Stacey Dowson

Partner

Stacey was admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1996. She has since worked across many areas of law and through various positions in private and community practice. Stacey has worked in numerous community legal centres and has also held the position of director as Women’s Legal Resources. Stacey is also a proud member of one of the board appointed committee of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras board and has been for the past four years. Stacey holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Music Radio and a Bachelor of Laws. Immediately prior to starting her sole legal practice, Dowson Solicitors, in 2003, Stacey was the Principal Solicitor at the University of Technology, Sydney's Law Centre. In 2008, Stacey joined forces with Mary Turco to create Dowson Turco Lawyers. Stacey is the Managing Partner at Dowson Turco.

At Dowson Turco, Stacey's work is diverse. She acts for various clients in:

• Family law and de facto matters for complex gay, lesbian, heterosexual and alternative relationships;
• Various employment disputes including restraint of trade enforcement and contract drafting
• Marketing, trade practices, trade mark infringement and commercial risk advice
• Alternative dispute resolution, including conciliation through the Financial Ombudsman Services
• Strata law advice, by-law drafting and strata dispute resolution
• Estate litigation and planning including drafting simple and complex Wills and acting in family provision claims
• Criminal law, including both summary and indictable drug and traffic offences.

Stacey is a first class lawyer who is never afraid to fight for her clients' rights. Red is her lipstick, fiery is her passion.

Mary Turco

Special Counsel

Mary was admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1984. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of NSW. After several years working in private and non-government legal practices, Mary started her own firm in 1991, Mary Turco Solicitor. She developed her high-level skill set in the areas of generalist property and family law. Mary maintains a thoroughly comprehensive network of peers in the community and is well-regarded as a professional, down-to-earth lawyer who advocates for her clients passionately and productively.

At Dowson Turco, Mary specialises in:

• All kinds of general and complex property matters including conveyancing (purchase and sale), leasing and subdivision, in all Australian states and territories
• Complex Off the Plan purchases and sales
• Family law, including binding financial agreements, parenting plans, family provision claims, gay and lesbian relationships, asset protection and dispute resolution
• Estate work, probate, letters of administration and general estate planning including the drafting of solid, comprehensive Wills.

Mary is a sensitive, straight-shooting, deep-thinking and intelligent professional.

Nicholas Stewart

Partner

Nicholas heads up the criminal and human rights law teams at Dowson Turco. He joined the firm in January 2012 after working for a top tier firm as a corporate lawyer, and working as in-house counsel one of Australia’s largest telecommunications company.

As leader of the DTL crime team, Nicholas takes carriage of serious and indictable matters including fraud, deception, carriage service offences, drug matters (including supply, possession and production offences), assault matters, matters including common assault, affray and sexual assault, matters relating to sharing of intimate images and obscene exposure, and matters involving cybercrime. He has appeared in the Australian Crime Commission, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal, the Supreme Court of NSW, the District Court of NSW (including the Walama List) and the Local Court of NSW, including the Children Court of NSW.

Nicholas works across all courts in Greater Sydney, primarily in the Downing Centre District and Local Courts, the Parramatta Justice Precinct, Waverley Local Court, Gosford Local and District Court, Manly Local Court, Sutherland and Newtown Local Courts.

Nicholas’s human rights practice extends on the DTL criminal law practice, incorporating employment law claims arising from criminal offending, for example. Nicholas also represents clients making discrimination and civil claims against employers and service providers.

Nicholas is the Vice President of New Theatre Properties, Vice President at Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, a casual keynote speaker, a graduate of the Business and Human Rights Program (2018) of the International Bar Association and National Law Council of Australia, and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at the Law Society of New South Wales.

Nicholas holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws. In 2009 Nicholas was awarded the Elizabeth Hastings Memorial Human Rights Award and the UTS:LAW Alumni Association Award. In 2018 Nicholas was awarded the UTS Alumni Award for community contribution. Nicholas is a Friend of Distinction at the University of Technology Sydney and was awarded the Law Society of NSW’s 2022 President’s Medal.

Nicholas led the civil society campaign to bring about a NSW Judicial Commission of Inquiry, to look into agency responses to LGBTQ hate crimes and murders in the 80s, 90s and 00s. He is now working on a push for a Commonwealth Royal Commission to investigate historical hate crimes against the LGBTQ community, across all Australian States and Territories.