Daykin Family Law Director Shannon Daykin is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Family Law Specialist, Accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and Nationally Accredited Mediator. Shannon has an extensive range of experience in practising law and focuses exclusively in all aspects of family law, and is also trained in Collaborative Law.
Shannon was elected by her peers as Board Member of the Family Law Practitioners’ Association of Queensland (FLPA) in 2014, was elected to the position of Secretary on the Board for 2021 and 2022 and at the end of 2022, became the Vice-President, then in 2023, became for President for 2024, representing the great work of family law professionals across the State.
She was also a Member of the Queensland Law Society Family Law Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee between 2019 and 2023 and Member of the Queensland Law Society Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee from late 2022 to 2023. Since 2022, Shannon has been part of the Legal Services Commission Reference Group through her work with FLPA.
Shannon has been recognised in the prestigious Doyle’s Guide Lists for Family Law in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. In the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Doyle’s Guide Lists, Shannon was named as a Leading Parenting & Children’s Matters Lawyer (Leading, Brisbane) and Leading Family & Divorce Lawyer (Recommended, Brisbane). In the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 Lists, Daykin Family Law was named in the Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Family & Divorce Law Firm (Recommended).
Shannon started her legal career as a clerk in 2001 and was admitted in 2004 following completion of Articles of Clerkship. Initially Shannon worked in commercial law across the areas of dispute resolution and commercial and rural property, learning the finer art of negotiation and a sensible commercial approach to complex issues.
Early in her career Shannon was appointed State Manager for a national child abuse prevention agency and oversaw the rollout of primary prevention initiatives across Queensland. This experience gave her a competitive edge in being able to deal effectively with challenging cases involving child abuse, neglect and family violence and guiding clients through these difficult issues.
Since 2009, Shannon has practised exclusively in family law and gained experience in some of Queensland’s top family law firms across all areas, advising clients on a range of matters from complex property settlements and asset protection measures to parenting matters, Hague Convention/child abduction matters, international adoption and surrogacy.
In May 2015, Shannon’s legal work was highlighted on a national level in a front-page article within The Weekend Australian Magazine, the article was titled “One needy baby meets loving new parents. Who says adoption is taboo?” and was written by esteemed journalist Kate Legge. A feature of the article was the bespoke, legally binding agreement for parenthood that Shannon crafted in collaboration with key stakeholders to help her clients grow their family.
As a trained Collaborative Lawyer, Shannon has a strong focus on practical solutions and co-operative practice. It is this pathway that can most often achieve an outcome for all parties involved that will benefit them and their families in the longer term.
Sometimes however, the only option to progress matters is to litigate through the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Shannon has a great depth of experience in family law litigation and advocating for client’s interests, whether it be representing clients in property settlement, spousal maintenance, de facto issues or parenting matters in the Family Law Courts, or dealing with domestic violence proceedings in the State Magistrates Court.
