Our Team
DIRECTORS
Angela Cornford-Scott
Director
The founding director of the firm, Angela Cornford-Scott, has over 25 years of experience in wills and estate matters and is recognised as one of Queensland’s pre-eminent lawyers in these matters. She is an accredited specialist in succession law and specialises, and practices, exclusively in the area of succession law.
Angela has extensive experience across all areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration and litigation relating to trusts and estates. She is regularly appointed by the court to take over and complete the administration of estates where the executors have been removed as a result of a dispute.
Angela has also been involved in advising charitable organisations and been involved in a number of court applications to clarify or secure the use of funds for charitable organisations.
She has worked with executors and beneficiaries in many difficult matters over the years and has the skills to keep clients calm and assured through what can be a very stressful and emotional process.
Angela can be relied upon to provide clear, practical and commercial advice regarding all wills, estate and trust matters. She has a thorough knowledge of the law and her years of experience enable her to explain complex and difficult issues in a way in which clients and beneficiaries can easily understand.
Angela is a mother of twin boys and enjoys spending time with her husband, sons and their dog. She tries to keep fit and healthy so she can maintain a good balance and also enjoy nice food and wine.
Bachelor of Business, University of Southern Queensland
Bachelor of Laws, Queensland University of Technology
Diploma of Legal Practices, Queensland University of Technology
Accredited Specialist – Succession Law, Queensland Law Society (2001)
Executive Education Program, Harvard Business School (2008)
Market Leader – Wills & Succession Planning, Doyle’s Guide Queensland, 2022
Market Leader – Wills & Estates litigation, Doyles Guide Queensland, 2022
Pre-eminent – Wills and Estates Litigation, Doyles Guide Australia, 2021
Market Leader – Wills & Succession Planning, Doyle’s Guide Queensland, 2021
Pre-eminent – Wills & Estates litigation, Doyles Guide Queensland, 2021
Lawyer of the Year – Wills & Estates, Best Lawyers Australia, 2022
Lawyer of the Year – Wealth Management/Succession Planning Practice, Best Lawyers Australia, 2020
Pre-eminent – Wills and Estates Litigation, Doyles Guide Australia, 2020
Pre-eminent – Wills, Estates and Succession lawyer, Doyles Guide Queensland, 2020
Market Leader – Wills and Estate Litigation, Doyles Guide Queensland, 2020
Best Lawyer (Trusts and Estate and Wealth and Succession planning), Australia – Best Lawyers Guide, 2020
Pre-eminent – Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyers – Doyles Guide Australia, 2019
Pre-eminent – Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyers – Doyles Guide Australia, 2019
Best Lawyer for succession planning in Brisbane – Best Lawyers Guide 2019
For a full record of my earlier accomplishments, please visit my LinkedIn profile
Prue Poole
Director
Prue Poole has over 16 years’ experience specialising in wills and estates matters. In 2011, Prue received specialist accreditation in succession law from the Queensland Law Society, being the highest achiever in her cohort. Prue focuses mainly on post death estate administration and litigation and is regularly appointed by the Supreme Court of Queensland as the independent administrator of deceased estates.
Since being admitted as a solicitor in 2002, Prue quickly realised that she wanted to pursue a career in the area of wills and estates. This complex and emotional area is one that affects everyone in society, yet every matter is different. Prue’s clients are varied and may be private individuals (executors or beneficiaries), other law firms seeking advice or to refer clients or charities. Prue is renowned for her practical, straight forward approach to the law and she seeks to bring comfort and confidence to all her clients. Prue’s experience in this area has taken her from a boutique firm, to being a partner of a wills and estates team in a top tier firm and now to Cornford-Scott Lawyers. Here, Prue is able to be very hands on with her clients and her team to achieve success. When not at work, Prue is ferrying her two children around, entertaining her puppy or preferably travelling the world.
Bachelor of Laws (Honours) University of Queensland
Bachelor of Arts University of Queensland
Accredited Specialist – Succession Law, Queensland Law Society (2011)
Preeminent – Wills & Estates litigation Lawyers, Doyles Guide, Queensland, 2022
Preeminent – Wills, Estates Succession Planning Lawyers, Doyles Guide, Queensland, 2022
Leading – Wills & Estates litigation Lawyers, Doyles Guide, Queensland, 2021
Leading – Wills, Estates Succession Planning Lawyers, Doyles Guide, Queensland, 2021
Leading – Wills & Estates litigation Lawyers, Doyles Guide, Queensland, 2020
Recommended – Wills, Estates Succession Planning Lawyers, Doyles Guide, Queensland, 2020
Leading – Wills & Estates litigation Lawyers, Doyles Guide, Queensland, 2019
Recommended – Wills, Estates Succession Planning Lawyers, Doyles Guide, Queensland, 2019
SOLICITORS
Rebecca Burness
Senior Associate - Estate Planning
Rebecca is an accredited specialist in succession law. She has experience in estate planning and estate administration matters, with a particular passion for estate planning.
Rebecca is an accredited specialist in succession law. She has experience in estate planning and estate administration matters, with a particular passion for estate planning.
She was born in Dalby and lived there and in other country Queensland towns. She completed articles of clerkship in Toowoomba then moved to Brisbane where she worked in a specialist succession law firm for 10 years.
Rebecca is a mother of three children and lives in Buderim, from where she works utilising flexible work practices. She specialises in estate planning and estate administration with a focus on preparing for and attending to the transmission of wealth for our clients. Rebecca enjoys the challenge of succession law particularly as it touches on so many other areas of law, such as taxation, superannuation, trusts, bankruptcy and family law.
Rebecca strongly believes that proper estate planning is an important and worthwhile exercise for the benefit of your family members to reduce any additional stress in dealing with unnecessary administration issues or disputes that may have been minimised or avoided.
Kyelie Munro
Associate - Estate Litigation & Administration
Kyelie has practised exclusively in the area of succession law since her admission as a solicitor in 2016. Prior to her admission, Kyelie worked as a paralegal in the Wills and Estates team for a mid-tier law firm and so has many years of grass roots experience in estate planning, estate administration and estate litigation.
Kyelie has practised exclusively in the area of succession law since her admission as a solicitor in 2016. Prior to her admission, Kyelie worked as a paralegal in the Wills and Estates team for a mid-tier law firm and so has many years of grass roots experience in estate planning, estate administration and estate litigation.
Kyelie loves the challenge and diversity that succession law offers and has a particular interest in estate administration. Kyelie enjoys being able to work closely with her clients to help them to achieve their objectives whether that be protecting wealth, maintaining family relationships or navigating the complexities of estate administration or litigation.
Kyelie is a member of STEP Queensland and regularly attends conferences and events relevant to succession law making her well known in this field.
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Law (Hons), QUT
Diploma of Legal Practice, College of Law
Honours & Awards:
Rising star – Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyers, Doyles Guide Queensland 2022
Cushla McCormack
Associate - Estate Planning
Cushla has experience across all areas of succession law - estate planning, estate administration, estate litigation and QCAT guardianship and administration matters. Her particular interests are in estate planning and estate administration.
Cushla’s previous experience in corporate and commercial law gained at top tier law firms enables her to provide practical and strategic advice and solutions to clients in preparing their wills and enduring powers of attorney and establishing and reviewing trusts and other entities for succession planning and asset protection purposes. Drawing on her experience in estate administration and litigation, Cushla is able to assist clients in preparing an estate plan that not only reflects their intentions but also minimises the risk of a dispute arising in the future.<br></br>Cushla considers it a privilege to assist clients in all aspects of the administration of deceased estates. In advising executors and beneficiaries, Cushla is empathetic and aware of the impacts of stress and conflict during what is a challenging time. She provides guidance and pragmatic advice through the stages of estate administration, with a focus on resolving disputes that may arise in a sensitive but commercial and cost effective manner and with a view to avoiding litigation where possible.
Qualifications:
Coming soon
Honours & Awards:
Clara Boddice
Solicitor - Estate Litigation
Clara's passion for succession law began when she was an Associate to a District Court Judge in 2018. She understands that the death of a loved one can be an extremely difficult time and litigation can only cause more grief.
From an early age, Clara has had a passion for law. Clara graduated from the Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and was admitted to practice in 2018. Prior to graduating Clara worked at a Medical Defence Organisation, before becoming an Associate to a District Court Judge in 2018. Following her associateship, Clara commenced working in a generalist firm, which sparked her interest in succession law. In 2021, she joined Cornford-Scott Lawyers, specialising in Estate Litigation.
Clara understands that the death of a loved one can be an extremely difficult time and litigation can only cause more grief. She approaches all matters in an empathetic and considerate way to ensure client’s receive appropriate advice tailored to any situation.
SUPPORT TEAM
We also have a wonderful and experienced team behind us which also include:
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Julie Dalling |
Law Graduate |
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Trish Grundon |
Paralegal |
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Jaimey Bauer |
Paralegal |
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Mitchell Quigg |
Paralegal |
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Emily Lin |
Paralegal |
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Belinda Brough |
Operations Manager |
We also have a wonderful and experienced team behind us which also include:
Julie Dalling
Trish Grundon
Jaimey Bauer
Mitchell Quigg
Emily Lin
Belinda Brough
Law Graduate
Paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal
Operations Manager
Liability limited by a scheme approved under professional standards legislation