About Us

De Saxe O’Neill Family Lawyers serves the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Offering support during life’s most challenging phases. We are a local family law firm known for our commitment to providing assistance and guidance. Our firm has been recognised as a distinguished ‘Leading Family and Divorce Law Firm’ for 2024 by Doyles Guide.

Our team of ten professionals specialise in a broad spectrum of legal areas. Including Family Law, Collaborative Law, Deceased Estates, and Mediation and Family Dispute Resolution (FDR). We stand ready to address your specific needs, offering proactive and comprehensive support throughout your journey.

Unlike traditional firms, we offer a private and supportive space to discuss how we can address your particular needs. When required, we will use family-friendly processes and if needed, will talk to your support network and your former partner’s lawyer. If you need tough representation in court, our Northern Beaches firm will be there to help guide you.

Our first choice in separation and divorce however, is to use alternative methods. We engage other professionals such as mediators, financial advisors and counsellors to assist you and your family to get through this difficult time.

Get in touch with our expert family lawyers at De Saxe O’Neill via our contact page or call us on 02 9948 3820. Your journey to resolution, support, and peace of mind begins with us.

Why Us

As a small Northern Beaches family law firm,
we offer a flexible, personal service to our clients:

We adapt our approach for every family, whether a gentler or a tougher approach is needed

We know people are not keen on seeing a divorce lawyer but once you come and see us, we will support you all the way through

Located in a small, discreet building, we offer our combined expertise and technology to deliver excellent advice and service

We are experts in our field with both Directors Accredited Specialists in Family Law, and choose to practice in select areas of law which we know and can deliver to you at a high level

Our Team

Janine De Saxe – Director

Janine is a highly experienced family lawyer, having practised in all aspects of Family Law for over 30 years. Janine places great importance on keeping families out of court.

Margie O’Neill – Director

Margie is experienced in all areas of family law including parenting, property settlements, Hague Convention matters, relocation and recovery applications, same-sex and defacto matters.

Kirstie Barfoot – Senior Associate

Kirstie Barfoot is an accredited specialist in family law. She joined De Saxe O’Neill Family Lawyers in August 2022 as our Senior Associate. Kirstie previously worked for many years in the family law section of a mid-sized law firm. Kirstie has always practised exclusively in family law. She completed her Master of Laws (majoring in […]

Linda Lu – Associate

Linda’s main practice areas are within family law and estate planning. Linda attends divorce hearings conducts parenting and property settlement negotiations and proceedings in the Federal Circuit Court and Family Court of Australia.

Caitlin Hutchings – Family Lawyer

Caitlin is a family lawyer who joined our team in 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University. Caitlin has also completed her Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. Her professional journey has been single-mindedly dedicated to the field of family law since her admission to the legal profession. […]

Shelley Keeble – Administrative Assistant

Shelley brings significant value to our team with her recent completion of a Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University in 2022. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and a Graduate Diploma in International Studies from the University of Sydney. Having joined our team in October 2022, Shelley manages reception and various administrative […]

Lynne Pursley – Accounts Manager

Lynne plays a pivotal role at De Saxe O’Neill Family Lawyers as the Accounts Manager. Earlier in her career, she dedicated 17 years to working as a legal secretary. Lynne also embarked on a unique journey in the exhibition and events industry for an extended period. Lynne’s presence brings a cheerful dimension to our team […]