Program

The theme of the Conference is Landscapes of Thought and our aim is to foster a Conference environment that encourages bold conversations, fresh perspectives, and ground-breaking ideas.

Attendees will be exposed to a broad range of topics related to family law from a diversity of local, national and international lawyers, allied professionals, academics and the Judiciary. 

The Committee’s aim for this program was to develop one that is both rigorous and engaging, presented by leading judicial, professional and academic voices from across Australia and internationally. 

This year’s program features:

• 10 plenary sessions
• 19 concurrent sessions
• Our Early Career Workshops including interim hearings: From Preparation to Persuasion and Career Bites: Building Reputation, Skills and Impact.

We open the Conference with our State of the Nation plenary, bringing together the Attorney-General, heads of jurisdiction and system leaders to reflect on the current landscape and future direction of family law in Australia.

Across the three days, the program explores the issues shaping modern practice, including:

• Artificial intelligence and its role in family law, from practical application to professional and ethical challenges
• Technology-facilitated abuse and the evolving nature of family violence
• The economics of family and domestic violence
• Intergenerational wealth, trusts, complex financial structures as well as cross border and cross jurisdictional financial disputes
• Deep dives into recent legislative reforms and their impact in financial and children’s matters
• Neurodiversity and neuropsychology and the impact of brain development in parenting disputes and decision-making
• Advocacy, evidence and procedure including strategies to deploy when tackling expert evidence
• Ethics, professional responsibility and practitioner wellbeing

International perspectives are woven throughout the program, including sessions led by global experts and a keynote address from Sir Andrew McFarlane.

The Peter Nygh Memorial Lecture will be delivered by the Hon. Justice Robert Beech-Jones of the High Court of Australia.

Don’t forget our vibrant social program, with additional events to be announced, offering even more opportunities to connect, reconnect and enjoy time with colleagues and friends.

Click the button below to download the Conference program. In due course, session overviews will be made available. 

 TO BE HYPERLINKED TO PDF FILE