With the Family Law Amendment Act 2025 (Cth) now in effect, this half-day program examines how the Family Court of WA and the FC&FCoA (Divisions 1 and 2) are applying the new provisions, focusing on Section 79 and changes to the treatment of the economic impact of family violence, wastage, liabilities and add backs. Using recent cases including Shinohara (No 2) and Pantoja, you’ll gain practical insights on what these developments mean for practice, along with updates on binding financial agreements, the interaction between family law and wills and estates, and relocation and jurisdictional issues. This is a program you simply cannot afford to miss if you want your advice to reflect current law and court approaches.

Presenters

Framy Anne Browne, Partner, Lavan
Framy Anne Browne provides expert advice in the areas of divorce, property settlements, child related matters, spousal maintenance and dispute resolution. Framy is the lead partner of the Lavan's Family Law team and has extensive experience with matters of considerable commercial and factual complexity, including matters involving complex financial arrangements involving companies, trusts, and assets overseas. Framy has represented clients in matters involving international jurisdiction.. Framy also has extensive experience in child related matters and has represented clients living in Australia and overseas in matters involving international law and relocation. Prior to joining Lavan, Framy was a partner at Paterson & Dowding Family Lawyers where she worked for six years. Prior to making the move to Perth in 2009, Framy was at Watts McCray Family Lawyers in Sydney. Framy has been recognised by the Doyles Guide for Australian Best Lawyers, in the 2015 and 2016 listing of Rising Stars in Australian Family Law. Framy was first admitted as a lawyer in 2005 in the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Framy has also been admitted in the High Court of Australia and in the Supreme Court of Western Australia. Since her admission in 2005, Framy has practised exclusively in the area of family law and holds a Master of Applied Law (Family Law).

Natalie Kam, Partner, Jackson McDonald
Natalie is the lead partner in the Jackson McDonald family law team. Natalie is an accredited family law specialist with extensive experience in family law, representing clients in family and relationship law both nationally and internationally. Natalie is experienced in complex property proceedings including financial tracing, corporate and trust structures, contested inheritances, valuation and business issues and acting on behalf of banks, liquidators, creditors and corporations. Her practice includes advice on proactive structuring to protect multigenerational businesses and wealth and sits amongst one of Western Australia’s most preeminent private wealth teams. Natalie is a recognised industry leader in dealing with complex parenting cases and child related proceedings having represented clients in Australia and overseas, including in respect of applications to relocate overseas and international child abduction and recovery. She is experienced at mediation and is a qualified collaborative lawyer. Natalie is also trained in assisting clients encountering issues such as domestic and family violence and requiring assistance to obtain Family Violence Restraining Orders. Natalie was previously a key adviser to the Attorney General’s Family Relationship Advice Line and has assisted in the preparation of a number of submissions to government in the area of family law reform. Natalie is currently the Vice President of the Family Law Practitioners’ Association of Western Australia (FLPA) and Chair of FLPA’s Law Reform Subcommittee.

Jorja Brady, Partner, Lavan
Jorja is a Partner at Lavan in the family law team. She has an LL.M (Family law) and B.A. (History) and is an accredited family law specialist and trained mediator. She has practiced exclusively in family law at leading family law firms in Perth, for the last 15 years. She specialises in the management of complicated financial and parenting matters in the Family Court with a particular interest in financial cases involving substantial asset pools, including matters with complex company, trust, partnership, and valuation issues. Many of these cases have an international element to them or taxation and accounting aspects. Jorja has considerable experience in cases involving the preparation of or setting aside of financial and child support agreements, sham transactions, trusts and equitable remedies, corporations’ law and matters involving third parties. Jorja also maintains a specialised practice associated with difficult parenting cases, particularly parentage disputes, the relocation of children and cases with an international aspect, including Hague Convention abduction cases.

John Butler, Consultant and Notary Public, Hopgood Ganim Lawyers
John is a Consultant & Notary Public in our Family & Relationship Law and Estate & Succession practice at HopgoodGanim Lawyers. With over 50 years of experience, John brings a wealth of knowledge and consistently achieves the best possible outcomes for his clients. John is experienced in Business & Estate Planning, Wills & Estates, Guardianship & Administration and Family Law. John is an active member of his community, having served in the Australian Army Reserve for 13 years as a Commissioned Officer, is presently on the Reserve of Officers and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Matilda Bay where he leads initiatives that promote humanitarian service, good will and peace worldwide.

Fraser Bax, Partner, Hopgood Ganim Lawyers
Fraser’s practice encompasses all types of family law matters including complex financial disputes (particularly those that involve significant asset pools, a large number of companies and trusts or complicated valuation issues), financial agreements (both pre and post nuptial and for de facto couples), spousal maintenance disputes, and parenting and child support matters. While he practices from Brisbane, Fraser has appeared in various other states and regularly advises clients residing outside of Australia. Fraser is also a regular contributor to legal commentary on topical issues in family law.