Presenters

Elizabeth Bedford, Partner, Pearson Emerson
Libby is an accredited family law specialist and is collaboratively trained. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Masters of Law, studying in both Sydney and Calgary. She worked for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Republic of Kiribati as a Child Justice specialist for 2 years. She is on the Independent Children Lawyer’s Panel. Libby is a Partner at Pearson Emerson Family Law.


Carolina Soto, Barrister, Family Law Chambers
Carolina Soto was called to the Bar in 2018 and maintains a practice in criminal and family law. She has appeared unled at trial level in a broad range of jurisdictions including the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Supreme, District, Local and Children’s courts across NSW. She appears at the Mental Health Review Tribunal and acts within the Guardianship division of NCAT. Carolina’s practice also extends to international jurisdictions, including Vanuatu where she was called to the Bar in Vanuatu in 2023 and appeared in the Court of Appeal thereafter. Carolina often appears across both family and criminal jurisdictions and it is the intersection between these two disciplines that enables her to provide effective advice and representation of clients in complex parenting matters where criminal allegations are made, or issues of risk are involved. She has expertise and interest in domestic violence jurisprudence and has presented widely on such topics. She lectures extensively in criminal law, children and the law, human rights law, trial practice and procedure at the University of New England, Western Sydney University and the University of New South Wales. She is currently an advocacy instructor at the College of Law and recently completed the Pathways to Politics Program for Women at the University of New South Wales. Prior to being called to the Bar, Carolina practised as a criminal Legal Aid lawyer for a decade, worked as the Associate to His Honour Judge Williams in the District Court and interned at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.