Our People

Peter Long is highly regarded as one of Australia’s leading litigators for small agribusinesses and rural enterprises. In 38 years of practice, Peter has worked on thousands of cases and has won some of the most significant legal victories on behalf of small businesspeople in Australia’s regional areas.

Peter’s abilities were recognised by his peers, when in 1997, he was awarded the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers Association Civil Justice Award (the association is now named the Australian Lawyers Alliance).

The award followed Peter’s outstanding success in representing several thousand farmers who had suffered major losses when their cattle were contaminated by a cotton pesticide, Helix.

Peter has also successfully represented rural-based businesspeople in other landmark group actions including the Federal Court Acatak litigation for several hundred graziers whose cattle were contaminated by a tick acaricide; and the Federal Court Alfarm class action on behalf of dozens of farmers throughout Australia who suffered losses from acquiring defective farm machinery.

Peter was admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1983 and was accredited as a Specialist by the New South Wales Law Society in 1993. His practice has evolved in the last 26 years from purely personal injury law to one where rural commercial litigation makes up about 60% of the work with the balance being transactional and advisory work, particularly in the area of farm and agribusiness succession planning. He has delivered numerous papers and presentations to seminars and conferences of lawyers, accountants, agronomists, and other professionals throughout Australia.

Peter is a father of four children (three of whom are lawyers) and husband to Sarah and his interests include being a regenerative grazier. Peter has the great fortune to benefit from his lawyer daughters, Alexandra and Angelica being co-directors with him in the law practice and gets much pleasure in seeing how clients he has worked with over the last four decades welcome the fact that the law practice will be able to continue to provide that service for decades to come.

Email Peter: peter@rurallawyer.com.au

Angelica Gay is a Solicitor with our firm and has been with us since December 2014. Angelica is a fourth-generation Gunnedah local who completed a Bachelor of Laws through the University of New England whilst working full time alongside Peter as the Managing Law Clerk and managing the staff and practice.

Angelica was recognised for her hard work in 2018 by being awarded the Gunnedah Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Young Employee Award at the Business & Services Awards and she was nominated to represent Gunnedah in the Regional Business & Services Awards.

Angelica is the fourth child of Peter and hopes to stay on with the firm and continue the strong relationships Peter has cultivated with many rural businesses and farming enterprises. She is passionate about succession law and would love to develop her understanding of family dynamics so that she can effectively assist with inter-generational transfers leading to the continuation of successful farming enterprises.

Angelica has relocated to her husband’s family property near Boorowa, NSW where she now runs our Boorowa office.

Email Angelica: angelica@rurallawyer.com.au

Alexandra Long is a Solicitor with our firm and has been with us since July 2019. During her schooling years, Alex was awarded the Caltex All Round Award and the Premier’s Award for all-round excellence in the NSW HSC.

After finishing school, Alex journeyed to the Northern Territory to work as a contract musterer and stayed on for five years. Whilst mustering, Alex completed her Bachelor of Laws by correspondence.

Alex graduated from UNE in October 2017 and was admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW in June 2018. After working as a solicitor in Tamworth for eighteen months, Alex returned to the family firm to follow in her father’s footsteps. She is passionate about continuing the strong relationships developed by her father in the rural community.

Outside of work, Alex enjoys competing in campdrafts and helping out at the Saleyards.

Alex has relocated to Kununurra, WA where she now runs our Kununurra office.

Email Alexandra: alexandra@rurallawyer.com.au

Allison Korn is the resident Licensed Conveyancer with our firm and has been with us since February 2017 albeit with a short break in 2019/2020. Allison is a third-generation Gunnedah local who studied her Conveyancing – Law and Practice Course through Macquarie University whilst working full time.

Allison is passionate about ensuring that all the documentation required to enable our clients to enter into binding Contracts for Sale and successfully complete the same is prepared in a timely and efficient manner.

Allison is from a farming family and grew up on a number of properties in the local area. She has first-hand knowledge of the skills it takes to run a successful farming and livestock business and she has had the opportunity to learn a number of those skills. She is actively involved in the Gunnedah community and is a well-known face around town.

Email Allison: allison@rurallawyer.com.au

Hayley Friend is a Legal Assistant with our firm and commenced her role with us in March 2022. Hayley has a Bachelor of Marketing and a background in office administration. Hayley worked in a real estate agency for a number of years before coming to work with us and has brought a wealth of knowledge to our conveyancing team.

Hayley lives on a property outside of Boorowa with her husband and children.

Email Hayley: hayley@rurallawyer.com.au

Sandra Donoghue is our Legal Secretary and has worked with Peter Long since 2010. Sandra has a Bachelor of Arts and emigrated from Canada in 2004.

Sandra is married to a third-generation Gunnedah local and she and her husband have a very successful agri-business.

Sarah Ferguson is the firm’s Financial Controller and is Peter’s wife, Angelica’s mother and Alexandra’s step mother.

In addition to her role with our firm, Sarah is in private practice with The Gatepost Therapy Services as a narrative and equine assisted therapist. She holds a Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Work from University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Counselling from Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors and a Practitioner Certificate from Equine Psychotherapy Institute.

In 2020, Sarah began studying a PhD with University of Queensland focusing on the ethical and welfare considerations of horses in equine therapy.

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