Diana Bryant was Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia from 2004 to October 2017. Immediately prior to her appointment as Chief Justice of the Family Court, she was the inaugural Chief Federal Magistrate of the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia (now the Federal Circuit Court of Australia) from 2000–2004, having guided the establishment and growth of that court in its first four years.
Michelle has over 39 years of dispute resolution experience in Family Law; with 21 years serving as a Judge of the Family Court of Australia and later in the Appeal Division of the Family Court of Australia.
Patrick Parkinson is a Professor at the TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland, where he served as Dean from 2018 – 2021. He holds a BA degree in Law with first class honours from Oxford University, a LLM from the University of Illinois and a LLD from the University of Sydney.
Phil is a Senior Partner in the firm of Epstein, Cole LLP, in Toronto. He was the former Head of the Family Law Section of the Bar Admissions Course, 1983-1996; a Dispute Resolution Officer of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice; a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; recipient of the 1998 Award of Excellence in Family Law from the Ontario Bar Association; Recipient of the 2012 Award of Excellence in Alternate Dispute Resolution from the Ontario Bar Association and the Law Society of Upper Canada Medal in 1999.
David is a family law dispute resolution specialist with a particular specialisation in international cases. He is a English solicitor, mediator, family arbitrator, Deputy (part time) District Judge at the Central Family Court, London and an Australian (NSW) solicitor and barrister.
Suzanne is an English solicitor, who qualified in 1986 and is a partner at Withers Worldwide. She is widely known for her expertise in all aspects of family work, in particular the resolution of complex financial issues for high net worth individuals.
Tim is a QC at 29 Bedford Row Chambers, specialising in international family law. He is regularly instructed by leading firms in cases with an international dimension concerning both finance and children. He also has wide experience in drafting international pre- and post-nuptial agreements and advises on the nuptial aspect of trusts.
The Rt. Hon. Sir Mathew Thorpe is a former Lord Justice of Appeal (England and Wales). He served as a judge of the Family Division of the High Court from 1988-1995 and from 1995-2013 on the Court of Appeal. From 2005-2013 he was Vice-President of the Family Division and the inaugural Head of International Family Law.
Sir Paul served as a Judge of the Family Division of the High Court from 2000 to 2014. Prior to this he had nearly thirty years’ experience at the Bar. He took Silk in 1993. He is extremely experienced in international family law cases.
Anita Chan QC is one of New Zealand’s leading family lawyers. Her practice is in complex cases, with a particular emphasis on cases involving international issues (parties or property overseas, international child abduction, international prenuptial agreements, and disputes over forum).
Rachael is a founding Director of SKO Family Law Specialists, the largest niche family law firm in Scotland. She is one of only 3 ranked solicitors in Scotland in the current edition of the Legal 500- the only woman and person under 50. She is accredited as a Specialist in Family Law and as a Family Mediator by the Law Society of Scotland and is Secretary of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL).
Belinda van Heerden served as a Judge of the Cape High Court from 2000 to 2004. She was thereafter appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa where she served until her retirement in 2013. She also served as an acting Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa in 2006
Kathy is a lawyer with Gevurtz Menashe in Portland, Oregon. She is leading authority on interstate and international custody disputes and provides legal advice and representation in cases involving international family law issues. A powerful litigator and tireless advocate for the interests of families and children, she has a special interest in contested child custody and parenting time disputes.
Melissa Kucinski is the owner of MK Family Law, a boutique family law firm in Washington, D.C. She is an adjunct law professor at the George Washington University School of Law, teaching International Family Law.