Cassandra Pullos
Cassandra attained her Bachelor of Laws in 1983 and was admitted as a Solicitor to the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia in 1985.
Cassandra is a Family Law Specialist who is formally accredited by the Queensland Law Society. She is a member of the Law Council of Australia and the Family Law Practitioners' Association, as well as being a founding member and inaugural president of the Gold Coast Legal Service for Women and Queensland Collaborative Law.
Cassandra spent the early part of her career concentrating on construction law and practiced in that area throughout the 1980s where she learnt how to play it tough when he stakes were high,
“Sure, there are times when you've got to be the 'bulldog' in the corner, but more often than not you're a mediator, making sure the children's best interests are being served …”
“I was representing a lot of subcontractors in complex battles with property developers and for many of them it was very personal. Winning or losing often meant the difference between keeping their business afloat, or losing their home,” Cassandra says.
As the 1980s property boom came to an end, Cassandra started concentrating on family law and put her experiences fighting personal cases to good use.
“A lot of people have the impression that family lawyers are just glorified social workers, but it's an awful lot more complex than that. ” she says.
“You need the knowledge of wills and estates law, stamp duty and property law, and there's often businesses involved with complicated commercial arrangements between family members and partners, so you need an excellent knowledge of commercial law as well as family law.”
Did you know…
Cassandra is a keen sailor and spends weekends with her partner and son on their Adam’s 12 yacht. She also enjoys making cheese, learning to speak Greek and if she wasn't a lawyer she thinks she'd own a delicatessan. Male clients like her because she's a woman, so she must understand how women think. Female clients like her because she's a woman, so she understands how women think.
“Sure, there are times when you've got to be the 'bulldog' in the corner, but more often than not you're a mediator working with your client to get the best solution for them, and making sure the children's best interests are served,” she says.
“Collaborative law is designed to focus on resolution and minimize conflict. Separating couples and their lawyers agree to make a good faith attempt to reach a mutually acceptable settlement without going to Court. Together they work to co-operatively address everyone's legal, financial and emotional needs.”