leading costs practitioners

Amy Pascoe

Amy Pascoe is one of Western Australia’s leading costs practitioners, having appeared in costs matters in most jurisdictions in WA both on a solicitor/client and party/party basis. Amy has also provided assistance and advice on costs issues in complex domestic and International Arbitrations and matters within the Federal Court and the High Court of Australia. Since admission, Amy has worked exclusively in the area of legal costs and has an invaluable amount of experience in all legal costs matters.

Amy completed her Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours at Murdoch University receiving First Class Honours for her Thesis on uplift fees in Australia. Amy is extremely passionate about costs and is active in the education of lawyers on the importance of costs in practice. Amy has had papers published, authors chapters on costs for publishers, and regularly lectures on costs issues at various Continuing Professional Development Seminars in Western Australia and Nationally. Through her involvement in various Committees, educational activities and CPD seminars, Amy continues to make a significant contribution to the development of costs practice, procedure and reform.

Sandra Costopoulos

Sandra Costopoulos was admitted to practice law in Western Australia in 2010 after completing her law degree at the University of Western Australia. Sandra brings unique costs expertise to the Pascoe Legal team. Sandra has worked for a top tier accounting firm in tax where she also completed the chartered accountants program and worked in insurance litigation, commercial litigation, and debt recovery before coming to costs law.

A decade of experience working for the Legal Professional Complaints Committee, dealing with costs and billing compliance has given Sandra a highly sophisticated understanding of costs law. During her time at the Legal Professional Complaints Committee, Sandra was involved with the implementation of the current iteration of Western Australian costs legislation giving her an in depth understanding of the uniform law.Sandra prides herself on staying abreast of developments in the area of costs law and is the chair of the Law Society of Western Australia’s Costs Committee as well as sitting on a specialist sub-committee focusing on future developments of costs law.

When Sandra is not at the leading edge of Western Australian costs law, she spends her time with her young family. Sandra studied Japanese, has lived in Japan and enjoys cooking and baking, much to the delight of her teammates, who often enjoy Sandra’s baked delights in the Pascoe Legal lunch room.

Michelle Marsich

Michelle Marsich commenced at Pascoe Legal in 2022.  Michelle brings a wealth of legal costs experience having specialised in legal costs since 1997.  Michelle has attained an Associate Diploma of Business (Legal Studies) and completed a Bachelor of Laws (with Distinction).  Michelle has since been admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

Michelle has previously been employed at a large multinational law practice as Manager of the Perth LawSupport group.  As Manager, Michelle’s role included electronic document management tasks and the supervision of document management teams.  Michelle also undertook the bulk of the firm’s legal costs work for both its litigious and non-litigious practice groups.  Michelle has also worked as a senior law clerk at the Bar and then at a Western Australian law practice specialising in legal costs.  During this time, Michelle worked exclusively in the area of legal costs with her experience predominantly in complex Supreme and Federal Court assessments, special costs and security for costs applications, and drawing costs agreement precedents.

Michelle has presented continuing legal education seminars for the Law Society of Western Australia and has had articles published in the Law Society’s Brief publication.

 

Hayley Tristram

Hayley was admitted to practice law in Western Australia in March 2024 after graduating from Murdoch University with a Bachelor of Laws (with Distinction). Hayley brings over a decade of legal experience, exclusively in the area of legal costs to the Pascoe Legal team. Hayley is an expert in all costs law matters, with a special interest in large Federal Court and Supreme Court litigation matters. Hayley has a mastery of civil procedure across multiple jurisdictions and both Western Australian and Federal costs law.

Hayley has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to questions of legal costs and is a standout in the field, being well regarded by many leading experts and academics in the costs arena. Hayley has worked on large and complicated costs matters involving many millions of dollars in costs. Hayley regularly deals with government bodies, large corporate bodies and top-tier law firms. She is at home and at ease in high stakes and high-pressure environments.

Outside the office, you can usually find Hayley in the gym or out on a hike with her best friend, her Australian Shepherd, Chip.

Paul Averill

Paul joined Pascoe Legal in 2024 and brings with him a wealth of costs knowledge acquired over the past 39 years. He has considerable experience gained working in the UK and has appeared as an advocate in all Courts in England and Wales from the Magistrates’ Court through to the House of Lords. In 2019, Paul moved to Australia where he continued to work as a Senior Costs and Management Consultant. Since 2019, Paul has worked within the Victorian, Tasmanian, Western Australian and Northern Territory Costs systems, as well as the Federal Court and High Court preparing bills of costs and assisting in providing advice in relation to the management of many very large cases derived from those jurisdictions.

In 2025, Paul was admitted to the WA Supreme Court and the High Court of Australia.

Paul has Degrees in both Engineering Geology & Geotechnical Engineering (Portsmouth University) and Law (Cardiff University) with Honours in both. He is also a qualified Legal Project Manager (from the IILPM) and presents costs seminars across all States in Australia.

Get in touch with Amy

Call Us

08 6556 7221

Email Us

apascoe@pascoelegal.com.au