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 – Senior Associate
Michael graduated from UTS with a Bachelor of Law. He is a professional member of the Young Lawyers Society NSW, the Australian Insurance of Law Association and the NSW Law Society. Michael has a particular interest in conveyancing law.
His most notable projects include assisting with Billbergia’s sales of apartments at Village Quay in Rhodes, apartments in VQ Harbour Views at Rhodes with ongoing work occurring in 2016 in the VQ Skyline Building. Further, Michael is assisting with the sale of the Akuna Residences, a retirement village in Terrey Hills for citizens aged 55 years and over.
Additionally, Michael has successfully conducted several smaller scale conveyancing matters for both residential and commercial properties including Option Agreements, Sales and Lease Reviews.
Mary-Ann de Mestre – Senior Associate
(maryanndm@jdemco.com.au)
Adjunct Fellow, School of Law, Western Sydney University
Mary-Ann was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW in 2015. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences degree from Sydney University, a Bachelor of Laws from Western Sydney University with Honours and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University.
Mary-Ann was the Tipstaff to the Honourable Justice Geoff Lindsay (Probate & Protective List Judge) of the Supreme Court of NSW in 2015. Mary-Ann has acted as a Guest Editor of the Elder Law Review and a Guest Lecturer for the Elder Law LLB Course for Western Sydney University. Mary-Ann was also appointed an Adjunct Fellow for Western Sydney University on 25 January 2016.
Mary-Ann has a particular interest in Family Law, Wills & Estates & Equity.
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.
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.
David de Mestre – Solicitor
David graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Laws in April 2020, has received a Diploma in Practical Legal Training and was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW in July 2020.
During his studies, David was a subcommittee editor of the Macquarie University Law Society online journal, “The Brief” where he had articles published on various areas of law and some of which can be found on our website’s ‘Publications’ page. David has worked with the firm for the entirety of his studies and gained over 5 years of invaluable experience across a wide range of practice areas.
David’s interests include property and commercial transactions and litigation. While servicing residential, commercial and off the plan conveyancing clients, David also works closely across a number of commercial and litigation matters at all levels.
David is passionate about using technology to deliver efficient and effective solutions to clients. David is a PEXA Certified practitioner and has conducted multiple electronic transactions.
Layla Hessar-Amiri – Paralegal
Layla joined John d
e Mestre & Company Pty Ltd in August 2018. Layla is currently completing a Bachelor of Laws with a Bachelor of Information Technology degree at Macquarie University.
Since joining the firm, Layla has gained experience as a paralegal in the fields of her interest, including civil litigation, family law and wills & estates.
Layla also has a keen interest in Information Technology and provides technical support to the firm.
Michael Tomaras – Paralegal
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.