Theresa Dowling

Partner

Wills & Estates, Estate Litigation

“Theresa’s warmth and approachability together with her extensive understanding and experience in estate planning and disputes make her the right person to advise you and your family now and throughout your lifetime.”

Theresa Dowling - DDCS Lawyers Canberra

Theresa is a highly capable wills, estates and business succession lawyer with over 15 years of experience in legal practice in the ACT and NSW.

As an estate planner, Theresa works together with clients and key advisors to identify and manage risk, and to implement an estate plan that is effective and dynamic. Her key skill set includes wills, testamentary and inter vivos trusts, enduring powers of attorney, binding death benefit nominations, and statutory wills. Theresa’s extensive experience in estate planning makes her an ideal advisor for succession of large or complex estates (including those involving multi-entity business or trust structures) or difficult family dynamics.

Theresa is particularly passionate about delivering the positive impacts of succession planning to rural and regional families, businesses, and communities, where Theresa's rural background gives her a particular insight and understanding of the unique challenges faced.

Theresa’s practice also encompasses complex probate and administration matters including contested grants of representation, large or complex estates, and bankrupt estates.

Theresa is also a proficient litigator in estate disputes who always considers the commercial imperative and aims to assist clients in achieving early and cost-effective outcomes in estate disputes. Theresa has extensive experience in family provision matters, capacity cases, and contested probate.

Theresa has completed a Master’s Degree in Applied Laws (Wills and Estates) and is consistently recognised by the annual Doyle’s Guide to the Legal Profession. Theresa is an active member of the ACT Law Society and the ACT Women Lawyers’ Association.

Awards

Recommended Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyer, Canberra 2023 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer, Australia 2023 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyer, Canberra 2022 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer, Australia 2022 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyer, Canberra 2021 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer, Australia 2021 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyer, Canberra 2020 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer, Australia 2020 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyer, Canberra 2019 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Recommended Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer, Australia 2017 (Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession)

Qualifications

Masters of Applied Laws (Wills & Estates) (The College of Law, NSW)

Admission to Legal Practice (The Supreme Court of the ACT)

Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (Australian National University)

Bachelor of Laws (University of Canberra)

Bachelor of Communications (University of Canberra)