High level Negotiation and Mediation skills are fundamental skill requirements for Family Lawyers. Explore essential strategies and skills required to effectively navigate FCFCOA conciliation conferences. Gain insights into meeting court expectations, managing challenging clients, and dealing with the demands of Registrars. Discover how to prepare for external mediation to achieve favorable outcomes and gain insights on the psychology of negotiation. Examine the benefits and drawbacks of child-inclusive mediation and receive practical advice from preeminent and leading family law mediators, complete with real-world examples.

Presenters

Belinda Crawford, Director & Family Law Dispute Resolution Specialist, Separation Solutions
Belinda is a Family Lawyer who has been in the family law space for over 20 years. She is an Accredited Mediator, Arbitrator, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Parenting Coordinator and Collaborative Coach. She became an Accredited Specialist in Family Law in 2005 and was included in the 2023 and 2024 Doyle’s list as a Leading Family Law Mediator in NSW. Prior to establishing Separation Solutions in 2021 (formerly known as Crawford Mediation & Arbitration), Belinda worked for 15 years across the Sydney and Parramatta Registries of the Federal Circuit & Family Court of Australia as a Judicial Registrar and Senior Judicial Registrar. She conducted hundreds of Case Assessment Conferences and Conciliation Conferences whilst working at the courts and regularly sat in court to deal with the procedural issues related to such cases. From 2020 she was determining cases when sitting as a Senior Judicial Registrar at the Courts. That included sitting in the Evatt list which involved parenting cases with the highest of risk factors. She therefore has considerable training in domestic and family violence and trauma informed practice.


Angelo Bistolaridis, Principal, Myra Aris & Co
Angelo was admitted into practice as a solicitor in 2014 and has worked predominantly in the area of Family Law and Wills & Estates litigation since that time having been involved in a wide range of matters including matters involving jurisdictional issues with foreign courts, child support, complex financial proceedings, acting for third-parties, corporations, trusts and interested parties – including matters that have involved banking institutions and the Australian Taxation Office. In addition, Angelo has acted in parenting matters involving high-conflict disputes between parents and others seeking orders with respect to children as well as parenting disputes involving high-risk abuse, neglect or harm allegations. Between the period 2020 and 2023, Angelo had the privilege of being appointed a Registrar and then Judicial Registrar of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. In his role, Angelo undertook procedural and enforcement hearing work in court lists and was responsible for financial and parenting lists in both the Parramatta and Sydney Registries of that court and in Division 1 and 2. In addition, Angelo undertook Family Dispute Resolution Conferences for Parenting disputes and Conciliation Conferences for Financial disputes where he mediated agreements between parties. Angelo is a lecturer at the Western Sydney University where he has lectured in the Family Law and Advanced Family Law subjects. Angelo is a registered AIFLAM Arbitrator and is able to undertake Arbitrations for parties under the Family Law Act. As a former Registrar Angelo is also able to facilitate dispute resolution in family law matters but is not an FDR practitioner – he has a real passion in helping people resolve disputes, out of court in a quick, inexpensive and efficient way.


Bruce Tilley, Principal, Tilley Mediation
Bruce was admitted as a legal practitioner in 1980 until closing his legal practice in 2022. In 1993, he was accredited as a Family Law Specialist in the first group to receive specialist accreditation. He practised exclusively in the family law jurisdiction until 2022 when he ceased acting for clients and changed his focus to mediation, assisting parties to resolve their family law disputes. He has been recognised by his peers as a preeminent Family Law Mediator in NSW since 2017 and is considered one of the leading Family Law mediators in Sydney.


Mark MacDiarmid, Principal, Mark MacDiarmid Family Law Specialists & Mediator
Mark MacDiarmid has been a lawyer for over 30 years. He is an Accredited Family Law Specialist, a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and a registered Family Law Arbitrator. Mark is a former Director of national law firm Gadens Lawyers (where he worked in the commercial law and banking & finance sections), a former specialist family law consultant for Coleman & Greig Lawyers, and for many years was the Principal Solicitor of the Elizabeth Evatt Community Legal Centre. As a lawyer Mark's practice is currently focused on Independent Children's Lawyer appointments, and as a mediator he focuses on legally assisted property mediations. He holds degrees in Arts & Law from the University of Sydney, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychology.


Shelby Timmins, Principal, Divorce Done Differently
Shelby Timmins is an Accredited Family Law Specialist, who holds a Masters in Law from the University of Sydney, is a Nationally Accredited Mediator, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and Collaborative Professional. Shelby is a member of Collaborative Professionals NSW and President of Southern Sydney Collaborative Professionals. Shelby has over 18 years’ experience in Family Law and spent much of this at one of Sydney's most respected specialist Family Lawyer firms. Shelby is passionate about doing things differently in the family law space and is determined to get parties and their lawyers to look at separation, divorce and the breakdown of families in a more respectful and future focussed way. With this in mind, Shelby has recently stepped aside from practising law and established her own family law dispute resolution practice which specialises in mediation and collaborative practice. Her business is called DIVORCE DONE DIFFERENTLY.