Presenters

John Armfield, Barrister, Two Wentworth
John has been practicing at the NSW Bar for 44 years as counsel in wills and estates matters and related litigation. He has long been recognised in Doyles Guide as a leading junior counsel in 2015, 2017-2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 as a pre-eminent and recommended leading wills and estates junior counsel. His particular expertise spans family provision law, testamentary capacity, informal wills, estoppel in estate litigation and the rights of beneficiaries to obtain information in relation to the administration of trusts. Approachable as he is, his colleagues and members of the broader legal profession have come to rely on John’s guidance, counsel and assistance to resolve complex wills & estates matters. John is an accredited mediator. He is approached to act as mediator and instructed as counsel to appear for parties in more than 100 mediations a year. For the most part, he achieves an inordinate number of settlements either as Counsel, or as mediator assisting parties to reach a result they find acceptable in their circumstances. John is a regular legal conference speaker including STEP, the Blue Mountains Conference, Ten The Education Network and other various legal education channels together with his own Floor’s conference.

Elizabeth Picker, Barrister, Queen Square Chambers
Among her qualifications, Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a mediation diploma from Bond University. She is also an Accredited Mediator - Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP) and an Accredited Arbitrator. In previous roles, she has worked as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland (1994-1999), Solicitor of the High Court of Australia (1996 - 2007), Solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW (2000-2007) and is now a Barrister of the Supreme Court of NSW 2007 (to date). Her area of practice at the Bar is principally in Dispute Resolution (in any areas suitable for mediation) and in the Family Law jurisdiction in all aspects of family law, financial and parenting matters. Elizabeth also has a steady practice in areas of equity including wills and probate & Family Provision matters.