Family Law Conference
Issues covered include: parental alienation, child protection, independent children's lawyers, expert evidence, arbitration, financial matters, asset planning, financial settlements, alternative dispute resolution, ethics, client interviews
Description
There is a great array of topical and practical issues to be found in this not to be missed seminar which includes parenting and children’s matters, and a look at some complex financial areas that you must master for a well- rounded practice. The afternoon explores the CPD core mandatory areas in a stimulating and challenging way. Join our panel of distinguished speakers for a thorough and comprehensive look at Family Law.
Attend and earn 7 CPD units including:
4 units in Substantive Law
1 unit in Ethics & Professional Responsibility
1 unit in Practice Management & Business Skills
1 unit in Professional Skills
This conference was recorded in NSW on 20 March 2019
Session 1
Parenting, Children and Property Matters
Chair: The Honourable Peter RoseAM QC, Sydney Law School
9.00am to 9.05am Opening Comments by the Chair
PARENT AND CHILDREN ISSUES
9.05am to 9.50am: 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
- Binding child support agreements
- Grandparent rights
Presented by Melinda Winning, Partner; Leading Family and Divorce Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2018 and Carly Middleton, Partner; Recommended Family and Divorce Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2018, Barkus Doolan Family Lawyers
9.50am to 10.35am: The Role of Independent Children’s Lawyers in Family Law Proceedings
- When is an ICL appointed?
- What should the ICL be doing during and after the proceedings?
- Ascertaining a child’s wishes and sharing them with the parties and the Court
- The ICL as the ‘honest broker’
- Making the most of your ICL
Presented by Fiona Reid, Managing Director, Reid Family Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Family Law; Recommended Family and Divorce Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2018
10.35am to 11.20am: Expert Evidence in Children’s Matters
- A comparison between:
- Adoption law
- Care and protection law
- Family law
- Case studies and practical examples
Presented by Esther Lawson, Barrister, Waratah Chambers and Dr Catherine Boland, Principal, The Relationspace
11.20am to 11.35am Morning Tea
PROPERTY LAW and FINANCIAL MATTERS
11.35am to 12.20pm: Arbitrating Financial Matters
- The conduct of an arbitration and the arbitrator’s duties and powers
- How to register an arbitral award and how to set aside an award
- Tips, traps and costs issues
Presented by Chris Dimock, Principal, Dimocks Family Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Family Law
12.20pm to 1.05pm: A Practical Guide to Planning for Divorce: Asset Planning and Financial Settlements
- Financial structures for relationship asset planning
- Financial agreements (before and during relationships)
- Financial statements: how to present the snapshot of your client’s financial position for court (including Division 7A loans, contingent tax liabilities), and disclosure obligations
- Involvement of third parties
- The structure of financial settlements: the balance sheet summary, unravelling assets and structures
- Child maintenance trusts
Presented by Max Meyer, Special Counsel, Pearson Emerson Meyer; Accredited Specialist in Family Law; President, Asia Pacific Chapter of the International Academy of Family Lawyers
1.05pm to 1.15pm Final Q&A and Closing Comments by the Chair
Session 2
CPD Compulsory Units for Family Lawyers
Chair: James Richardson, Special Counsel, Dimocks Family Lawyers
Practice Management & Business Skills
2.00pm to 3.00pm: How Offering Clients Court Resolution AND Alternatives to Court Can Improve Your Practice and Your Professional Reputation
- Offering a bespoke service to clients begins at the first consultation: Why it’s beneficial for lawyers and their clients to expand their options for dispute resolution
- Mediation: Are there any benefits to mediating? What skills are required for a Mediator to add value to your mediations? Have you had an ‘amygdala hijack’ at mediation? If so, what’s the damage and how to stop it?
- How lawyers can appropriately prepare and represent their clients at mediation to achieve greater success
- Collaborative practice: What are the fundamental principles of collaborative practice? What, if any, are the benefits of collaborative practice? What is a collaborative coach and who can act as a collaborative coach?
Presented by Louise Mathias, Barrister; Nationally Accredited Mediator, FDRP, Collaborative Coach, Family Law Arbitrator
Ethics and Professional Responsibility
3.00pm to 4.00pm: 'Keeping it in the Family’: Ethics and Responsibility for Family Lawyers
- Unique landscape of family law practice when it comes to ethics
- Rules that apply to practice, where to find them and how to use them
- Recent cases exploring professional responsibilities in family law
- Resources, help and asking the questions
Presented by Claire Cantrall, Barrister, Waratah Chambers, Recommended, Family Law Junior Counsel, Doyle’s Guide 2018
4.00pm to 4.15pm Afternoon Tea
Professional Skills
4.15pm to 5.15pm: Preparing for a Client Interview: the Best Preparation
- Taking witness statements
- Preparation of affidavits
- Practical tips for evidence gathering
Presented by Laura Donnelly, Director, Holmes Donnelly & Co Solicitors; Accredited Specialist in Family Law; Recommended Family and Divorce Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2018