Jim ParkeLLB LLM(QUT) MJuris(Bond) MSc(Oxf)CA CAHRI FAICD FCG FCPA FCSI FGIA FIML MBCILawyer | Chartered Accountant | Accredited Specialist (Commercial Law)

Jim Parke, Managing Director of Parke Lawyers, is a lawyer, Chartered Accountant and Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law. Admitted in 1991, he advises high net worth individuals and families, business owners, executors and trustees on complex estate planning, business succession, estate litigation, commercial law, corporate governance and employment law.

Jim advises on the succession of wealth and business interests. His advice addresses the relationships between wills, trusts, companies, superannuation and family arrangements, with careful attention to control, continuity and the potential for future disputes. He develops succession arrangements that reflect clients’ personal wishes, family circumstances and business objectives.

His estate litigation practice includes high-value disputes involving contested wills, family provision claims, executors, trustees and competing interests in estates and family wealth. He has acted in litigation concerning a multibillion-dollar estate, as well as other major contested estate matters. He brings a strategic approach to assessing claims, preparing evidence, negotiating resolutions and conducting litigation, working closely with counsel and other advisers.

In commercial law, Jim advises on business structures, transactions, shareholder arrangements, corporate governance and commercial disputes. His legal and accounting qualifications enable him to examine the financial and practical implications alongside the legal issues. He assists business owners, directors and boards with decisions affecting ownership, management, risk and business continuity.

Jim frequently advises other lawyers on technical legal questions, strategic issues and the conduct of challenging matters.

In employment law, Jim acts almost exclusively for employers. He advises businesses, boards and senior management on workplace investigations, disciplinary processes, termination, employment disputes and sensitive workplace decisions. He works with some of Australia’s leading King’s Counsel on complex employment matters, combining detailed preparation with advice directed to the employer’s legal and commercial objectives.

Jim is accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as a Specialist in Commercial Law and recognised by Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyer and a Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer. He is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of CPA Australia, and holds Masters degrees from the Queensland University of Technology, Bond University and the University of Oxford. His professional fellowships include the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Governance Institute of Australia and the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland. He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession.

Alongside his practice, Jim has held public and community leadership roles. He served twice as Mayor of Boroondara, in 2015–2016 and 2017–2018, and as a community member of the Adult Parole Board of Victoria from 2014–2017. He was the first Australian elected President of Crime Stoppers International.