Leilehua Fa'onevai

Leilehua is a director with Trinity York Legal with over 12 years experience in public practice. Admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2009 and registered as a legal practitioner in the High Court of Australia in 2011. Leilehua graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in International Relations from the Queensland University of Technology (“QUT”) in 2007. While working in private practice as a clerk for a couple of years, she obtained a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from QUT in 2009, and later a Master of Arts (Research) in 2013. Leilehua has extensive legal experience in litigation, predominantly in native title, energy and resource, criminal, commercial and interned in her final year of law together with fellow Principal Director, Sheryll on a high profile public international law matter before the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Leilehua is a vibrant litigator successfully representing clients in proceedings before the Land Court of Queensland, National Native Title Tribunal, Federal Court of Australia and the Full Federal Court of Australia. She has also appeared in the Supreme Court, District Court and Magistrates Courts at Brisbane, Beenleigh and Holland Park. Based in the Brisbane CBD and the Northern suburbs, she brings to the firm extensive knowledge and experience also in migration.

Leilehua is an active member of her community, having volunteered for several years with the International Red Cross, Australian Red Cross, Women’s Legal Service, and previously with the Refugee and Immigration Legal Service as well as Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House Inc. She has successfully finalised several visitor visas, student visas, complex partner visas, successful appeals to the Administrative Appeal Tribunal and a favourable outcome on a request for a Ministerial Intervention under the Migration Act 1958 (Cth). Heavily involved within the Pasifika community, her local churches, charitable organisations and ethnic councils, she is fluent in Tongan and can successfully bridge any intercultural gap when dealing with international businesses and migration. Leilehua is a legal professional dedicated to ensuring her clients are represented to the fullness of the law.