Lesley Young - Director / Principal

Stacks/Family Law Sydney

Pitt St, Sydney

Lesley was the Founding Director of Stacks the Law Firm’s Sydney office in 1988, going on to establish Stacks/Family Law in 1999. Prior to joining Stacks she worked as a solicitor for Bryden’s Lawyers, specialising in Family Law and Criminal Law, before joining the Stacks Forster office. Lesley has been a practicing solicitor for 24 years and has a wealth of experience in Family Law. A member of the Family Law section of the Law Council of Australia, and a former member of the Law Society’s Family Law Committee, she is a respected and knowledgeable member of the Stacks team.

Lesley has experience in all aspects of Family Law, including Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Property settlements, De Facto Relationship, Wills and Testamentary Trusts, Domestic Violence, Enduring Guardianship, Care cases and Prenuptial Agreements. She receives a number of enquiries regarding Hague Convention matters, a convention that handles international abduction cases. Lesley acted for a client in the reported international child abduction matter of De Lewinski and the Legal Aid Commission of NSW (Appellant), and NSW Department of Community Services (Respondant), a controversial and long running case involving an Australian mother and an American father, where the father filed Hague Convention procedures to have the children returned to Virginia.

Lesley’s caring and compassionate approach when dealing with distressed clients, coupled with her ability to communicate on different levels with many different people, ensures that her clients are made to feel at ease. She has an excellent knowledge of practice and procedure, which she communicates to her clients clearly, keeping them informed throughout each stage of the legal process.

Lesley often gives Family Law talks during Law Week in Sydney, and presents at WEA, an adult education organisation attached to the University of Sydney.

Lesley involves herself in the community through her active participation as a Royal Firefighter, and her Chairmanship of the Archive Committee of her son’s school, which she established. She also sits as Magistrate for the Law Society of NSW Inter-School Mock Trial Competition. Lesley’s spare time is often spent chauffeuring her teenage son to various school sporting activities, reading classical literature and crime fiction, and cooking. She is also a keen traveler and is currently learning to speak Italian.

Lesley’s vast expertise in all areas of Family Law is valued by her clients and colleagues alike.