Biography:
Despina was admitted in 1994 as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and has practised in property and commercial law on the Gold Coast for more than 28 years, predominantly in off the plan projects.
Despina holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Bond University. She is an Inaugural Law Graduate of Bond University from the Class of 1989 and maintains ties with the Alumni Bond University Association.
Despina was appointed as In-house Legal Counsel for Sunland Group Limited in 2004, overseeing all aspects of the construction and settlement of the iconic Q1 Tower, in addition to managing other projects on the Gold Coast, including Palazzo Versace, Circle on Cavill, Avalon, and Sunkids Child Care Centres.
In 2007, Despina established her own boutique legal practice, Priala Legal, to offer clients a high level of legal expertise and personalised service. Despina has a proven track record in all aspects of property development law, off-the-plan contracts, residential and commercial land transactions whether acting for developers, buyers or sellers. She also has substantial experience in the establishment, ongoing management and sales of manufactured home parks in Queensland and New South Wales, and of childcare centres.
In 2016, Despina became a finalist in the National Lawyers Weekly Annual Awards for Sole Practitioner of the Year. This was a very hotly contested category in 2016 with only 5 finalists Australia wide. Despina also became a Sole Practitioner of the Year Finalist in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
In 2021 Despina was recognised as reaching the milestone achievement of 25 years of membership with the QLD Law Society in recognition of her dedication and loyalty to the profession and the Society.
In 2022 she was invited to become a member of the Qld Law Society's Property and Development Law Committee, and remains a member to this date; an honorary role advising on law reform in Qld.
Despina was also in the media spotlight as a legal radio personality. Her debut on radio was on the Gold Coast during the 1990's where Despina was the Radio 97 Lawyer for two years. This involved a weekly talk back legal radio program and was one of the highlights in Despina's career. Since 2020, Despina re-joined Radio 97 with the Talking Law program, which discussed current law topics and issues. Despina firmly believed that being in the privileged position of a solicitor that she gives back to the community when she can.
This was transcended into a weekly radio show 'Talking Law' that was broadcast on the Gold Coast each Thursday on 104.1FM Gold Coast/Tweed & 103.5FM Northern Rivers. The show continued for almost 4 years and finished in February 2024. Despina talked about various hot topics at local, state and federal level, and answered the questions that ordinary Australians wanted to hear: https://www.prialalegal.com.au/videos
The show became so popular she created a You Tube Channel for all her episodes recorded: https://www.youtube.com/@prialalegal.goldcoast
Despina is a member of the QLS's Property and Development Law Committee, Hellenic Lawyers Association of Australia, the Southport Chamber of Commerce, and the Gold Coast District Law Association. She is also a Council Member of the PEXA Advisory Council Qld for 2025-2026.
In July 2024 Despina became Joint Managing Director of the Super Radio Network, Australia's largest privately owned commercial radio network in Australia comprising 50 radio stations throughout NSW, Qld and Northern Territory: https://www.srnradio.com.au/
Awards & Recognitions
- Lawyers Weekly Women in Law awards finalist for the Sole Practitioner of the Year Award for years 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020
- 2021 – received from the QLD Law Society 25 Year Pin for recognition of 25 years served in the legal profession
- Gold Coast Women in Business Awards 2023, Awardee of Merit
- PEXA Advisory Council Member Appointment for Qld - 2025
Memberships
- QLD Law Society since 1992
- QLD Property and Development Law Committee
- Southport Chamber of Commerce, QLD
- Hellenic Australian Lawyers Association
- Gold Coast District Law Association
- Gold Coast Women in Business
- CBA Business Alliance Partner
- PEXA Advisory Council Qld
Speaking Engagements
- QLD Law Society’s Annual Property Law Conference Brisbane October 2022 – Chairperson and panel speaker on off the plan contracts in a changing market
- TEN – The Education Network – Webinar March 2023 ‘Changing Landscape to Off The Plan’
- QLD Law Society’s Annual Gold Coast Legal Conference June 2023 – Presenter on Changing Landscape to Off The Plan Contracts
- QLD Law Society’s Annual Property Law Conference Brisbane September 2023 – Back to basics – off the plan contracts – how to best advise your clients
- The Boutique Lawyer Show for Lawyers Weekly Podcast December 2023 - Drafting of contracts, AI, unfair contract terms regime and its implications for the practitioners, and the fundamentals of being a boutique firm owner
- QLD Law Society’s Annual Legal Conference Brisbane February 2024 – Advising on unfair contract terms in off the plan contracts – how to best advise your clients
- QLD Law Society’s Annual Property Law Conference Brisbane September 2024 – Chair on Risks in off the plan contracts session
- Interview with Ticker News - Lawyer challenges 2021: https://youtu.be/sfa7peedqra?si=a0rxq3dvln5fj-v-