Stokes Team
Meet the Stokes Lawyers team. Commercial, property, litigation and private client lawyers working with business owners, families and organisations in Logan and across Australia.
Legal Practitioner Director
James Stokes
James Stokes is a private client and commercial lawyer with more than 25 years of professional services experience, advising business owners, social enterprises, professionals and private clients on commercial, taxation and succession matters.
In working with some of Queensland's largest and smallest firms, James has assisted a range of clients across Australia and is experienced in providing commercial legal advice to business owners and private clients.
Eschewing theoretical advice that provides little help to decision makers, James helps clients to find practical solutions that fit the client and their business context. James will also include the client’s professional advisers from other disciplines where appropriate to ensure the client’s circumstances are considered and improved in the best possible way.
James is a highly experienced advisor and board member for social enterprise and not-for-profits, assisting schools and a number of national charities, and is sought after in providing legal advice to charitable organisations. James received a Churchill Trust Fellowship in 2026 to progress work of personal interest in this sector.
James is a Notary Public, a Chartered Tax Adviser with the Tax Institute of Australia, a Full Member with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, General Counsel for the Small Business Association of Australia and a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Business Law. He has presented as a speaker for these organisations as well as numerous legal education providers, national banks and community groups. James also holds several Masters of Law, including a major in Commercial Law from Queensland University of Technology.
James is a director of Rivermount Education Limited, Lighthouse Care Ltd and Vida Wood Australia Pty Ltd. He is a founding director and current Chair of Men’s Legal Service and serves as a reserve officer in the Royal Australian Engineers.
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James lives with his wife, three daughters, Cavoodle and rescue cat.
Qualifications, Memberships and Awards
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Admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland and High Court of Australia
Notary Public
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Accredited Specialist (Business Law) – Queensland Law Society
Accredited Mediator
Bachelor of Law (Honours)
Masters of Laws (Commercial Law)
Masters of Laws (Dispute Resolution)
Australian Institute of Company Directors
Chartered Tax Advisor – The Tax Institute
Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners – Full Member
Life Member – Logan Chamber of Commerce
Churchill Fellowship – 2026
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Senior Associate
Lerrin Acuzar
Lerrin is a commercial and private client lawyer who advises businesses, individuals, and families across a broad range of commercial, property, succession, and estate planning matters.
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As a Senior Associate at Stokes Lawyers, Lerrin's practice includes business and corporate transactions, commercial contracts, leasing and property matters, trusts and structuring, estate planning, and deceased estates, as well as commercial disputes and other matters arising throughout the lifecycle of a business. Lerrin acts for privately owned and family businesses, high-net-worth individuals, and private clients, and has advised on some of the city's larger business and property transactions, corporate and commercial arrangements, complex trust and estate planning matters, and disputes involving significant private and business interests.
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Having been raised in the Logan community and a proud John Paul College alumnus, Lerrin enjoys giving back to the local community and takes pride in assisting local businesses in the area. Lerrin takes a practical and commercially focused approach to legal advice. He works closely with clients to understand not only the immediate legal issue, but the commercial or personal objective behind it, allowing legal risks to be addressed without losing sight of the outcome the client is seeking. He regularly works alongside accountants, financial advisers, and other professional advisers where matters require a multidisciplinary approach.
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Lerrin was named by The Courier-Mail as one of Queensland's 30 Most Influential Under 30 in late 2025.
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Outside of the office, Lerrin enjoys spending time with his partner and their two dogs, exploring Brisbane's food scene and, increasingly, working on their new home.
Qualifications and Awards
Admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland
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Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (Queensland University of Technology)
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Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (Queensland University of Technology)
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Recognised in Courier Mail's Queensland's 30 Most Influential Lawyers Under 30 (2025)
Lawyer
Kevin Rappe
Kevin is a litigation lawyer who advises business owners and private clients on civil and commercial disputes, competition and consumer matters, estate litigation, commercial property and franchising matters.
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Kevin has experience managing disputes from the early strategic and pre-action stages through pleadings, interlocutory applications, mediation and hearing preparation. He regularly drafts court documents and evidence, works with barristers and other professional advisers, and helps clients assess the practical, commercial, and cost consequences of the options available to them.
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Kevin takes a practical and outcome-focused approach to legal problems. He is particularly comfortable in factually complex and time-sensitive matters requiring careful document analysis, clear advice and litigation strategy.
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Outside the office, Kevin is a Director of the Indonesian Community of Lawyers in Australia (ICLAS). In that role he works with lawyers, Indonesian diplomatic and consular representatives and community organisations on legal education, professional engagement and pathways to appropriate legal assistance for Indonesians in Australia. ICLAS was named Innovator of the Year (Company) at the Australian Law Awards 2026.
Qualifications and Awards
Admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland
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Bachelor of Laws – Griffith University
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Bachelor of International Business – Griffith University
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Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice – Bond University
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Director – Indonesian Community of Lawyers in Australia (ICLAS)
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Australian Law Awards 2026 – Innovator of the Year (Company), ICLAS
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New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient – 2020 and 2021
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Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition – Griffith University Representative, 2021
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Multiple Griffith University Law Society competition wins in mooting, negotiation, witness examination and international humanitarian law
Lawyer
Fereshta Kakayee
Fereshta is a commercial litigation lawyer who assists individuals and businesses in resolving complex disputes and navigating challenging legal issues.
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Fereshta has experience across a broad range of commercial and civil disputes, including contractual disputes, debt recovery, property and leasing disputes, enforcement matters, and estate-related disputes. She takes a practical and strategic approach to litigation, with a focus on understanding her clients' objectives and achieving commercially sensible outcomes.
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Known for her approachable and straightforward manner, Fereshta works closely with her clients throughout the dispute-resolution process. She takes the time to understand the circumstances behind a dispute and provides clear, practical advice so that clients can make informed decisions about their legal position.
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Fereshta believes that good litigation is not simply about winning an argument, it is about understanding the broader commercial and personal considerations affecting a client and developing a strategy that best serves their interests.
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Outside of the office, Fereshta enjoys slower pace days and evenings with family.
Qualifications and Awards
Admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland
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Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (College of Law)
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Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (Queensland University of Technology)
Lawyer
Evelyn Ji
Evelyn is a corporate, commercial and property lawyer who advises businesses, business owners and private clients across commercial transactions, business structuring, property and succession. Her practice brings together the legal issues that arise through the ownership, operation, acquisition and succession of businesses and privately held assets.
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Her corporate and commercial work includes business sales and acquisitions, commercial agreements, business structuring and management rights transactions. Her property experience extends to commercial leasing, property development, subdivision and titling, community titles, off-the-plan transactions and compulsory acquisition. Evelyn also advises private clients on estate planning, succession and estate administration. She has a particular professional interest in digital assets and tokenisation, and the legal and commercial issues arising as new technologies reshape traditional concepts of ownership, investment and business.
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Evelyn focuses on the issues that materially affect a client's position rather than approaching legal problems in isolation. She considers the broader transaction, structure and commercial context, and advises on risk, available options and the practical consequences of each course.
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Evelyn graduated from Melbourne Law School with a Juris Doctor before relocating to Brisbane to commence her legal career. She was subsequently admitted to practise in Queensland and speaks both Mandarin and English. Brisbane is now home, and Evelyn has readily embraced Queensland's warmer climate and lifestyle.
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Outside of practice, Evelyn enjoys playing the drums and guitar, dancing, gaming and poetry. She is drawn to rhythm, movement and creative expression in its many forms.
Qualifications and Awards
Admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland
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Juris Doctor – Melbourne Law School
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Zelman Cowen Scholarship – Melbourne Law School
Lawyer
Sana Khan
Sana is a commercial and property lawyer who advises businesses, property owners and private clients across a broad range of commercial, property and estate matters. Her practice includes residential and commercial property transactions, leasing, business sales and acquisitions, business structuring, probate, estate administration and related advisory matters.
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Sana focuses on delivering practical, commercially minded advice that aligns with her clients' broader objectives. She works closely with business owners, investors and individuals to identify legal risks, navigate complex transactions and achieve efficient outcomes. Her approach is responsive, client-focused and grounded in a clear understanding of both the legal and commercial considerations affecting a matter.
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With more than five years of legal experience across India, Queensland and New South Wales, Sana brings an international perspective to her practice. Prior to practising in Australia, she worked with legal process outsourcing firms, including Thomson Reuters, supporting United States-based companies. She later completed further legal studies at the University of Sydney and was admitted as a solicitor in Queensland and New South Wales.
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Outside of practice, she enjoys spending time with her family and is a proud mother of two.
Qualifications and Awards
Admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland
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Admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales
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Graduate Diploma in Australian Law, University of Sydney
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Postgraduate Diploma in Corporate Law and Management
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Bachelor of Laws (India)
