Best Practice: Family law tips by Registrars for Practitioners

In a model that is internationally unique, Registrars of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia work alongside highly skilled experts in children’s best interests. Over 100 Court Child Experts (CCEs) work closely with Registrars in the provision of key early reports identifying risks and the child’s experience of their parents’ conflict. Those reports are invaluable resources for Registrars in case mana...

Dispute resolution is not a single event. It’s a process that begins as soon as a Registrar of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia first engages with a matter. It’s a process that has begun before the parties even come to the court. Resolutionists are those expert lawyers who look for ways to promote movement - even of the smallest kind - towards closure. They are optimists who remain focused on the potent...

The overwhelming majority of matters before the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia do not proceed to trial, or are resolved by agreement with the assistance of Registrars. Many parties to proceedings will not see a Judge and appearances before Registrars will be their only experience of the courts.

This is because of the carefully designed case management pathway managed and implemented by Registrars. Effective case mana...

A very significant proportion of the matters before the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia involve allegations of family violence and other risk factors including child abuse, drug and alcohol misuse and mental health which compromises the safety of a child. The Courts provide a number of specialist lists and case management approaches designed to identify and respond to allegations of risk. Examples of these innovations...

Working in family law inevitably involves working with vulnerable parties at a particularly difficult time in their lives. Families in the family law system often have traumatic histories as a result of exposure to family violence, drug and alcohol abuse, systemic racism and inter-generational trauma, geographic displacement or disability.

Understanding both how to work with parties in a trauma informed way and understanding the im...

Senior Judicial Registrars, Judicial Registrars, Deputy Registrars, delegations, directions and determinations. With almost 150 registrars working across 15 Registries of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, some legal practitioners might not be completely clear on who does what in the Courts’ case management pathway.

In this episode Senior Judicial Registrar and Executive Director National Registrar Operations ...

Good family lawyers know there is so much more to practice than just knowing the law. Understanding the needs of children and the impact of conflict on them is key to effective, compassionate, advocacy and resolution. Understanding the impact of family violence on victims - and on practitioners sitting consistently with the conflict of others is crucial to effective, compassionate advocacy. In recent years the Federal Circuit and F...