About Us

John Elliott is a Partner at Beckey, Knight & Elliott and has been practicing at the firm since 1978. After graduating from University of Queensland, John completed his articles and moved to Mackay where he has lived and worked since.

John’s main areas of practice are Wills and Estate Planning and Estate Administration, Personal Injury Law, Commercial Law, all types of Conveyancing as well as Estate Litigation and Civil Litigation.

Having practiced at Beckey, Knight & Elliott for over 40 years, John has a long-established client base and has worked on a great variety of clients and cases during his career.

His family ties to the Mackay region can be traced back three generations.

John’s Qualifications include a Bachelor of Laws Degree University of QLD, Cert. H.Ed. Philosophy Oxford and Cert. Justice Harvard.

Peter McLachlan has been an integral part of the Beckey, Knight & Elliott team since 1981 when he joined as a practicing solicitor.

Areas of Practice:

• Family law
• Estate planning and administration
• Commercial and residential conveyancing
• Motor vehicle and workplace injuries
• Criminal law

Qualifications:

• Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland since 1981
• Solicitor of the High Court of Australia since 1981

Peter is a life member of North Queensland Law Association and a Queensland Law Society Senior Counsellor.

As a Partner at Beckey, Knight & Elliott since 1983, Peter has enjoyed working with the team of dedicated and committed staff and building many long, lasting relationships with clients.

He has extensive experience in family law including divorce, children’s issues, domestic violence circumstances, and distribution of property following married and de facto partners’ separation always handling each client’s situation with respect and compassion. He has been appointed an Independent Children’s Lawyer.

In relation to Family Law, Peter practices in the areas of property distribution and settlement including representing a party in financial mediations for married and de facto couples, child support arrangements, and Binding Financial Agreements between couples entering into a married or de facto relationship as well as Consent Orders and Financial Agreements when parties have separated.

Peter has been appointed a Nationally Accredited Mediator and is a registered Family Law Dispute Practitioner. We are able to accommodate Mediations and Family Dispute Resolution Conferences on reasonably short notice and offer facilities including meeting rooms and break out rooms for the parties and their legal advisors.

Peter enjoys working with clients in these areas to achieve realistic outcomes for all parties.

Laura Santin grew up in the Northern Rivers – NSW and completed her schooling in Lismore. She went on to study Policing at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst and then relocated to Sydney and joined the NSW Police Force as a Sworn Special Constable working in and around the Sydney CBD and Parramatta areas.

Laura studied her Bachelor of Laws through Central Queensland University commencing in late 2020 after relocating to Mackay for the beautiful sunshine.

Laura joined Beckey, Knight & Elliott in April 2021 as a legal secretary and has worked as a conveyancer and directly with Peter McLachlan and John Elliott as a Law Clerk up until her admission to the Supreme Court of Queensland in August of 2023.

Laura undertook her final semester of University alongside her Practical Legal Training while working at the firm. She was awarded highest grade for Criminal Law in Practice and made the Head of College Commendation List in her final semester.

If you can’t find Laura in the office she will be somewhere lifting heavy weights, playing piano or by the water in her kayak.

Areas of Practice:

• Criminal Law
• Civil Litigation
• Family Law & Domestic Violence
• Conveyancing
• Wills & Estates

Qualifications:

• Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland since 2023