As we begin a new year we would like to reflect on 2018 at Nicholes Family Lawyers and thank our colleagues and supporters for another great year.
It has been a particular privilege to continue working with Former Chief Justices of the Family Court of Australia, the Honourable Alastair Nicholson AO RFD QC and the Honourable Diana Bryant AO QC.
The Honourable Alastair Nicholson is the chair of Children’s Right International, which seeks to bring together eminent specialists to share and contribute their specialised knowledge to protect and advance the interests of children. The Honourable Diana Bryant is the Chair of the World Congress on Family Law and Children’s Rights. Many of our lawyers dedicate pro bono time to both advocacy and NGO’s as part of Nicholes Family Lawyer’s service to promote the law.
We are thrilled to continue to develop international connections and cooperate with like minded individuals to safeguard the rights of children. On 11 December, Sally Nicholes met Malala Yousafzai, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and one of the most inspiring and influential leaders of education rights. Next year, NFL will continue to focus on global collaboration through working with wonderful NGO’s who are focussed on making children a top priority.
Some of the notable highlights of 2018:
We welcomed Jay Beshara as our new CEO and Catherine Giles was promoted to Senior Associate.
29 May 2018: Partner Keturah Sageman attended the International Academy of Family Lawyers annual conference in Tokyo.
In June Managing Partner Sally Nicholes presented at the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Conference (AFCCC) in Washington DC alongside the former Chief Justice of the Family Court, The Honourable Alastair Nicholson AO RFD QC, Lesa Gale of the Australian Federal Police and Lesley Podesta CEO of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation to discuss the outcome of the World Congress.
On 20 June Partner Nadine Udorovic presented at Legal Wise Australia’s seminar on ‘Working with Police When a Child Discloses Abuse and the Vital Role of Schools.’
17 August 2018: Bec Dahl and Isabel Britten-Jones attended the 5th Annual AFCC Australian Conference in Adelaide.
28 August 2018: Partner Sally Nicholes and Associate Natasha Mastroianni were part of the panel presenting at WIRE on Elder Abuse.
2 September 2018: Sally Nicholes with Debbie Platz, Assistant Commissioner in Australian Federal Police at the launch of the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.
17 September 2019: Managing Partner Sally Nicholes and Senior Associate Catherine Giles presented at the Leo Cussen Family Law conference on the significant family law cases from the past 12 months.
Nicholes presented a seminar on ‘Tips and Traps for Real Estate Agents when dealing with family law litigants.’ The panel included Partner Nadine Udorovic, Associate Natasha Mastroianni, Mark McKillop (Barrister), Scott Keck (Charter Keck Cramer) and Claire Batrouney (Maddocks).
On 17 October, Nicholes held a ‘Modern Families’ seminar on the changing laws of surrogacy and the concept of identity. The panel was hosted by Bec Dahl and included Kate Bourne, Dr Anne Poliness, Louise Johnson and our Partner Keturah Sageman
On 22 October, Associate Isabelle Hayden accompanied the Honourable Alastair Nicholson AO RFD QC to Phnom Penh to assist with the Children’s Right International three-day seminar with members of the Cambodian Government.
15 November 2018: Associate Natasha Mastroianni graduated from her Masters of Applied Family Law through the College of Law.
On 3 December, Bec Dahl presented at the Pride in Practice conference with RMIT and Rainbow Families on family violence within rainbow families and also presented at the Better Together Conference which facilitated conversation about LBGTIQ+ rights in Australia. Bec is also a host on the ‘Chicks Talking Footy’ and ‘Family Matters’ programs on Joy94.9. Pictured here is Bec, Gina and Dave the co-hosts of Family Matters joined by entertainer Tim Campbell.
11 December 2018: Justice MacMillan of the Family Court, Sally Nicholes and Rachel Westway, Senior Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, attending an evening with Malala Yousafzai.
13 December 2018: Managing Partner Sally Nicholes presenting at the National Symposium on Cross-Broader Surrogacy in Canberra on the right of every child to know their identity. The Hon Alastair Nicholson AO RFD QC chaired the Symposium.
In 2019 we will continue our partnerships with several not for profit organisations including WIRE, Justice Connect, Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Children’s Rights International and the World Congress on Family Law & Children’s Rights. We will also be prioritising elder abuse and are hoping to collaborate with likeminded organisations to address this prevalent issue.
We look forward to working with you in 2019!