Family Law: Difficult Parenting and Children’s Matters
You’ll learn how the courts might rule on parental alienation & AVOs. What to do when Family Law orders are inconsistent with existing orders. Importantly gain practical insights from an expert panel on how to work with & assist clients dealing with family violence, coercive control or parental alienation. Finally, explore the role of personality disorder, substance abuse & family violence in assessments & what is the best evidence to aid their determination with a clinical/forensic psychologist. WEB218N07
Description
Attend and earn 4 CPD units including:
2 units in Substantive Law
2 units in Professional Skills
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Chair: Justine Clark, Principal, Tisher Liner FC Law; Accredited Specialist in Family Law
1.00pm to 2.00pm Parental Alienation and Child Protection
- How to advise and guide your client to the best resources
- How the courts might rule on parental alienation
- Divorce and separation through a child’s eyes: how to protect them
- Useful tools for navigating co-parenting issues
- Parenting plans, consent orders and parenting arrangements
Presented by Carly Middleton, Partner, Barkus Doolan Family Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Family Law; Leading Family & Divorce Lawyer and Parenting & Children’s Matters Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2021
2.00pm to 3.00pm Family Law and Intervention Orders, Coercive Control and Family Violence
- How the Family Court deals with AVOs
- What to do when Family Law Orders are inconsistent with existing orders
Presented by Shannon Rogers, Partner, Barkus Doolan
3.00pm to 3.15pm Break
Professional Skills
3.15pm to 4.15pm How to Work with and Assist Victims of Family Violence: Practical Issues to Consider
- Taking instructions from a family violence client, safety planning and risk assessment
- Reporting to police and how they can assist
- Other steps to take to protect the victim
- Getting the evidence
- How to mediate with victims of family violence
- Other things to consider
Panellists:
Bianca Roche-Bolger, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Child Consultant and Collaborative Coach, The Mediation Collective
Jessamy Downie, Principal Solicitor, Launceston Community Legal Centre
Kellie McDonald, Senior Solicitor, Women’s Legal Service of NSW
Professional Skills
4.15pm to 5.15pm Dealing with Personality Disorder, Substance Abuse and Family Violence: A Case Study
- Explore the role of personality disorder, substance abuse and family violence in family court assessments
- Highlighting what kinds of questions an expert might respond to in defending their assessment in court
- Consider what additional evidence to provide to the expert to best aid their determination and examine some common gaps in instructions
Presented by Dr Christopher John Lennings OAM, LSC Psychology
Presenters
Justine Clark
Justine Clark is an experienced and formidable lawyer who has an extensive and precise understanding of family law. She is tremendously skilled in running complex family law matters in a strategic and commercially sensible manner. She has a deep and considered understanding of case law and legislation, and is an expert in the appellate jurisdiction. Justine is a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, the Law Institute of Victoria (and is a member of the LIV Family Law Accreditation Committee, and the Property and Maintenance Committee), and the LGBT Family Law Institute. Since 2017 she has been a Law Institute of Victoria, Accredited Family Law Specialist.
Carly Middleton
Carly Middleton has experience with complex property cases involving family company structures and trust and valuation issues. Carly's practice also focuses on complex parenting matters including matters with an international aspect to them, including Hague Convention litigation. Carly is a dynamic and client-focused lawyer who takes pride in achieving the best outcome for clients, either through litigation or negotiation. Carly has worked exclusively in family law and was previously a Partner of a boutique family law firm in Sydney. Carly has presented papers both in Australia and overseas on Family Law and in 2018 "Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Market" has ranked Carly as and one of the "Leading" Family and Divorce Lawyers in Sydney.
Shannon Rogers
Shannon is an Accredited Family Law Specialist and is an experienced litigation lawyer with exceptional skills – representing clients at both trial and Appellate level. Shannon developed a passion for this area of law because of his innate understanding of relationships and his ongoing awareness of the difficult emotions that often confront both sides of a dispute. Shannon is particularly skilled in dealing with matters that are high in conflict and involve allegations of Family Violence and complex parenting disputes. Shannon also has experience in matters involving Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders in the Local Court of NSW. Shannon was recognised as a “Rising Star” in 2017 by “Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Market”
Bianca Roche-Bolger
Bianca has a background in clinical Social Work, and is a highly experienced Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Nationally Accredited Mediator (NMAS), Child Consultant, Collaborative Coach and Clinical Supervisor. She has been helping families through crisis and change for over 20 years and specialises in child inclusive mediation and mediating complex cases including those involving mental health issues and family violence. Bianca works from an empathetic, relational framework to help clients understand their conflict and grief in the context of systemic theory, relational trauma and neurobiology. Bianca was rated as a "Leading Family Law Mediator" by the Doyle’s Guide, 2020.
Jessamy Downie
Jess completed a BA (hons French/politics), Master of Arts (Communications) and Juris Doctor (Majoring in Alternative Dispute Resolution) before taking a role with the Judicial Commission of NSW and commencing legal practice. After fifteen years living in Melbourne, Chicago, Los Angeles and Sydney, Jess moved her family back to her home state of Tasmania to practice in the community legal sector in 2010 and has since demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the holistic health of our communities. As the Principal Solicitor of the Launceston Community Legal Centre and a Lawyer and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner for Tasmania Legal Aid, Jess has experience in many different areas of the law. Now a nationally accredited mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Jess has established her own diverse private mediation and conciliation practice. This work requires the ability to cultivate and facilitate productive relationships within often volatile and emotionally charged environments and Jess has a strong record of achieving productive and lasting outcomes. She is skilled in the collaborative practice model and experienced in navigating complex issues such as family violence, child inclusive mediation, criminal conduct and court ordered processes.
Dr Christopher John Lennings OAM
Dr Lennings is a clinical and forensic psychologist and has worked as a clinician, academic and researcher in child and family work over the last forty years. He is a Fellow of the Clinical and Forensic Colleges of the Australian Psychology Society, a member of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law, a Member of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Treatment of Sex Abusers, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. He was awarded the NSW Forensic College award for Research Excellence in 2008. In 2013 he was awarded an OAM for his services to psychology and the community and in 2014 made a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society.
Kellie McDonald
Kellie McDonald is a Senior Solicitor at Women’s Legal Service NSW. She primarily assists vulnerable women who have experienced domestic violence, providing advice, advocacy, and representation in the areas of family law, AVOs, care and protection and victims support. She has worked as a solicitor in the community legal centre sector for the past 12 years advising disadvantaged community members, developing and delivering community legal education and advocating for a just and fair legal system.