive experience with property law, mortgages, leases, mezzanine and bank financing, commercial agreements, by-laws and strata law. Michael has acted on all contractual documentation required for thousands of off-the-plan units in Rhodes, NSW and Wentworth Point Marinas for the developer Billbergia Pty Ltd.
In addition to his commercial practice, Michael has been a Director of the Charity Hope for Cambodia since 2018. Hope is a community-based charity in Cambodia that seeks to assist some of the poorest and unprivileged children. Michael’s proudest achievements for the charity include assisting with surviving COVID shutdowns and opening the first charity baby nursery in Cambodia for working mothers.
Being the father of two young children, the nursery holds a special place in Michael’s heart. Naturally, he provides financial support to the charity, including yearly donations and funding the university scholarships of underprivileged children.
Outside of his professional life, Michael is happily married to his wife Rachel de Mestre and is the father of two young girls. Michael is the eldest son of John de Mestre, the firm’s principal and Michael greatly enjoys being a working father in a happy working family business environment.
MaryAnn de Mestre – Senior Associate
([email protected])
Adjunct Fellow, School of Law, Western Sydney University
MaryAnn was admitted to practice as a solicitor in 2015 and is qualified with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from Sydney University, a Bachelor of Laws from Western Sydney University with Honours, Certificate of Practice Legal Training from the Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice Management. MaryAnn is currently studying a Master of Laws (LLM) through the College of Law majoring in Estate Planning.
MaryAnn was the Tipstaff to the Honourable Justice Geoff Lindsay (Probate & Protective List Judge) of the Supreme Court of NSW in 2015. Since her admission as a Solicitor, MaryAnn has acted as Guest Editor of the Elder Law Review and Guest Lecturer for the Elder Law LLB Course for Western Sydney University. MaryAnn has also presented at the International Legal Ethics Conference VII in New York on Elder Law and Substitute Decision Making. In 2016, she was appointed an Adjunct Fellow for Western Sydney University due to her contribution to the University.
For a number of years, MaryAnn has published a number of articles on various topics of interest, including wills & estates and elder law, as well as a submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Elder Abuse in 2015. Additionally, as part of her academic pursuits MaryAnn has contributed as a referee for the Adelaide Law Review and assisted in the updating of the NSW Civil Procedure Handbook as an author.
MaryAnn has extensive experience in a full range of matters and has particular interest in litigation, wills, estates and succession law. Her practice includes comprehensive succession planning, as well as acting in a number of litigation disputes and alternative dispute resolution processes. MaryAnn often drafts complex wills and succession documents for high-profile individuals and frequently appears in numerous Courts, including the Supreme Court, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Select Publications
De Mestre, MaryAnn “Supported Decision Making as an Alternative to Guardianship Orders” (2014) 8 Elder Law Review
De Mestre, MaryAnn “Editorial” (2015) 9 Elder Law Review, Article 1
De Mestre, Mary-Ann — “Developments in Case Law on Human Rights & the Older Person: Nicholson v Knaggs [2009] VSC 64″ [2015] ElderLawRw6; (2015) 9 Elder Law Review – Article 6
De Mestre, MaryAnn, Field Sue UWS, “Inquiry into Elder Abuse in NSW” 13/11/2015
Warren Azar – Solicitor
With over 40 years’ experience in the law, Warren has acted on countless options, sales, acquisitions, development agreements and complex loan facilities for major boutique residential, commercial and retail developments. He continues to support substantial developers of medium-high density strata developments. Warren also engages a good deal of his time in pro bono work for diverse charitable and religious organisations.
Brenda Fang – Solicitor
Brenda graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws and has been practicing as a solicitor since 2020. Brenda is fluent in Mandarin and English.
Prior to joining John de Mestre & Co in November 2020, she accumulated over two years experience within the legal profession as a paralegal. During her tenure as a solicitor, Brenda has gained notable experience within the areas of property law, commercial agreements, and estate law.
She holds a strong interest in wills & estates, real property and litigation.
Alan Hickey – Consultant
Alan’s legal career has always been directed at assisting families with their property, company, and business needs. To this end Alan has spent almost 50 years concentrating on conveyancing, wills, and estates. He also has extensive litigation experience, particularly in the Equity Division. John de Mestre & Co. and Hellmrich & Hickey amalgamated in 2001, and Alan continues to service the needs of the generations of his clients. Whilst no longer attending the office, Alan still provides insightful experience to our client’s needs on a consultancy basis.
Panayiotis Xenos – Graduate Solicitor
Panayiotis graduated from the University of New South Wales in 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws, majoring in Finance. He is currently completing his Graduate Diploma in Legal Professional Practice and is a member of our conveyancing legal team. His most notable projects have been assisting with Billbergia’s sales of luxury apartments in Rhodes.
He has had the privilege of clerking for D Wilson J of the District Court in Downing Centre in matters relating to torts and criminal offences. As the former assistant of Miles Condon SC, Panayiotis has also gained insight and experience in matters of equity and insolvency law. Similarly, having worked for Rostron Carlyle Rojas, he is experienced in conveyancing law and the settlement of wills & estates.
During his experience as a research assistant for the Centre for Law Markets and Regulation, Panayiotis helped design Artificial Intelligence that examined the public’s response to the 2019 Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry Report.
He is also the founder of the online coaching college PointX Education, which is targeted at primary and secondary school students. The employment of numerous staff has provided Panayiotis with practical commercial experience that enhances his capabilities in the legal profession. In combination with his recent volunteering efforts, his diverse range of skills and knowledge complement the firm’s willingness to give back to the community.
Michael Tomaras – Solicitor
Michael joined our firm in 2016. Michael is currently studying for a Bachelor of Laws with a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Finance) degree at Macquarie University.
During Michael’s time at our Firm, he has worked as a legal clerk and provides support for strata developments, residential conveyancing and legal administration.
Michael has a keen interest in property and commercial law. He is an enthusiastic member of the team with a strong work ethic and good attention to detail.