Julia is the founder and principal of Julia Clarke Solicitor and one of the Hunter Region’s most experienced criminal law practitioners - bringing decades of courtroom experience and a fierce commitment to her clients’ rights.

Julia established the firm with a clear purpose: to provide individuals, families and businesses in East Maitland and the wider Hunter Region with access to skilled, approachable and results-focused legal representation. That purpose shapes everything the firm does.

Her practice is anchored in criminal law and family law, where she has built a formidable reputation across the Local and District Courts. Julia represents clients across the full spectrum of criminal matters - from bail applications and AVOs through to serious charges including assault, fraud, drug offences and sexual crimes. She is Legal Aid approved and deeply committed to ensuring that every client receives skilled and vigorous representation.

In family law, Julia brings particular depth of experience to complex and high-stakes matters. She has extensive experience in difficult parenting disputes - including matters involving allegations of family violence, substance abuse, mental health, relocation and the intersection of criminal and family law proceedings. Julia understands that family law matters are rarely just legal problems: they involve real people at some of the most difficult points of their lives, and she approaches every matter with the combination of compassion and tenacity her clients need.

She also offers a fixed price consent orders service for parties who have reached agreement, including acting as jointly instructed solicitor for both parties where appropriate - a practical and cost-effective option that many separating couples find valuable.

Julia is known for her ability to cut through complexity and give clients a clear-eyed assessment of where they stand and what their options are. Whether negotiating with prosecutors or appearing before a judge, she brings the same focus and determination to every matter.

Dan brings a combination of real-life experience, frontline advocacy and genuine community commitment to his legal practice - all shaped by more than two decades of professional life before he ever set foot in a law firm.

He completed his legal studies at the University of Sydney through the Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB), as part of a career change later in life - a decision that brought together his years of real-world experience with a long-held interest in the law. Before that, he spent more than two decades in higher education, where he became deeply involved in industrial and employee relations, eventually serving as Branch President of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).

Dan now works across a wide range of areas that reflect the kinds of problems real people actually face: wills and estate planning, probate and estate administration, family provision claims, family law, property law, employment law, and criminal law. He takes the time to explain what is actually going on, works with you to find the most sensible path forward, and makes sure your voice is heard when it matters.

Dan has a particular knack for attracting unusual and complex matters - and a reputation for navigating them with quiet confidence. He regularly acts in contested property settlements involving significant or atypical asset pools, including businesses, farming properties, superannuation interests and trust structures. His estate work frequently involves tangled family circumstances, competing claims and assets that do not fit a standard template. Clients and referring solicitors alike have noted that Dan approaches complexity not as an obstacle but as the part of the job where careful thinking makes the real difference. He also has considerable experience working with high net worth clients, advising on the legal dimensions of significant wealth, complex asset structures and the particular sensitivities that come with high-value matters.

Access to skilled, committed legal representation should not depend on how deep your pockets are, and Dan takes that seriously. He has volunteered with the Far West Community Legal Centre and served as Cooperative Legal Service Delivery Coordinator - a Legal Aid funded role working to improve access to justice across the Far West region of New South Wales.

Outside the office, Dan is a keen aviator holding both fixed-wing and helicopter licences, a passion he tries to make the most of in the moments his wife and three children can spare him.