Norman Hartnell is without doubt THE most fantastic family lawyer. He is so passionate about his work, and that shines through in all of my dealings with him. From the very first contact, I knew that he was the man that I wanted and needed to represent me.

When I first spoke to Norman, I was in a state of despair. I had previously represented myself in a family court matter, and I presented him with what had become a very complex case, and an almost hopeless situation.

It was very important to me that my lawyer believed in me, and didn’t treat me as just another case file. I knew that for me to have any chance of success he would need to have the ability and intelligence to see past fabricated allegations and turn them around on the appropriators, redressing the balance in what had been a very unbalanced case.

Crucially, I knew that he would need to be smart enough to see through clever manipulation, and canny enough to know when to push forward and when to pull back and watch and wait. I don’t believe that there are many people who have the innate ability to do that, or if they do, to have the sheer gusto and passion to take on the appropriators. Our image of lawyers can be (quite unfairly) that they are just in it for the fees. Not so here.

From the very beginning I knew that Norman completely understood the whole matter - two years of case files and very complex twists and turns, and he got it completely. His intelligence and attention to detail are second to none. He misses nothing. His effortless and natural ability to connect with people (even the other involved parties) give him a clear advantage.

It is thanks to Norman Hartnell that my children and I will have a better future. Without his commitment, professionalism and enthusiasm, this would, without doubt, not have been the case.

I feel very fortunate to have come across Norman. It comes as no great surprise to me that he has won lots of awards. He is, in my opinion, the best of the best.