Elise is a Principal Lawyer at Hitch and is admitted to the High Court of Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Financial Administration (Accounting), a Bachelor of Laws, and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.
Elise brings a rare combination of legal precision, financial acumen, and genuine human compassion to every matter she handles. She understands that family law proceedings are rarely just legal disputes - they are among the most profound and life-altering experiences a person can face. Elise is deeply committed to guiding her clients through these moments with sensitivity, clarity, and unwavering support, ensuring they feel heard, protected, and empowered at every stage of the process.
Family Violence & Domestic Violence Matters
Elise has extensive experience representing clients affected by family violence, having been involved in hundreds of Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) applications across her more than decade-long career, having obtained countless final ADVO orders as well as sole parental responsibility and ‘no time’ orders.
She understands the urgency, complexity, and emotional weight that family violence matters carry, and acts swiftly and decisively to protect her clients and their children. Elise has acted as a Legal Aid accredited Duty Lawyer for both family law and domestic violence matters, and approaches these types of matters with the sensitivity and tactical skill they demand, whether that be securing urgent interim orders for the removal of a person from a home or navigating long-term safety planning alongside broader family law proceedings through personal protection injunctive orders.
Complex Parenting Matters
Elise is a highly experienced advocate in complex parenting disputes, including matters involving family violence, substance misuse, mental health, parental alienation, and risk to children. She has completed the National Legal Aid Independent Children’s Lawyer Training Program and has acted as an Independent Children’s Lawyer, giving her a unique perspective on how the Court weighs the best interests of children. Elise regularly appears in proceedings at all levels of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, and has represented clients in contravention applications, as well as international child abduction matters under the Hague Convention.
Her approach in parenting matters is always child-focused and strategic, with a clear understanding of when to negotiate and when to fight, while keeping the children’s best interests as the focus.
Property & Financial Matters
Elise’s dual qualifications in law and accounting set her apart from most family lawyers in Australia. Her financial expertise gives her an exceptional ability to analyse and scrutinise complex asset pools, including trusts, business structures, self-managed superannuation funds, and internationally held assets. She has acted for clients with significant and sophisticated financial interests, and is adept at working alongside forensic accountants, valuers, and other experts to ensure her clients receive an accurate and fair assessment of the marital pool.
Elise has also acted for numerous clients with assets and interests overseas, bringing international experience to cross-border property matters.
Mediation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
Elise is a strong advocate for resolving family law matters outside of the courtroom wherever possible, recognising the significant emotional and financial toll that litigation can take on families. She has extensive experience in mediation, conciliation, and arbitration, and works collaboratively with clients to identify opportunities for resolution that protect their interests without the cost and uncertainty of a contested hearing.
Elise approaches mediation strategically - thoroughly prepared, commercially minded, and focused on outcomes that are durable and workable for her clients and their families.
Parenting Coordination
Elise is one of a select group of practitioners in Australia who is a qualified Parenting Coordinator. She has been involved in Parenting Coordination since its inception in Australia in approximately 2016 and brings deep expertise to this evolving area of practice. Parenting Coordination offers separated families a structured, cost-effective alternative to returning to court each time conflict arises, and Elise is passionate about its capacity to support high-conflict families in developing more functional co-parenting relationships for the long-term benefit of their children.
Child Support
Elise advises clients on all aspects of child support, including assessments under the Child Support Scheme, departures from administrative assessments, private Binding Child Support Agreements, and enforcement of child support obligations.
She understands that child support disputes are often deeply intertwined with parenting and property matters and provides integrated, practical advice that takes the full picture into account.
A Lawyer You Can Trust
Elise takes pride in assisting clients to reach commercial, practical, and cost-effective outcomes. She handles every matter with a strategic and grounded approach - always with one eye on resolution and the other firmly on her client’s position should litigation become necessary.
She is regarded by colleagues as a strong yet amiable advocate, and her clients regularly refer family, friends, and colleagues to her - a reflection of the trust she builds and the results she achieves. Throughout what is often the most difficult chapter of a person’s life, Elise’s clients consistently feel that they are in safe, capable, and caring hands.