Cameron Cowley was a studious kid, one who always tried to take things seriously and put the time in when it mattered. He suspects that’s why he likes the law, because it arms him with the knowledge and skills needed to make important things happen for regional and rural families – a role he relishes at Roberts + Morrow, Armidale.

 

Cameron Cowley is an accidental lawyer of sorts, at least that’s how he describes it. The thing is, he studied law, this part is true – but he did so with the intention of shifting into foreign affairs. But after graduating from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, he tried out a number of different roles. His favourite of them all? A lawyer.

“It took me by surprise, that’s for sure,” says Cameron. “But something about it hooked me in and I ended up working at a firm called Paxton-Hall for 10 years.”

During his time there, Cameron kept busy doing commercial law and estate planning, while his wife took an eight-year career hiatus to care for their three children. And yet, she also managed to complete a PHD (#hero) and was ultimately offered a full-time role at Armidale’s University of New England. Despite only ever visiting Armidale once for a sporting trip as a teenager (with his core memory being how freezing it was), Cameron and his wife seized the opportunity to move regionally. Luckily, Cameron arranged to continue on with Paxton-Hall in a remote, part-time capacity.

“After 18 months though, I realised the whole sitting downstairs in my office, alone with my cat, probably wasn’t entirely healthy for me,” he says.

“You’ve got to remember it was before Covid, so remote work and virtual meetings weren’t really a thing. It meant I missed out on a lot of client interaction and had no time with my co-workers. I grew dissatisfied and knew it wasn’t for me in the long-term, so I took a casual position at UNE teaching business and tax law.”

Pretty soon after, Cameron then realised teaching also wasn’t for him in the long-term, instead joining another Armidale firm, Moin Morris Schaeffer. He was there for the next seven years, five of which he continued his part-time, remote hours with Paxton-Hall.

“That’s a pretty unusual set up, and I was lucky that during that entire time not a single conflict between the firms arose,” says Cameron. “But by 2024 I was ready for a change, that’s when I was lucky enough to secure a full-time role with Paul Williams, the Principal of the Roberts + Morrow legal team. I’ve been here ever since.”

It’s true, and he’s loving it – finding his greatest joy when helping clients with their estate planning, particularly when there are multiple moving parts to consider. Whether it’s a family trust, a trading enterprise, or a farming property owned by the grandparents that has never been transferred – Cameron’s on hand to craft both estate and succession plans that will serve rural families well for years to come.

“I’m here to iron out all the details, outline tax consequences and long-term financial planning considerations with the support of our relevant teams here at Roberts + Morrow,” he says.

“It can be complicated at times, without a doubt, but I aim to give our clients an estate plan in which they’ve driven all the decisions. I want to arm them with all the information they need to banish overwhelm, make their own choices and drive it forward – that’s when I know the end result will be implemented in a way that works best for the family.”

As for challenges along the way – it all comes down to timing. Cameron explains that they will always help people achieve the best estate outcomes, but there are occasions when he can see they’d be in a better position if they’d reached out sooner.

“By saying that, I mean that there would have been better options available to them if they’d come to us two, or even up to five years earlier. I think it’s important for people to know this, to learn that it really is the case of ‘the earlier the better’ when getting your estate and succession plans under control.

“We’re also well supported when it comes to those tricky scenarios that involve either a family or business relationship breakdown. You see, people come to see me as a lawyer, thinking they’ve got a legal problem, but it turns out sometimes they’ve actually got a relationship problem.”

That does sound tricky, and can vary from long-term business partnerships breaking down to family disputes that breach generations. But Cameron is certain of finding a way to assist, moderate the outcome, temper the detriment and manage it in a way to ensure everyone gets out of the partnership at the least cost, with the least amount of conflict and the most amount of fairness.

“This is going to sound really nerdy, but we also do the very best we can to not lose sight of the tax,” adds Cameron. “Because if they break up in the wrong way, they can end up with a million dollar tax bill that is completely unnecessary and that can have a significant impact on their post-breakup lives.”

Some say nerdy, we say ‘exceptionally wise’ and ‘exactly the kind of person we want in our corner when it comes to all things estate planning’.

Need help getting your ducks in a row? 

Do you need an extra set of hands and a sharp law mind to assist with your estate planning? Remember what Cameron said – the earlier the better! Get in touch with Cameron and the wider Roberts + Morrow team today.

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