Managing Director of Chamberlains, Stipe Vuleta, always strives to break the mold of the traditional lawyer to find new and innovative ways to support his clients through the toughest of times. No matter how uncertain things may seem, Stipe is a guiding hand to both his clients and peers.

Over the course of his career, Stipe has earned the respect and gratitude of numerous company directors and individuals whom he has guided through financial hardship, insolvency, bankruptcy, and business reconstruction. Often the youngest person in the room, his insights draw the attention of even the most seasoned professionals.

With a deep understanding of accountancy and the everchanging business landscape, Stipe engages insolvency practitioners with his expertise on topics ranging from extending convening periods and remuneration approval to recovering voidable transactions and conducting public examinations. His experience spanning across large British and Australian multinationals in the consumer goods, manufacturing, and retail sectors, Stipe has tackled complex and high-profile cases that many lawyers only read about, often dealing with cross-border transaction and various international jurisdictions. His professional mantra is simple: being a lawyer is easy, but being a good lawyer is hard.

As the leader of our Insolvency & Restructuring and Strategic Advisory divisions, Stipe focuses on insolvency, bankruptcy, restructuring, business reconstruction, tax disputes, shareholder and co-owner disputes, and commercial debt recovery. He serves clients nationwide, including in Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, Brisbane, Perth, and online.

Stipe’s excellence is well-recognised, with numerous awards and accolades highlighting his quick wit and commitment to excellence. If you need the best and brightest to rescue your distressed assets, Stipe is not only your go-to expert, but someone who will have your back from start to finish.

Sayward’s practical, methodical and focused approach to legal practice consistently brings her clients the results they seek.

These are traits she has cultivated not only through studying the law, but from her background in equine science and her work in the horse industry, where efficiency and commerciality are also key issues for clients.

In addition to her insolvency work with personal clients, SMEs and insolvency practitioners, Sayward heads up Chamberlains’ specialist equine law service.

One of the few Canberra-based specialists in this field, Sayward offers legal advice on everything from buying and selling horses to dispute resolution.

She is also a keen dressage rider and is producing her own young dressage prospect.

Neil started at Chamberlains Law Firm as a paralegal in early 2016, and is currently an Associate in the Litigation – Insolvency & Restructuring Team in our Canberra office. He was admitted as a solicitor in the ACT Supreme Court in 2019 and he is also admitted to the High Court of Australia. Neil’s areas of specialisation include corporate & personal insolvency and commercial litigation including contractual disputes, debt recovery, building & construction disputes, consumer disputes, unit title management and owners corporation disputes, franchise disputes and agency matters. He assists clients from all across Australia and frequently appears in Courts in ACT and NSW as well as the Federal Court of Australia.

Neil developed a deep interest in his areas of specialisation at a very young age and he recognises the important role that lawyers play in serving clients during times of need. Neil prides himself in assisting his clients in a creative and efficient manner to simplify complicated and protracted legal disputes for clients and to achieve a desirable outcome.

Neil’s witty humour and enthusiasm in the office is cherished by his colleagues. He is not only the go to litigation lawyer and advocate within our Sydney office, but he is also responsible for running the annual Pool Tournament at Chamberlains Law Firm. During his spare time, Neil is an avid hiker and traveller, and he remains deeply involved with his global Hare Krishna community. Neil usually spends his annual leave with his family between India and Slovenia, however he is currently planning a trip to Madagascar next year. Neil can also fluently speak 4 languages with mastering Croatian as his next mission.

Neil knows that being a good lawyer requires a commitment to ongoing development in this field and he intends to use his high values and passion for his work and his clients to carve his own path in this industry.

Sam has a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) from the University of Wollongong. Before joining Chamberlains as a lawyer in the Commercial, Tax and Litigation teams, Sam previously worked as an M&A Advisor and has advised on numerous large national and international transactions.

As the firms business development officer, Sam works closely with the Chamberlains marketing team to help raise the national profile of Chamberlains, acquire new clients, and expand existing relationships.

Thomas is an Associate at our Canberra office where he works across the firm’s Litigation, Insolvency and Strategic Advisory teams, and is also the go-to advocate for other teams based in the Canberra office or requiring assistance with ACT court matters.

Raised on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Thomas obtained a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from Macquarie University in 2017 while undertaking work experience in legal publishing, and in 2018 was admitted to practice as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of New South Wales. From the beginning, Thomas’ legal practice has been marked by a litigation focus and a multi-jurisdictional application, beginning with two years in Sydney private practice running negligence claims in the Local and District Courts of New South Wales and the Magistrates Court of Victoria, where he developed proficiency in commercial negotiation and courtroom advocacy.

In 2020, Thomas moved to Canberra to join the Human Rights Law Alliance as their litigation specialist, where he provided litigation and advisory services in employment, anti-discrimination and human rights disputes to clients in every Australian State and Territory, as well as in Federal jurisdiction. His capacity for effective strategic litigation grounded on hard work and high-quality preparation and research was frequently commended by colleagues, barristers and even on one occasion by a former Justice of the High Court of Australia.

After three years of human rights litigation, Thomas commenced postgraduate studies with the Australian National University in 2024 to sharpen his commercial focus and increase his capacity as an effective advocate. Since joining Chamberlains in 2025 as a commercial litigator and insolvency lawyer, Thomas now appears frequently in ACAT, the ACT Magistrates and Supreme Courts, several NSW Courts and the Federal Court of Australia, in which he vigorously advocates for the best possible outcome for his clients. His colleagues recognise him as a diligent advocate who never comes before the Court without careful preparation, a coherent plan and a persuasive case to argue in support of his client’s interests.

In his spare time Thomas enjoys cooking, reading, cycling, puzzles, hiking with his wife around Canberra or regional New South Wales, and returning to the Northern Beaches of Sydney a couple of times each year to swim around in the waves.

Bio coming soon…

Grace started at Chamberlains Law Firm as a Paralegal in 2021 based in our Newcastle office. Currently, Grace works in our Insolvency & Litigation team and our Strategic Advisory team. In this role, Grace assists corporate clients in relation to restructuring their business, tax implications, asset protection and general strategic corporate advice. Grace also assists with matters involving corporate and personal insolvency, advising both individuals and insolvency practitioners, and assisting them throughout their matter.

Grace has had extensive experience as a member of our Workplace Law team and continues to assist in the day-to-day running of matters involving employees and employers with issues relating to their employment and general running of their businesses. Following on from Grace’s Workplace Law experience, she also assists our People & Culture team nationally.

Most recently, Grace has taken the Newcastle marketing under her wing and is now one of our Legal Development Officers, working closely with the marketing team to assist in raising the profile of our firm in its expansion into the Newcastle and Hunter area. In her capacity as a Legal Development Officer Grace uses the combination of her keen insight into a variety of legal fields and her down to earth, pragmatic approach to problem solving to marry up clients with solutions that will best suit them.

Transitioning into the legal field following 9 years in corporate insolvency, restructuring and advisory, Lachlan brings a unique blend of expertise and insight to the Chamberlains team. Lachlan completed his combined Bachelor of Laws and Arts, Psychology in 2020, and subsequently obtained admission as a member of the Chartered Accountants ANZ in 2023.

Based in our Canberra office, Lachlan operates in our Insolvency and Restructuring team in Canberra, where he also practices Strategic Advisory. His extensive background in corporate insolvency and restructuring allows him to provide clients with comprehensive and strategic solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Lachlan focuses on delivering timely, strategic solutions to clients, with the aim of providing accurate, ethical, and commercially sound advice.

Outside of work, Lachlan divides his time between playing soccer, watching rugby league, soccer and cricket, attempting to train for a marathon and bird-watching.

Annabel commenced her career at Chamberlains Law Firm as a Paralegal in the Canberra office in 2023. During this time, she gained valuable hands‑on experience and exposure to a wide range of matters, providing her with a strong foundation in legal practice. Annabel has since transitioned to the Sydney office, where she now works as a Law Graduate within the firm’s Litigation & Strategic Advisory Team.

She recently completed a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University. Her experience working across two jurisdictions and offices has given her insight into different client needs, working styles, and approaches to legal problem‑solving, experience she brings to every matter she works on.

Driven by a genuine passion for advocacy and achieving practical outcomes, Annabel approaches her work with diligence, curiosity, and care. This passion underpins her commitment to supporting clients through complex legal and commercial challenges and contributes to her thoughtful, detail‑oriented approach.

In her current role, Annabel assists on matters involving corporate and personal insolvency and commercial litigation, including debt recovery, contractual disputes, and consumer disputes.

Outside of the office, Annabel is learning how to play the guitar and enjoys spending time with friends over a cup of coffee.