Abraham is the Principal Solicitor of the firm. He started his career in the Automotive Services industry participating in almost every aspect of the industry. It wasn’t until a family tragedy led him to the legal profession that he realised he wanted to take a different direction in his life. Now as a lawyer his aim is to apply his communication skills and business operations knowledge to empower his clients to make sensible decisions and provide the support to help them reach their goals in their lives or in their work and business.
To put it simply, “I don’t want our clients to feel the same way I did when I sought legal help, before I was a lawyer”. His comprehensive understanding of running a business outside legal practice in a different industry allows him, now, as a lawyer, to assist SME’s effectively and to help countless clients. His role in the firm is to focus on Immigration matters where other legal issues arise such as Visa applications for Small to Medium Businesses, Family Law and Criminal matters.
Throughout his career in Financial Services and Asset-Based Lending, Lee has held a number of senior management positions and has served as a Director for several SMEs in England, Europe and Australia. He completed his formal education in finance, accounting, legal studies and compliance and corporate governance; achieving the highest ever grade in the industry examinations and achieving the top FDA student award in England and Wales. Between 2000 and 2007, Lee successfully established several outsourced servicing companies to assist leading Banks and Financiers with Audit, Due Diligence and Risk Management services, whilst concurrently providing private equity and venture capital products to SME’s through Geneva, Switzerland.
After arriving in Australia in 2007, Lee was appointed by a leading non-bank lender to develop a debtor finance product for Australian SMEs. His in-depth knowledge and experience in Credit, Risk and Relationship Management as well as Compliance and Corporate Governance was highly valued. His tenure continued managing the Assurance team and working closely with Legal Stakeholders to develop and implement AML/CTF compliance and APP Privacy policies and reporting across the Group.
Over the last four years, Lee has served as a Partner and Director in the Accounting, Taxation and Advisory sector and developed a Referral Partner Network to deliver a range of financial services to the Australian Market. Recently, Lee also trained as a Legal Mediator with The College of Law in Sydney. Today, Lee is responsible for leading the growth and development of HLS’s entire suite of products and services, whilst providing management support and strategic planning across the Harbourside Legal Group.
Nadine Elhage (B.Bus, LL.B), Senior Solicitor & Registered Migration Agent (M.A.R.N. 138 7697)
Nadine Elhage graduated from the University of Technology Sydney with a Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Law in 2012. She is admitted as a Solicitor in the Supreme Court of NSW and is admitted to practice in the High Court of Australia. Nadine is also a Registered Migration Agent. She was the Judicial and Administrative Merits Review Coordinator at her previous legal role for three years, which enabled her to acquire substantial skills and knowledge in complex immigration matters such as visa refusals, cancellation matters, appeals and Ministerial intervention requests.
Nadine has a deep understanding and interest in immigration law, and deals with a variety of cases including but not limited to:
- Family visas (partner, child, parent, carer, aged-dependent relative, NZ family relationship)
- Employer sponsored visas- 482/186/189 visa applications
- Skilled visas - 189/190 visa applications
- Specialist skills and knowledge in Business and investor visas
- Review applications and submissions to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
- Attendance & representation of clients at hearings of the Migration & Refugee Division of the AAT
- Representing clients in Federal Circuit Court Matters
- Working with Detainees in finding suitable visa options to avoid deportation
- Preparation & submission of complex matters involving character issues health waivers, schedule 3, PIC 4020 (fraud criterion) issues & visa cancellations.
- Protection, Citizenship & Resident Return visa applications (including former permanent residents)
- Preparation of requests/submissions to the Minister for Immigration & Border Protection regarding compelling and exceptional circumstances of the applicant
- Preparing detailed Immigration Advice Statements on the most suitable visa options based on the client’s circumstances & specific legislation
Nadine is now a Senior Migration Lawyer and has extensive experience working with foreign and domestic clients, on various complex migration matters.
Graduating from the University of Western Sydney with a Bachelor of Laws, Rami Yousif was admitted as a lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in July 2015.
Rami’s interest in Australian migration law stems from his story about how he reached Australian shores. After arriving in Australia, his dream was always to become a lawyer and to help people achieve their migration goals. Since graduating from University, Rami volunteered at Legal Aid Commission to help people from war-torn countries file for asylum. Seeing the daily struggles of these people and listening to their harrowing stories have inspired Rami to become a Registered Migration Agent to assist people in obtaining immigrants’ rights.
Rami gains satisfaction from taking the confusion out of legal matters and ensuring that people understand processes without feeling overwhelmed. Rami has a natural understanding of how certain adversities can impact people’s lives. It is, for this reason, Rami has been described by some clients as being not only driven and determined but also caring and empathetic. Rami coordinates and manages all aspects of Australian migration law. He has been involved in the preparation of matters which have proceeded to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
Marina has completed a Bachelor of Forensic Science in 2012 and a Bachelor of Law in 2016 at the Western Sydney University.
In 2018 she was admitted as a Solicitor in the Supreme Court of NSW. Whilst at university Marina began her legal role as a junior clerk and paralegal at a CBD boutique firm specialising in Wills and Estates. She was able to acquire knowledge and skills that have benefited both the general practice and specialised immigration aspects of the firm.
Since Marina’s commencement at the firm, she has been working in a paralegal and administrative capacity. This has enabled Marina to directly assist solicitors practising in different fields of law, with broad ranged responsibilities that encompass the timely and complex preparation of a specific matter. Given the opportunity, Marina would like to utilise her legal training and transfer them to her passion for Criminal Law.
Jo’s interest in Australian immigration law stems from an opportunity to work with a migration agent after graduating from University. Whilst enjoying the complexities and challenges of immigration law, Jo continued her career providing support and assistance to clients through their entire immigration journey; a role she has found extremely rewarding since 2010. Jo is now a qualified Paralegal having worked with a number of Agents and Lawyers in this specialised field. She is finalising her Diploma-in-Law from the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board.
Prior to moving to Australia, Jo worked as a junior lawyer in Thailand dealing with commercial matters. She has also worked as a legal counsel responsible for a high volume of contract preparation and negotiations. Being in this role enabled Jo to gain extensive legal skills in a large corporate environment including commercial contract management with a number of large organisations. In Thailand, Jo is an admitted Barrister-at-Law and has been since 2007.
Jo graduated from the University of Sydney with a Master of Laws and a Master of Taxation. Prior to her Australian qualifications, Jo graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Jo is keen to grow her experience and skills within both Immigration and Commercial Law. She is well versed in negotiating and advising on contracts for a variety of clients, plus, has a particular interest in Property Conveyancing and has experience assisting clients in this particular field of law.
Lise Champion, Office Manager
Lise has worked in the legal profession for over 20 years, initially working as a clerk working on the preparation, lodgement & processing of legal documents.In 2000, Lise wanted to pursue her interest in legal services and undertook her Certificate to become a Legal Secretary and received a High Distinction for her effort.
In February 2001, she successfully completed the NSW Law Society Legal Secretary Program and in 2005, Lise moved from the Central Coast to Sydney when shortly after, she continued her career working with Harbourside Legal Services.
With a broad range of professional experience, Lise now manages the HLS office overseeing the day to day running of conveyance files and the preparation of legal documentation, as well as interacting with numerous Courts and liaising in client matters. Lise also enjoys assisting in the accounts department and working on reception when required.
Ledia Hanna graduated from Flinders University and was admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court of South Australia in November 2013. Whilst at university, Ledia volunteered at the Women’s Legal Service (Adelaide) and worked as a Legal Clerk at criminal law chambers to gain practical experience. After graduation, Ledia then went on to practice in a variety of different areas of law and has gained significant experience working for both small and large law firms. Ledia now specializes in commercial litigation, property and family law.
Ledia is bi-lingual and can speak both English and Arabic. She enjoys assisting clients to meet their goals and works diligently to find commercially viable solutions for the legal matters she undertakes. Due to her extensive practical experience, Ledia also has a strong understanding of how challenging a family law matter can be for all parties involved and balances her pragmatic and client-centric style when managing sensitive and difficult cases. Ledia is an experienced professional and remains focused on having a positive impact on all her clients.
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