Team of Dedicated Legal Experts in Southport 

Barry is the Managing Director and Legal Practice Director of Thornton Legal and leads the Thornton Legal team. He started the firm in 2009 after an extensive legal career which began in Brisbane and then on the Gold Coast, with more than 16 years at Price & Roobottom where he was its Commercial Law Partner for 11 years and then the firm’s Managing Partner.

He grew up in Brisbane’s Southside and graduated from QUT with degrees in Business and Law. Barry moved to the Gold Coast in 1992 where he and his family have embraced the Gold Coast lifestyle. Barry has three children of whom is extremely proud.

Barry’s legal background began with litigation and then wills and estates, and he is now focused around advising business clients. For him, the most satisfying aspect of his work is giving clients peace of mind and in particular giving clients certainty over their legal needs where things might otherwise be uncertain, unfair or just scary.

Away from the legal world, Barry describes himself as a keen social tennis player and occasional golfer and enthusiastic sports spectator. Barry also is a key member of Crosslife - a Baptist church at its Helensvale campus.

Lana handles Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney, estate planning, estate administration, estate litigation plus some leasing and general commercial work.

She has been a part of Thornton Legal since its inception and before that was part of the Price & Roobottom team where she began as a receptionist in 1996, straight from school, and went on to study law. Lana chose law as a career field as she wanted something that would be challenging and intellectually stimulating.

She spent some time working at Ayers Rock then five years with a Sydney law firm before returning to the Gold Coast in 2006 where she grew up. She is a past student of Emmanuel College and also attends Newlife Uniting Church at Robina. Her high school sweetheart and now husband is an accountant and the couple have three young children, two of whom who are studying at Emmanuel College.

Away from the office Lana has interests in sewing, cake decorating, cooking and yoga.

Rob brings a quirky sense of humour to his role as a solicitor with Thornton Legal, describing his non-lawyer office functions as “Change the light-bulbs, swap the water bottles, eat everyone’s leftovers and occasionally assist with legal work”.

In fact, Rob handles most of the firm’s leasing and commercial legal work as well as many of the more litigious matters which come into the firm. He also assists with wills and estate litigation matters.

Rob joined the firm in 2011 and notes that originally he did not intend to practice law, but embarked on a career in finance. After a stint in investment banking he moved into a role with a youth and children’s charity helping young people for several years, including as a Chaplain.

Rob enjoys finding “win-win” outcomes for our clients, particularly in commercial contexts where maintaining business relationships is a key need, is also embracing the challenge of upskilling in the area of mediation.

He gets a real ‘buzz’ from helping people and thrives on working for a firm that genuinely cares for its clients and the wider community and whose core values align with his own.

Rob grew up in NSW but moved to the Gold Coast for high school and, other than a stint in investment banking in Sydney, regards himself as a committed Gold Coaster .

The plight of young people and families on the Gold Coast remains a passion of his. He is part of the leadership team at Beachside Christian Church in Palm Beach.

Outside work his interests traverse surfing, the Mermaid Beach lifestyle and rugby league. He is a passionate Wests Tigers fan.

Debbie has worked in the law for all of her working life. For the last number of years this has involved her being immersed in the world of conveyancing, seeing to it that parties successfully complete the sale or purchase of their chosen property.

Bright and bubbly, nothing gets Debbie down as she churns her way through her conveyancing load. Committed to making the complex world of conveyancing as accessible to her clients as she can make it, Debbie loves the satisfaction of making the process as trouble-free as she can for her clients, whether first home buyers or experienced property investors.

Originally from rural New South Wales, Debbie enjoys living on acreage at Upper Coomera with her husband and two children. 

Carla is our receptionist greeting you when you call our office.

Nikki is our Accounts Manager.