Family Law Conference
Issues covered include: ALRC, discovery, financial proceedings, disclosure, companies, trusts, partnerships, deceased estate, alternative, restorative justice, mediation, mediator, successful family law practice, costs, billing, growth and development, domestic violence, family violence, trauma, protection orders, parenting orders, evidentiary rules, affidavits, parental alienation, ethics, ethical dilemmas
Description
Plunge into the most current and relevant topics and analyse them with a panel of family law experts. The morning will begin by looking at the Family Court, property, finance, mediation and your practice. In the afternoon we take a significant and in depth look at domestic violence, the litigation rules and finish with ethics. Attend the full day, elevate your practice and earn your CPD mandatory core area points.
Attend and earn 7 CPD units including:
3 units in Legal Knowledge
1 unit in Practical Legal Ethics
1 unit in Practice Management & Business Skills
2 units in Professional Skills
This conference was recorded in QLD on 13 March 2019
Session 1
Courtroom Skills and Practice Management
Chair: Bruce Thiele, Barrister, Brisbane Chambers
9.00am to 10.00am: Family Law in the Family Court/Div 1 and Federal Circuit Court/Div 2 Amalgamation or Apparition? Substance or Form or Neither?
- What is the Government doing? And what does it mean?
- What is the ALRC doing? And what does it mean?
- And what do we do with all of that?
Presented by Bruce Thiele, Barrister, Brisbane Chambers
Professional Skills
10.00am to 11.00am: Show me the Money: Discovery in Property and Financial Proceedings
- Financial proceedings: disclosure (rules, case law)
- Companies, trusts, partnerships, deceased estate: how to obtain documents and alternative remedies
Presented by Philip Looney QC, Inns of Court; Leading Family Law Senior Counsel, Doyle’s Guide 2018 and Greg Shoebridge, Barrister, Inns of Court: Leading Family Law Junior Counsel, Doyle’s Guide 2018
11.00am to 11.15am Morning Tea
Professional Skills
11.15am to 12.15pm: Alternative Avenues to Court Proceedings
- Is Restorative Justice real and worthwhile?
- Does the ‘S’ [sorry] word make a difference?
- Unpacking the ‘S’ word and making it effective
- Why mediation works
- How to prepare and succeed at mediation
- How an effective mediator can progress resolution
Presented by David Cormack, Barrister & Mediator and Farley Tolpen, Lawyer & Mediator, Mediation Experts
Practice Management and Business Skills
12.15pm to 1.15pm: How to Run a Successful Family Law Practice in 2019
- Getting the right practice management system in place
- Costs, billing and other essentials
- Staff management and human resources
- Growth and development of a business
Presented by Jennifer Hetherington, Principal, Hetherington Family Law; 2017 Sole Practitioner of the Year and 2018 Finalist Partner of the Year, Lawyers Weekly
Session 2
Family Violence, Parenting Applications and Ethical Issues
Chair: Kara Best, Legal Practice Director, Best Wilson Buckley Family Law
2.00pm to 2.40pm: Understanding Domestic and Family Violence: Practical Legal Skills for Family Lawyers Working with Victims and Survivors
- Understanding domestic and family violence using the power and control gendered theory
- Understanding how trauma impacts on our client giving instructions and understanding and processing legal advice
- Using risk assessment and screening tools to obtain instructions and to assess client safety and client needs
- Domestic violence myths in the family law profession and what the research actually says
- Practical client skills in working with victims and survivors
- Empowering our clients
Presented by Chrissy Leontios, Principal Lawyer,CLEON Legal and Mediation Services, winner of Partner of the Year 2018, Lawyers Weekly Awards
2.40pm to 3.20pm: Practical Tips for Family Lawyers Working in Domestic and Family Violence Matters
- The tension between protection orders and parenting orders: practical examples
- Protection orders in the context of property matters
- Evidentiary rules: preparation of affidavits
Presented by Leeann Murphy, Special Counsel, HopgoodGanim
3.20pm to 3.35pm Afternoon Tea
3.35pm to 4.15pm: Is Parental Alienation at Play? Representing your Client when their Children Refuse or Resist Time with Them
- Identifying and differentiating types of strained parent-child relationships
- Understanding the characteristics of parental alienation with reference to social science and Warshak’s criteria to determine your client’s case theory
- Assessing risk factors that contribute to strained-parent child relationships and guiding your client to the best resources and supports
- The Court’s approach to parental alienation and the ‘targeted vs favoured parent’ dynamic
Presented by Amy McBreen, Solicitor, Feeney Family Law
Practical Legal Ethics
4.15pm to 5.15pm: Ethics in Everyday Family Law Practice
- Ethical red flags: recognising an ethical dilemma in practice
- Ethical boundaries to engagement with your client and opponent
- Encouraging ethical insight in your support staff
Presented by Kara Best, Legal Practice Director, Best Wilson Buckley Family Law, Accredited Specialist in Family Law