Burgess Thomson

Burgess Thomson is a property and conveyancing law firm established in 1984 in Newcastle. The firm is a member of the Law Society of New South Wales, the Newcastle Law Society, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners Australia, the Self Managed Super Fund Association, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australasian Legal Practice Management Association, and the Commercial Law Association of Australia. It is listed in the Doyle’s Guide of the best lawyers and top ranked law firms in NSW and Australia. James Thomson is the Managing Partner.

The team includes Joe Langlois, Law Graduate; Sue Cheal, Senior Paralegal; and paralegals James Crawford, Caitlin Jackson, Chase Lenox, and Charlie Williams. Burgess Thomson serves clients in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, and the broader Hunter region. The firm specialises in property law and conveyancing, wills, estate planning and deceased estates, and business and commercial law. It provides legal advice on residential, commercial and industrial property, including buying and selling property, mortgages and commercial and retail leases.

It specialises in estate planning including wills, testamentary trusts, life interest trusts, enduring powers of attorney and appointments of enduring guardians. It helps with deceased estates, including applications for probate, letters of administration, estate administration, contested will disputes and family provision claims. Its business and commercial lawyers assist with shareholder agreements, business sale and purchase transactions, unit and discretionary trusts and companies, and asset protection. The firm drafts, reviews and implements company power of attorney appointments.

Newcastle buyers and sellers of houses, apartments and off the plan units turn to Burgess Thomson for conveyancing matters, and a point that comes up often is the care taken over contracts, which are checked closely and explained in plain language so that clients sign and exchange with confidence. Principal James Thomson is named for his thorough yet approachable manner and his willingness to telephone when significant details require discussion. Owners selling residential property note clear and prompt updates at each stage, which keeps them informed and reassured.

Various customers describe the firm's estate work as well, covering testamentary documents and guardianship arrangements, along with guidance on superannuation and trusts that maintained consistency across structures. Meetings are said to begin on time, and the wider team is regarded as professional, friendly and efficient. Long-standing clients mention returning over many years for property transactions and estate planning alike, and off the plan purchases are viewed as benefiting from the practice's experience, providing peace of mind through to completion.