Presenters

Alicia Elliott, Practice Director, Broun Abrahams Burreket
Alicia is an accredited specialist in family law with over 15 years of exclusive practice in the field. She is recognised in the 2025 Doyle’s Guide (New South Wales) as a pre-eminent parenting and children’s matters lawyer and a recommended leading family and divorce lawyer. Known for her clear, pragmatic advice and compassionate approach, Alicia helps clients navigate emotionally charged matters including parenting disputes involving family violence, addiction, mental health challenges, and international relocation. She also advises on high-value and complex financial matters, including trusts, overseas property, and business interests. Alicia is deeply committed to resolving disputes cost-effectively and in the best interests of her clients and their children.

Mark MacDiarmid, Principal, Mark MacDiarmid Family Law Specialist and 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.

Dr Mandy Ellis, Psychologist, Strive and Thrive Psychology
Dr Mandy Ellis is a registered psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working with separating families as a single expert report writer, conducting child inclusive assessments, all aspects of family and individual therapy for separating families and individual support, as well as working with neurodiverse children and families. As a child/adolescent consultant, she has a deep understanding of the developmental needs of children and young people particular to their age and circumstances and specifically in relation to family separation, blending families, trauma informed practice, extreme alignment/parental alienation, and family violence. She provides ethical, evidenced based practice with a pragmatic approach.