Family Law Advocacy: An Essential Skills Forum
Learn how to prepare and advocate interim applications for litigation funding and bolster your advocacy skills in interim parenting matters. You’ll gain tips and strategies to elevate your cross-examination, examination in chief and closing skills, whether acting as counsel or supporting counsel. Finally, a preeminent mediator will discuss how to be successful at your mediations. Learn these essentials and more to take to your advocacy skills to the next level. 226W05
Description
Attend and earn 4 CPD points in Competency Area 2: Professional Skills
This program is based on WA legislation
Chair: Natalie Kam, Partner, Lavan; Accredited Specialist in Family Law; Leading Parenting, Custody & Children’s Matters Lawyer and Recommended Family & Divorce Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2022
9.00am to 10.00am Show me the Money: Interim Applications for Costs and Part Property
- Examine how to prepare and advocate for interim funding applications:
- Costs
- $ for $ orders
- Partial property settlement
- Where are the powers to allow the court to grant your application?
- Evidence required
Presented by Brendan Ashdown, Barrister, John Toohey Chambers
10.00am to 11.00am Advocacy in Interim Parenting Matters
- What do you want to achieve; what is your case / evidence
- Written advocacy skills: including preparing draft affidavits in circumstances where clients have admitted to relevant illegal activity
- What to do when criminal issues are raised during interim hearing?
- How to structure your oral submissions to make use of the bench’s time
- Practice tips to avoid irritating the bench
Presented by Jane Johnson, Director, Kim Wilson & Co; Accredited Specialist in Family Law; Recommended Family & Divorce Lawyers, Doyle’s Guide 2022
11.00am to 11.15am Break
11.15am to 12.15pm Cross-Examination, Examination in Chief and Closing
Whether acting as counsel yourself or assisting counsel when instructing, learn useful advocacy tips and tricks to maximise positive trial outcomes for clients in the Family Court of Western Australia or Restraining Order Applications in the Magistrates Court.
Presented by Nicholas Rodda, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers; Leading Family Law Junior Counsel, Doyle’s Guide 2022
12.15pm to 1.15pm Getting the Most Out of Your Family Law Mediation
- Mediation preparation
- Drafting mediation documents
- What should and should not be produced
- How to behave in a mediation
- Generating options and closure
- Virtual mediation options
Presented by Andrew Davies, Partner, O’Sullivan Davies; Accredited Specialist in Family Law; Preeminent Family & Divorce Lawyers, Doyle’s Guide 2022
Presenters
Natalie Kam
Natalie is a Partner in the Lavan family law team and an accredited family law specialist. In addition to her family law practice, Natalie is the Vice President the Family Law Practitioners’ Association Council (FLPAWA) and Chair of its Law Reform Subcommittee. Natalie currently sits on the Law Society’s Accreditation Committee. She is a current member of the Law Society of Western Australia; Family Law Practitioners’ Association of Western Australia; Women Lawyers of Western Australia and Family Law Section.
Brendan Ashdown
Brendan Ashdown has been admitted to legal practice for over 25 years. After founding his own firm, and later joining a mid-sized City firm, Brendan commenced practice at the bar in 2005 at John Toohey Chambers. Brendan undertakes trial and appellate work in a wide range of areas with an emphasis on equity & trusts, property, banking & finance, bankruptcy & insolvency, commercial law & trade practices, contested probate, wills & estates, and family law property matters (appeals, trust, company & third party issues).
Jane Johnson
Jane was admitted as a Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1989 and in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 2008. She became an Accredited Family Law Specialist in 2015. Before joining the team at Kim Wilson & Co Family Lawyers in January 2008, Jane was a Partner in a boutique Family Law firm in New Zealand. Jane has a particular interest in the post separation care and support of children and regularly appears in Court in complex parenting matters, including relocation of children. Jane has been recognised as one of the Preeminent Lawyers in Western Australia, in Parenting, Custody and Children’s Matters by Doyle’s Guide in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Nicholas Rodda
Nick Rodda graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1992 and was admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria and the High Court of Australia in 1993. He was admitted to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 2002 shortly after joining O'Sullivan Davies. Nick has been practising family law since 1993. He became an Accredited Family Law Specialist in 1999. He has experience in all areas of Family Law and regularly appears as an advocate. Nick has appeared as counsel at trials in the Family Court and other Courts. Nick's interests in family law are wide ranging from cases involving businesses, trusts, companies and large property settlements right through to complex proceedings involving children, such as relocation cases, allegations of child abuse and also allegations of difficulties in the parent child relationship. Nick represents clients not just from metropolitan Perth but also rural and regional parts of Western Australia. Nick has also acted for clients based in various parts of the world including Europe and Asia. Nick has also presented seminars relating to family law matters to other members of the legal profession as well as other organisations. Nick is a member of both the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia and the Family Law Practitioner's Association of Western Australia of which he is a past council member and treasurer.
Andrew Davies
Andrew graduated from the University of Western Australia with a B. Juris and LLB, was admitted to the Supreme Court of Western Australia and has been practising Family Law for over 40 years. He is nationally accredited as a Family Law Specialist, mediator, an FDR Practitioner and is also qualified as a Reg 67B Arbitrator. Andrew has presented numerous papers and lectures at state, national and international conferences and has been a guest lecturer at Murdoch University Law School, a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), a former executive member of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of IAFL, former Chair of the Family Law & Family Rights Section of LawAsia, current Chair of Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators (AIFLAM), a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and sits on the executive committee of the WA Chapter.
Venue
Parmelia Hilton
Level 1, Meeting Room, 14 Mill Street
Perth 6000
WA
Australia
Directions
Nearby Public Transport:
Train Stations - The Esplanade Station
Bus Interchange - St Georges Terrace Cloisters Green
Parking information
Parmilia Hilton - Valet Parking only - Click here to view rates.
Convention Centre - 100 metres from Parmelia Hilton. Click here to view rates.