Parenting disputes remain some of the most challenging and dynamic areas of family law. Join leading experts and take a deep dive into the latest reforms, landmark cases and evolving approaches to coercive control, special needs children and enforcement of parenting orders. Gain practical guidance on preparing for trial, navigating ethical grey areas and managing high-conflict clients in a demanding practice environment. Walk away with current insights, practical strategies and professional skills to strengthen your work in parenting matters.

Presenters

Diana Perla, Principal, Diana Perla & Associates
After graduating with a BA and an LLB at the University of Sydney in 1982, Diana Perla was admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW and admitted to the Israeli Bar in 1985. She speaks English, Hebrew (Ivrit) and Yiddish. Diana has been an accredited specialist in Family Law since 1994. In 2019, Diana attained qualification as a Notary Public. Diana is highly qualified and experienced in many areas of family law, including, complex financial matters, parenting matters and same-sex couple parenting matters. She also represents clients in the Supreme Court in relation to family provision claims. Diana has been involved with the Eastern Suburbs Family Law Group for many years as an active member and as Chairperson. She is also frequently called upon to present papers at Family Law Seminars to provide continuing education lectures to other lawyers.

Claire O’Connor SC, Villeneuve Smith Chambers
Claire O'Connor SC is a barrister practising in criminal, family and civil work, (predominantly personal injuries, inquiries and inquests) Aside from the usual practice of car accidents, murders, rapes and family disputes over children, assets and pets, those areas entail she is also well known for her refugee and detention centre work acting for the plaintiff in Al Kateb v Secretary dept. of Immigration in the High Court, for Cornelia Rau in relation to the Palmer Inquiry into her unlawful detention (and her subsequent rescue from Jordan where Ms Rau was detained under their mental health provisions), and in the inquest into the sinking of the SIEV 221 off the coast of Christmas Island in 2010 where she appeared for the survivors and families of the deceased. She worked on many Aboriginal justice issues including the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Hindmarsh Island Royal Commission, at Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement as an in-house counsel, and juniored Julian Burnside AO QC into first and so far only successful stolen generation case of Trevorrow v The State of South Australia. Claire has also acted for many asbestos victims in litigation against employers and suppliers of asbestos in particular in the successful test case in this State of Parker v BHP. She has developed a keen interest in gender equity issues in the last few years in particular and is the Law Society of SA representative on the Law Council gender committee, a member of the SA Bar Women at the Bar committee and a member of the Law Society's own gender equity working group. She was on the establishment committee some 20 years ago for the women's legal service and served for many years on its management committee. Her legal employment experience has been in private practice, the community sector and in the government sector in SA and the UK before, in 2005, she went to the bar. She was appointed a senior counsel in 2014.

Stephen Page, Director, Page Provan
Stephen Page is a director of Page Provan, Brisbane. Stephen was admitted in 1987 and has been an accredited family law specialist since 1996. He has had a long interest in domestic violence, having helped write the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld) and having served for many years on domestic violence committees, including co-founding a domestic violence service. Stephen is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. He was awarded the Queensland Law Society President’s Medal in 2023.

Alex Namisnyk, Solicitor – Director, ATW Family Lawyers
Alex Namisnyk is a Solicitor Director at ATW Family Law and an Accredited Specialist in Family Law. He has extensive experience across all areas of family law, including complex parenting and financial matters, high-conflict disputes, and cases involving family violence. Known for his calm and empathetic approach, Alex is committed to helping clients navigate family breakdowns with dignity. He focuses on reducing conflict and achieving practical, creative solutions that prioritise the needs of children and empower clients to move forward. Since being admitted to practice in 2011, Alex has held roles with DLA Piper and the Family Court of Australia before joining ATW Family Law in 2012. He became a Director in 2024 after serving as Senior Associate and Special Counsel. Passionate about non-adversarial practice, Alex is trained in mediation and Collaborative Practice, using these skills to resolve matters efficiently and respectfully. He serves on the Committee of Collaborative Professionals NSW and is a regular contributor to the profession through his advocacy for collaborative and trauma-informed approaches to family law.

Monique Robb, Partner, Lander & Rogers
Monique is an accredited specialist in family law. Monique has acted for clients in all areas of family law, including parenting (custody) and property matters, child support, spouse maintenance and financial agreements (including pre-nuptial agreements). Monique is known for providing clients with pragmatic, commercial advice and robust representation in both negotiating and litigating a resolution to their family and relationship law concerns. Monique has worked solely in the area of family law since 2007, including as the associate to a judge in the Federal Circuit Court. As a result, she provides clear, strategic advice and representation in matters which require litigation, and, more importantly, to assist clients to avoid litigation wherever possible. In addition to her work as a solicitor, Monique has taught Family Law at the University of Notre Dame, Australia, since 2014. Monique’s family law experience includes handling disputes where one or both parties live overseas. She also has significant experience in drafting financial agreements, including drafting mirror agreements to foreign pre-nuptial agreements. Monique also acts for third parties, including corporate entities, in family law matters. Monique became an accredited specialist in family law in 2015, and additionally has completed a Master of Laws at the University of Sydney, with a focus on family law and areas of law affecting children. Her strong academic and practical expertise are applied to ensure her clients receive efficient, effective advice, particularly in areas where novel issues arise. Monique has been named as a Rising Star in family law in Doyle's Guide. She is also a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia.

Brett McGrath, Partner, Marsdens Law Group
Brett commenced his time at the Court as a Registrar with the Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia in 2019 was selected as one of two National Registrars to oversee the implementation of the new National COVID-19 List, designed to triage and hear urgent family law matters arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as being involved in the development and expansion of the Courts’ new parenting and property Dispute Resolution project and National COVID-19 List, Brett was appointed as a Senior Registrar of the Court in November 2020 and then again as a Senior Judicial Registrar of the new Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia from 1 September 2021.

Dr Sophie Reid, Director, Co-founder & Clinical Psychologist, Birchtree Centre
Dr Sophie Reid is a clinical psychologist and researcher with over 20 years experience. She holds a PhD in Child and Adolescent Psychology and Masters in Clinical Psychology. Passionate about child advocacy, she focuses on healing childhood trauma and supporting parents to interrupt intergenerational impact and transmission. Sophie has extensive experience in hospitals, homeless communities, schools, and private practice. Together with Jace Cannon-Brookes, she established Birchtree Centre a safe space for survivors of trauma to land, heal, connect and grow; Birchtree Foundation to ensure equity of access to trauma focused care and healing in regional Australia; and Birchtree Education, to deliver training to the community on trauma informed practices.

Hannah Gore, Special Counsel, Pigdon Norgate
Hannah is an Accredited Family Law Specialist, practising exclusively in family law since her admission in 2014. Her experience across a wide range of family law issues includes complex financial settlements and challenging parenting disputes as well as appearing in relation to costs applications and Appeals. Attaining her Specialist Accreditation in 2020, Hannah is an experienced litigator who is equally committed to achieving resolutions outside the courtroom. She guides clients through mediation, negotiation, and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes, striving for amicable outcomes that minimise emotional stress, preserve relationships, and reduce costs. Hannah has been recognised as a Rising Star in family law in 2020, 2021 and 2023 by the Doyle’s Guide to Australia’s top lawyers.

Matthew Shepherd, Special Counsel, Ramsden Family Law
Matthew Shepherd is a mediator, arbitrator, family dispute resolution practitioner, and accredited family law specialist. Matthew has a Masters of Dispute Resolution (Honours) from the University of Technology Sydney, where he taught Dispute Resolution Advocacy from 2014 to 2020. Matthew has studied advanced negotiation theory at the Harvard Project on Negotiation. He has sat on the NSW Society Dispute Resolution Committee. He works with clients and their lawyers to consider not only the best legal and financial outcomes, but also to consider the best dispute resolution process to achieve those outcomes. The choice of dispute resolution process has a big impact on the quality of agreements reached and how well they are implemented.

Dianne Pendergast, Barrister, Brisbane Chambers
Dianne Pendergast was admitted to practice law in 1986. Since then she has practiced predominantly in family law, wills and estates, child protection and domestic violence. Dianne was a partner in a boutique practice until 1992, when she was appointed as a registrar of the Family Court where she worked as a mediator, conciliator and conducted interim hearings for the next 14 years. In 2006 Dianne was appointed to the statutory position of Adult Guardian (Qld.). Dianne has practiced as a barrister for the last 13 years.

Chris Bishop, Barrister, Win Paten Chambers
Chris was first called to the bar in 2023, having been admitted as a legal practitioner in 2010. He practices in all areas of family and relationship law including complex parenting and property proceedings. Chris is also recognised as a leading expert in the child support scheme, its legislation and associated litigation in both the Administrative Review Tribunal and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. In particular, he has a particular interest and extensive experience in binding child support agreements, the enforcement of outstanding child support debt and international child maintenance. Chris is part of Win Paten Chambers in Brisbane and further details can be found here: https://winpatenchambers.com/christopher-bishop

Angelo Bistolaridis, Principal, Dispute Resolutionist, 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.

Melinda Winning, Partner, Barkus Doolan Winning Family Lawyers
Melinda was admitted as a solicitor in 1998 and has been an Accredited Specialist in Family Law since 2003. She has exclusively practiced family law for over 21 years, including property, spouse maintenance, child support, international child abduction, complex parenting cases and proceedings involving third party creditors, including trustees in bankruptcy. Melinda has been with the firm since 2001 and became a Partner of the firm in 2011. Melinda regularly presents papers at legal conferences throughout Australia. Melinda has also been involved in a number of Appeals that have been decided by the Full Court across a wide range of areas, including parenting, child support, spouse maintenance and Pre-Nuptial Agreements. Melinda’s depth of knowledge and ability to identify with clients allows her to approach all aspects of her practice with a view to achieving the best possible outcome for clients through mediation, if possible, or litigation. Melinda is also qualified as an Arbitrator. “Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Market” has ranked Melinda as the following: "Leading" Family and Divorce Lawyers in Sydney in 2018, 2019 and 2020; "Leading" Parenting & Children's Matters Lawyers for NSW in 2018, 2019 and 2020; "Leading" Family Lawyers (High-Value & Complex Property Matters) for NSW in 2020. Melinda is also a director of "Women in Law and Business", an organisation founded by her and her female partners to support women.


Kuppy Nambiar, Director, Nambiar Hogg Family Lawyer
Kuppy Nambiar is a founder and director of Nambiar Hogg Family Lawyers established in 2022. Having worked in a number of leading specialist Family Law firms, she has over 30 years of experience in Family Law. Kuppy attained Specialist Accreditation in Family Law in 2001. She is known for her firm but fair approach in providing practical advice with empathy, care and humour. Kuppy is committed to professional development and education. She frequently presents at conferences and seminars for other Family Lawyers, and for many years has been an instructor at Leo Cussen Centre for Law in Family Law and Ethics. Kuppy has volunteered at several community centres including Prahran Legal Service. Kuppy is regularly recognised in Doyle's Guide including as a Recommended Family Lawyer and Recommended Parenting Lawyer. Nambiar Hogg Family Lawyers is also recognised in Doyle’s Guide as a Recommended Family and Divorce Law firm. Kuppy is a member of the Family Law sections of the Law Institute of Victoria and the Law Council of Australia and a past member of the Family Law Advisory Committee to the Accreditation Board of the Law Institute of Victoria for Family Law, responsible for assessing and examining candidates for accreditation in Family Law.

Kylie Chesterman, Barrister, Win Paten Chambers
Kylie was called to the Bar in 2016, having been admitted as a legal practitioner in 2011. She maintains a practice predominantly in family law, criminal law and domestic violence. Prior to commencing at the private Bar, Kylie worked in a boutique family law firm and as a Legal Officer at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Kylie was also a Legal Associate in the Queensland Court of Appeal to the Honourable Robert Gotterson AO and in the District Court to Sarah Bradley AO. Kylie holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Psychological Science from Griffith University. Kylie has a keen interest in complex financial matters as well as parentage disputes in de facto relationships. She was involved in the case of Clarence & Crisp [2016] FamCAFC 157 as both a solicitor (at the trial) and then junior counsel in the appeal.