People
Elizabeth Connolly, BA, LLB, Grad Dip Legal Studies, Masters Conflict Management
Principal Lawyer, Notary, Mediator, Registered Migration Agent 0956932
Elizabeth Connolly founded Connolly & Co Lawyers in 1994. She practices in the areas of Business, Property and Immigration Law and acts as a Costs Consultant. As a Notary Public and registered Migration Agent she deals with people from many countries and cultural backgrounds and is committed to assisting in the development of Australia's great and successful diversity.
Before and during her legal studies, she founded and developed several businesses that grew to be quite large. She now applies her unique understanding of business ownership in her creative approach to the practice of law.
Her past Ministerial advisory appointments have included the National Advisory Council on Consumer Affairs, and Small Business bodies at Federal and State Government level. She has represented Australia as an Expert on Small & Medium Enterprises at the United Nations in Geneva and has taken up several requests to speak at international and national conferences on Small & Medium Enterprise.
She is completing post-graduate studies in Urban & Regional Development at the University of South Australia.
Quinton Swanepoel, B Juris, LLB (University of South Africa)
Foreign Lawyer & Law Clerk
Before coming to Australia Quinton served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the South African Army and was the Head of a Regional Legal Department where he had served variously as lawyer and/or prosecutor in various fields of law including providing advanced legal advice at Senior Executive Level, drafting international agreements of a Public Law nature, conducting and overseeing Investigations and Boards of Inquiry, combating money laundering and racketeering, Human Rights Law, Medico Legal Law, Employment/Human Resources Law, Criminal Litigation and Civil Litigation.
At Connolly & Co he works in the areas of Civil Litigation, Property, Commercial and Costing Law as a highly skilled paralegal under supervision, while undertaking necessary studies to obtain admission as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of South Australia.
Quinton is fluent in the English and Afrikaans languages.
Maria del Carmen Tirado Lagunes, Bachelor of Law & Masters Corporate Law (Mexico)
Paralegal
Recently arrived from Mexico MariCarmen previously worked as a senior, executive specialist lawyer for a Canadian Bank in Mexico City for several years. While preparing to commence studies to enable her to qualify to practice law in Australia she brings considerable experience to the firm.
Fluent in both English and Spanish languages, at Connolly & Co Lawyers MariCarmen works as a Costing and Migration Paralegal.
Chris Winzar
Business Development & Migration Paralegal
Chris Winzar is a graduate of NIDA at the University of NSW in Sydney. He has lived and worked extensively in the Indian subcontinent, South East and East Asia over a forty-year period.
His areas of expertise include cultural, trade, business and paralegal work for both the government and private sectors throughout Asia.
Chris brings this extensive knowledge to bear in the development of business opportunities for Connolly & Co and its clients in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Christine Squires, BA, Grad Dip Library Studies, LLB, Grad Dip Legal Studies
Paralegal
Although electing not to hold a solicitor's practicing certificate after a period of ill health, Christine Squires brings a wide variety of experience, skills and knowledge to the firm. Formerly a senior lawyer she brings great knowledge and expertise to her work as a Paralegal, principally in Research, Costing and Assets & Estates at Connolly & Co Lawyers.
Diogo Kamada, B Comm, Advanced Dip Accounting
Accounts Officer
Originally from Brazil Diogo has made Australia his permanent home. He manages all the accounting and financial functions within Connolly & Co Lawyers.
He is fluent in Portugese and English, speaks and reads Spanish and is learning French.
Chai-Hui Phie, BA
Paralegal
Chai was awarded her Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Adelaide in 2007. After some overseas travel and working in one of Dublin's leading Intellectual Property Law firms she returned to Adelaide and is about to complete a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide.
She has worked at Connolly & Co since 2005 in Administrative, then Research and Law Clerk roles.