Ioanita Gentles

Ioanita is a highly experienced family lawyer who has focused exclusively on family law for the past 25 years. She joins PCL Lawyers as Special Counsel, having assisted clients across New South Wales achieve optimal outcomes, utilising negotiation, mediation and advocacy skills.

Over the course of her career, Ioanita has managed an extensive range of family law matters, from straightforward advice to protracted and complex disputes. Her experience includes advising on matrimonial and de facto property matters involving businesses and trusts. She regularly assists clients by negotiating financial settlements, resolving spousal maintenance disputes, and applications to set aside financial agreements and consent orders, where appropriate.

Ioanita acts for clients in all types of parenting disputes, including those involving relocation (both international and interstate), family violence, parents with substance abuse issues, cases where neglect, child and/or sexual abuse is alleged, and child support agreements. She also assists step-parents and close relatives with applications to adopt a child and on obtaining or opposing orders permitting children to travel overseas.

Her clients consistently commend her professionalism, sound judgement, and steadfast commitment throughout the process. A keen collaborative practitioner, Ioanita believes this approach is essential to achieving the best outcomes for clients in their family law disputes, where individual parties respect one another and can be respectful to one another during the collaborative process.  Ioanita prefers the collaborative approach as it generally benefits families operating in a respectful and amicable way that continues after settlement is completed.

Naturally approachable, Ioanita understands the emotional toll that separation and divorce can take. Clients can rely on her for prompt, expert legal advice with options generated to suit their individual and family needs.

Ioanita began her career in civil and personal injury litigation in London and Auckland before being called to the Bar in Auckland, and she successfully ran her own family law firm servicing Sydney and New South Wales clientele for almost a decade.

She is a member of the Law Society of NSW and its Family Law Section, Resolution Institute, a founding member of the Australian Association of Collaborative Professionals and a member of Collaborative Professionals (NSW). She holds a Master of Applied Law (Family Law) from the College of Law, Sydney and Accredited Mediator since 2017.

Outside of law, Ioanita enjoys cooking and travelling and is a keen rugby enthusiast, having recently served for three years as a director of women’s rugby at Manly Marlins.