Craig Birtles
Barrister
Craig was called to the Bar in May 2017. Craig is a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the Succession & Elder Law Committee of the NSW Bar Association. He is a co-author of C Birtles and R Neal, Hutley’s Australian Wills Precedents 8th Edition (LexisNexis Butterworths) 2013 and 9th Edition 2016 and C Birtles, R Neal and C Sims 10th Edition 2021.
Craig was named in the Doyle’s Guide as a leading New South Wales Estate Litigation Junior Counsel in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Before being called to the Bar, Craig was a solicitor at Teece Hodgson & Ward and was an Accredited Specialist in Wills & Estates Law.
Admitted to the Bar (New South Wales): 2017
Admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales: 2008
Equity & Trusts
Family Provision Claims
Succession/Wills & Probate
As Counsel Craig has appeared in:
- Ivanna Ann-Marie Ferenc Stojic v Simon Stojic [2017] NSWSC 1235 (12 September 2017)
Revocation of grant of probate - I L Pardey & Ors v A W Pardey [2017] NSWSC 1413 (17 October 2017)
Codicil with no operative effect - Stojic v Stojic [2018] NSWCA 28 (28 February 2018)
Appeal of probate proceedings – new trial ordered - Stojic v Stojic [2018] NSWSC 723 (8 May 2018)
Interim administration - Stojic v Stojic [2018] NSWSC 1268 (15 August 2018
Powers of interim administrators, judicial advice, voluntary administration - In the matter of Statewide Office Furniture Pty Ltd [2018] NSWSC 1393 (7 September 2018)
Restitution, enforcement, costs - Angius v Salier [2018] NSWSC 808 (31 May 2018)
Application by beneficiary for joinder - Gianna (Jenny) Angius v Gordon Albert Salier [2018] NSWSC 995 (29 June 2018)
Application by beneficiary for joinder, application by beneficiary for interim distribution - Estate Reid; Roberts v Moses and Palmer [2018] NSWSC 1145 (26 July 2018)
Construction and rectification of will - Egberts v Evans [2018] NSWSC 1974 (15 November 2018)
Settlement of proceedings, two beneficiaries do not consent - Katramados v Hasapis (No 4) [2019] NSWSC 846
Complex estate – trustee for sale – order for possession - Graeme Philip White as administrator of the Estate of Josephine Agnes Virgona v Attorney General of NSW [2019] NSWSC 917 (17 July 2019)
Cy pres scheme - Kelly v Kelly [2019] NSWSC 994 (8 August 2019)
Application for approval of release - Page v Rankine [2020] NSWSC 902
Notices to produce - Armitage v Fraser [2020] NSWSC 979
Family provision - Campbell v Campbell [2020] NSWSC 1797
Application to set aside notices to produce - Weiss v Weiss; Estate of Anita Hildegard Weiss [2020] NSWSC 1064
Intestacy, last will not propounded by beneficiary - John Campbell Nominees Pty Ltd [2021] NSWSC 233
Judicial advice - Alexakis v Masters [2021] NSWSC 158
Leave to file cross claim - Chant v Curcuruto; Chant v Curcuruto [2021] NSWSC 751
Testamentary capacity, knowledge and approval - NSW Trustee & Guardian v Reid [2021] NSWSC 1053
Construction of Will - Robertson v Barker [2021] NSWSC 1682
Contested probate – testamentary capacity – knowledge and approval - AG v JB [2022] NSWSC 326
burial and funeral rights - Campbell v Campbell [2022] NSWSC 554
trust, declarations as to ownership of trust property, application under s 86A Trustee Act 1925 (NSW) to vary trust deed
Craig has presented over 20 seminars since 2011 including
- 12.03.22: “When reading over is not enough”, paper presented for Succession Law Conference Bowral.
- 13.03.21: “Statutory Wills”, paper for Succession Law Conference.
- 10.03.21: “Family Provision Review 2020: The worm and the robin”, paper for the 18th Annual Succession Law Symposium.
- 18.09.19: “Statutory Wills”, paper for Television Education Network Wills and Estates Masterclass.
- 11.08.18: “Statutory Wills”, paper for Law Society of NSW Accredited Specialists Conference.
- 21.03.18: “Family Provision: the worm turns again”, paper for St George-Sutherland Regional Law Society.
- 22.11.17: “Testamentary capacity and knowledge and approval”, paper for Legalwise.
- 13.05.17: “Family Provision: the turning of the Worm”, paper for College of Law, Specialist Legal Conference: Wills & Estates.
- 30.03.17: “Informal Testamentary Documents”, paper for UNSW CPD.
- 17.09.16: “Statutory Will applications and the protective jurisdiction”, a paper by Craig Birtles and Hugh Morrison presented for the Blue Mountains Law Society at the Inaugural Succession Law Conference.
- 16.06.15: “Testamentary dispositions”, seminar 3 in “Estate administration: Probate, Protective and Family Provision Jurisdiction” series co-presented with Michael Willmott SC for the NSW Bar Association and Law Society of NSW. This paper was published in a special edition of the Australian Bar Review: Estate Administration, Probate, Family Provision and Protective Cases (December 2016) 43 ABR 1.
- 08.09.23: “Estate Planning” to be presented for Blue Mountains Regional Law Society Succession Conference, Medlow Bath.
- 08.09.22: “Eligibility to Make a Family Provision Claim” to be presented for Legalwise Third Annual Family Provision Claims conference.
- 24.09.22: Statutory Wills” to be presented for Bankstown & District Law Society, Revesby Workers Club.
+61 2 8915 2036
+61 2 9223 4204
cbirtles@wentworthchambers.com.au

Craig Birtles
Barrister
Craig was called to the Bar in May 2017. Craig is a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP) and a co-author of C Birtles and R Neal, Hutley’s Australian Wills Precedents 8th Edition (LexisNexis Butterworths) 2013 and 9th Edition 2016 and C Birtles, R Neal and C Sims 10th Edition 2021.
Craig was named in the Doyle’s Guide as a leading New South Wales Estate Litigation Junior Counsel in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Before being called to the Bar Craig was a solicitor at Teece Hodgson & Ward and was an Accredited Specialist in Wills & Estates Law.
Admissions
Admitted to the Bar (New South Wales) 2017
Admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales 2008
Areas of Practice
Equity & Trusts
Family Provision Claims
Succession/Wills & Probate
Select Cases
As Counsel Craig has appeared in:
- Ivanna Ann-Marie Ferenc Stojic v Simon Stojic [2017] NSWSC 1235 (12 September 2017)
Revocation of grant of probate - I L Pardey & Ors v A W Pardey [2017] NSWSC 1413 (17 October 2017)
Codicil with no operative effect - Stojic v Stojic [2018] NSWCA 28 (28 February 2018)
Appeal of probate proceedings – new trial ordered - Stojic v Stojic [2018] NSWSC 723 (8 May 2018)
Interim administration - Stojic v Stojic [2018] NSWSC 1268 (15 August 2018
Powers of interim administrators, judicial advice, voluntary administration - In the matter of Statewide Office Furniture Pty Ltd [2018] NSWSC 1393 (7 September 2018)
Restitution, enforcement, costs - Angius v Salier [2018] NSWSC 808 (31 May 2018)
Application by beneficiary for joinder - Gianna (Jenny) Angius v Gordon Albert Salier [2018] NSWSC 995 (29 June 2018)
Application by beneficiary for joinder, application by beneficiary for interim distribution - Estate Reid; Roberts v Moses and Palmer [2018] NSWSC 1145 (26 July 2018)
Construction and rectification of will - Egberts v Evans [2018] NSWSC 1974 (15 November 2018)
Settlement of proceedings, two beneficiaries do not consent - Katramados v Hasapis (No 4) [2019] NSWSC 846
Complex estate – trustee for sale – order for possession - Graeme Philip White as administrator of the Estate of Josephine Agnes Virgona v Attorney General of NSW [2019] NSWSC 917 (17 July 2019)
Cy pres scheme - Kelly v Kelly [2019] NSWSC 994 (8 August 2019)
Application for approval of release - Page v Rankine [2020] NSWSC 902
Notices to produce - Armitage v Fraser [2020] NSWSC 979
Family provision - Campbell v Campbell [2020] NSWSC 1797
Application to set aside notices to produce - Weiss v Weiss; Estate of Anita Hildegard Weiss [2020] NSWSC 1064
Intestacy, last will not propounded by beneficiary - John Campbell Nominees Pty Ltd [2021] NSWSC 233
Judicial advice - Alexakis v Masters [2021] NSWSC 158
Leave to file cross claim - Chant v Curcuruto; Chant v Curcuruto [2021] NSWSC 751
Testamentary capacity, knowledge and approval - NSW Trustee & Guardian v Reid [2021] NSWSC 1053
Construction of Will - Robertson v Barker [2021] NSWSC 1682
Contested probate – testamentary capacity – knowledge and approval
Seminars
Craig has presented over 20 seminars since 2011 including
- “Testamentary dispositions”, seminar 3 in “Estate administration: Probate, Protective and Family Provision Jurisdiction” series co-presented with Michael Willmott SC for the NSW Bar Association and Law Society of NSW on 16 June 2015. This paper was published in a special edition of the Australian Bar Review: Estate Administration, Probate, Family Provision and Protective Cases (December 2016) 43 ABR 1
- “Statutory Will applications and the protective jurisdiction”, a paper by Craig Birtles and Hugh Morrison presented for the Blue Mountains Law Society at the Inaugural Succession Law Conference on 17 September 2016.
- “Informal Testamentary Documents”, paper presented by Craig Birtles for UNSW CPD on 30 March 2017.
- “Family Provision: the turning of the Worm”, paper presented by Craig Birtles for College of Law, Specialist Legal Conference: Wills & Estates, on 13 May 2017.
- “Testamentary capacity and knowledge and approval”, paper presented by Craig Birtles for Legalwise on 22 November 2017.
- “Family Provision: the worm turns again”, paper presented by Craig Birtles for St George-Sutherland Regional Law Society on 21 March 2018.
- “Statutory Wills”, paper presented by Craig Birtles for Law Society of NSW Accredited Specialists Conference on 11 August 2018.
- “Statutory Wills”, paper presented by Craig Birtles for Television Education Network Wills and Estates Masterclass on 18 September 2019.
- “Family Provision Review 2020: The worm and the robin”, paper presented by Craig Birtles for the 18th Annual Succession Law Symposium on 10 March 2021.
- “Statutory Wills”, paper presented by Craig Birtles for Succession Law Conference on 13 March 2021.
+61 2 8915 2036
+61 2 9223 4204
cbirtles@wentworthchambers.com.au