Gain strategies for numerous other areas of law besides family law affecting your family law matters.  Navigate the concerns when you come upon discretionary trusts, the key tax considerations for family property settlements, navigating bankruptcy in family law and effective strategies for engaging with trustees.  Understand how to manage procedural challenges when a party to proceedings dies? Navigate the cross over of immigration law in family violence and parenting matters, plus the impacts and intersection of criminal actions on family law proceedings including what family lawyers needs to know about running and defending a family violence intervention order.  A not to be missed Conference.

Presenters

Rachell Davey, Partner, Lander & Rogers
Rachell has practised in family and relationship law since 2000. She has been involved in all aspects of family law with particular expertise in complex property and financial matters. Rachell holds a Master' of International Law (2005) from the University of Melbourne and practises in international family law matters involving expatriate Australians, or for clients across multiple family law jurisdictions. She is highly adept at resolving complex property matters involving corporate entities, businesses, addressing the taxation implications of settlement and third parties. Rachell has extensive experience drafting financial agreements (both pre and post nuptial) and advising clients of the appropriateness of a financial agreement in their circumstances. She also assists clients with complex parenting arrangements involving interstate and overseas relocation. Rachell is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law (2005) and previous member of the Accredited Specialist Committee. She is listed in Doyle's Guide as a Rising Star in Family Law (2016) and a leading practitioner of Parenting and Children's Matters (2018 to 2024). She has been recognised in Best Lawyers (Australia) for her expertise in Family Law. Rachell is also a regular presenter and author covering family law topics.


Gregory Russo, Principal, Greg Russo Law
Greg Russo has almost 30 years’ experience in succession planning, administration and litigation and is one of Victoria’s most experienced and respected succession law solicitors. With a background in pure mathematics, Greg not only understands the implications of planning decisions on future taxation, SMSF, trust and estate administration, he is also able to break down complex concepts and structures logically and explain options to clients in a way that empowers them to take positive action and ownership for their decisions. Using the knowledge and insights that he has acquired over three decades; he crafts unique solutions to complex succession problems. Greg teaches both mathematics and law, regularly presents CPD succession events to solicitors, accountants and other professionals in Victoria, Queensland, and online. Greg is an LIV Wills & Estates Accredited Specialist, a chairperson of the LIV Specialist Accreditation Education Advisory Committee, a board member of the Mount Eliza Community Bank, a member of STEP, and is recognised in Doyle’s Guide, in Victoria, as a Leading Wills and Estates Litigation Lawyer and a Leading Wills, Estates and Succession Planning Lawyer.


Alice Ruhe, Managing Principal – Queensland, SMB Advisory
Alice has practised in the Insolvency and Corporate Recovery Industry for over 15 years and is a Registered Trustee in Bankruptcy and a Registered Liquidator. Alice is a member of both the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA) and has experience in all forms of corporate and personal insolvency administrations. Alice believes that in most instances early diagnosis and accurate prognosis can foster the best results. “All too often, good businesses go by the wayside because the early signs of potential distress have been ignored, or worse, have not been identified at all”. Alice has had experience dealing with administrations involving the building, hospitality, information technology, accounting, legal, medical, retail and various other industries. Alice is a true believer in providing clear and relevant communication to stakeholders and acknowledges that more often than not “things are not always quite as they seem”.


Lachlan Wraith, Barrister, Foley’s List
Lachlan is a barrister at the Victorian Bar. He commenced at the Bar in 1996 following 3.5 years working in a regional Victorian law firm. Lachlan practised primarily in family law until 2007 when he left the Bar to take a position as Head of Personal Estates & Trusts at Equity Trustees Ltd. His time at Equity Trustees gave him a broad and practical exposure to the legal and tax issues related to estates, trusts (testamentary, family, special disability, compensation trusts and charitable trust), representative administrations (VCAT and Powers of Attorney) and issues relating to the licensed trustee companies industry. Lachlan returned to the Bar in early 2013 and now focuses his practice on trust and estate work as well as family law matters involving trust and estate related issues.


Carina Ford, Managing Partner, Carina Ford Immigration Lawyers
Carina Ford is recognised as one of Australia’s pre-eminent migration lawyers. She established her own practice in 2004, having previously worked as an Associate at Gadens Lawyers, Melbourne. She is a practicing lawyer and an Accredited Immigration and Administrative Law Specialist. CFIL supervises a legacy caseload clinic as part of a joint venture between the ASRC and Maurice Blackburn after hours. Carina is a regular contributor to submissions about Bills in this area for the LIV and LCA and has appeared before numerous Australian Senate Committees. She is part of a group providing assistance on split family Applications – applications by refugees under the age of 18 who wished to bring family to Australia. She also writes the Student visa section of the Lexis Nexus Migration service. Carina is also a registered New Zealand Migration Adviser (201100036) and a member of the NZAMI. She has presented papers both in Australia and overseas and teaches both experienced and newly entered migration agents/lawyers. Carina was also awarded the Best Lawyers ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for 2022 and the Lawyers Weekly, “Partner of the Year’ for 2022 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to her field.


Josh Chye, Partner and Head of Tax Consulting, HLB Mann Judd
Josh Chye leads the HLB Mann Judd tax division. With a passion for understanding his clients' commercial drivers, he is able to provide practical tax solutions in order to both solve problems and identify opportunities. Josh's professional tax background of fifteen years extends across working in the tax consulting divisions of reputable international second tier and big four firms which gives Josh the advantage of possessing significant and deep experience advising clients across all sectors and sizes from family offices to foreign government funds. Josh has particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions advisory where he has led complex corporate restructure transactions, offshore/inbound transactions, managed investment scheme structuring, corporate debt refinancing and ASX listings. Outside of HLB Mann Judd, Josh is a Board member and Treasurer of the Property Funds Association of Australia and Board member and Vice Treasurer of the Australia Malaysia Business Council (Victoria Chapter).


Monica Blizzard, Director, KHQ Lawyers
With over 20 years' experience in family law, Monica is an Accredited Family Law Specialist with the Law Institute of Victoria, trained mediator and collaborative lawyer. Monica has a passion for complex parenting and property cases, and also has expertise in the area of reproductive law and family violence.


Simon Kelly, Barrister, Holmes List
Simon is a barrister practicing principally in crime, intervention orders, family law and guardianship law. Simon appears regularly in the Magistrates Court, County Court of Victoria, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, and VCAT regarding child and property disputes, intervention orders and crime. Simon has a particular interest in intervention orders with associated criminal matters and their relationship to family law parenting matters. Simon is the holder of a Victorian Bar Indictable Crime Certificate and has lectured in Evidence at Victoria University. Immediately prior to coming to the bar, Simon was employed as a solicitor in the community legal service sector.  Simon appeared for a range of clients in a variety of criminal, regulatory and traffic matters including as duty solicitor in family violence matters. Previously, Simon was a senior solicitor at the Victorian Government Solicitors Office in the Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement team and appeared on behalf of a range of state and commonwealth departments in a broad range of matters. Prior to admission as a lawyer, Simon was engaged as a prosecutor with Victoria Police and subsequently with the Department of Transport. Simon has worked In East Timor with the UN and in the Solomon Islands, mentoring and monitoring local police. Simon read with Mr R B Hammill.


Amanda Goldstein, General Manager Clinical Services, Relationships Australia Victoria
Amanda has over 20 years of experience in leadership and clinical practice roles in a range of sectors delivering individual counselling and therapy, group work and family work. She strives to deliver innovative and effective evidence-based practice that assists clients to achieve change, create safety, become great parents and connect with themselves and their communities. She has undertaken practice specialist, practice, team leader and clinician roles in adult and child/youth mental health, relationship counselling and family violence services for people who use and experience violence. In recent years, Amanda has focused on developing practice across therapeutic counselling and group work services by using approaches that create safety by reducing shame, promoting regulation, and addressing complex trauma.


James McIntyre, Barrister, Svenson Barristers
James McIntyre specialises in family law and related matters (including de facto relationships), intervention orders, deceased estates, and commercial litigation. Before being called to the Bar, James worked as a Senior Solicitor for the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation, giving general advice to stakeholders, appearing on behalf of the Commission at prosecutions and court hearings, instructing counsel and also appearing as Counsel Assisting the Commission at public inquiries relating to applications for approval of premises as suitable for electronic gaming machines, as well as applications to vary the number of electronic gaming machines permitted at venues. James also worked in private practice for a number of years as a solicitor, in family law and general litigation. James was previously a member of the Football Federation Victoria Tribunal and has appeared as an advocate in sports disciplinary tribunals. James has served as a local councillor for Surf Coast Shire Council. James is admitted to practise in New York, United States as an Attorney-at-law, and is also an accredited NMAS mediator.