Kristy is a principal of the firm and an Accredited Family Law Specialist. She has extensive experience in all aspects of family law with a focus on complex, high net-worth property disputes involving corporate and trust structures, often with third party interests.
Before being admitted to practice in 2006, Kristy was an articled clerk specialising in family law. She held the position of Deputy Associate to Federal Magistrate Keith Wilson of the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia (now the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia). Kristy has since practised at specialist family law firms in Brisbane and Melbourne. She joined Taussig Cherrie Fildes Lawyers in 2016, was appointed special counsel in 2019 and promoted to principal in 2020.
Kristy has comprehensive experience in financial agreements, negotiating and litigating complex financial and parenting matters (including cases involving allegations of abuse, domestic and international relocations, recovery orders), intervention orders, child support, de facto claims, injunctive relief and restraining orders, divorce and spousal maintenance. She is a skilled negotiator, highly experienced at appearing in court and mediations, and recently instructed in the High Court to successfully defend an appeal. In 2020, Kristy qualified as a Regulation 67B Arbitrator with AIFLAM.
With a detailed knowledge of the Court processes and cases involved in family law, Kristy understands the financial and emotional impacts of litigation on parties and their children. Providing a high level of client care, Kristy is dedicated to achieving good commercial outcomes for her clients using methods that best suit their personal circumstances.
Kristy serves as a committee member of the Executive, Courts Practice, and Maintenance & Property Committees of the Family Section of the Law Institute of Victoria. The committees meet throughout the year to focus on issues relevant to family and children’s law including policy and law reform. Kristy also presents at various legal education seminars to members of the profession, accountants and statutory authorities on topics including third party rights in family law proceedings and disclosure obligations in financial and parenting matters.
In 2018-2020, Kristy was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as a family law rising star in Victoria. In 2021-2023, Kristy was recommended by Doyle’s Guide as a leading family and divorce lawyer in Melbourne and recognised as a leading parenting and children’s matters lawyer in Victoria.
Paralegal/Personal Assistant: Steph Villani
- Presenter at family law Continuing Legal Education seminars conducted by Legalwise
- Co-authored and presented a paper addressing third party rights under the Family Law Act 1975 titled ‘Section 90AE – The Impossibly Elusive Dream’ with colleague, Kylie Sanders at the 2018 Legalwise Family Law Conference. The paper examined in detail the power of the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court (now referred to as the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia) to make orders relating to third parties, including altering their rights, property and interests. The paper was recommended to then Commissioner Professor Helen Rhoades for the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Review of the Family Law System and requested for the purpose of their research.
- Mentor for the firm’s junior lawyers and clerks
- Bachelor of Laws
- Accredited Family Law Specialist, Law Institute of Victoria
- Qualified Regulation 67B Arbitrator (AIFLAM)
- Committee Member – Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria
- Committee Member – Courts Practice Committee of the Family Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria
- Committee Member – Maintenance and Property Committee of the Family Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria
- Member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia
- Member of the Family Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria
(03) 9605 1700