Who We Are

Bruce Doyle and Elizabeth Shearer are the people behind Doyle Family Law. Through our incorporated legal practice Shearer Doyle Law,  we operate Doyle Family Law, and our associated practice, Affording Justice.

Bruce Doyle

Bruce Doyle is well known in the Australian legal community as President of the Queensland Law Society (2011) and a Director of the Law Council of Australia (2010-11). He is also a former president of the Family Law Practitioners Association of Queensland.

Bruce has been in legal practice since 1983 and has been accredited family law specialist since specialisation started in 1996. He has spent most of his career in private practice as a family lawyer, but he was also solicitor in charge of Family Law at the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission and Deputy President of the Queensland Children’s Services Tribunal.

Bruce practises in all aspects of family law resolving parenting and property issues. He has particular expertise in child support law. Bruce is also an experienced mediator and practises as a collaborative lawyer.

Bruce also has a long-standing interest in access to justice and he is a regular volunteer at a community legal service. He was also chair of the Queensland Law Society’s committee on Access to Justice and Pro Bono Services, and was a member of the Law Council of Australia’s Access to Justice Committee.

Elizabeth Shearer

Elizabeth Shearer is a solicitor who specialises in the legal problems of every day life.

Although she is not a specialist family lawyer, Elizabeth has practised in family law since the 1980s and has extensive experience in dealing with all aspects of family law.

Throughout her career, Elizabeth has pioneered new ways of delivering services to provide high quality legal advice as economically as possible.  In recognition of this, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2003.

Elizabeth  is respected member of the legal profession, volunteering her expertise to assist the profession as:

  • President of the Queensland Law Society in 2021
  • Executive Director of the Law Council of Australia 2022
  • Senior Counsellor for the Queensland Law Society (QLS) providing support to other lawyers with difficult issues that arise in legal practice
  • Member Supreme Court Library Committee
  • Member Professional Standards Councils in 2019-20
  • Chair of the Queensland Law Society Access to Justice Pro Bono Committee and Member Access to Justice Committee of the Law Council of Australia.