Family Law Conference 2024 (Full Conference) (On Demand)

Speech-language Therapist and court-appointed Communication Assistant. Director/Coordinator of Talking Trouble Aotearoa NZ

Sally Kedge is a speech-language therapist and Communication
Assistant in justice settings. She is the Director of a social enterprise,
Talking Trouble Aotearoa NZ, which partners with children, young people and
adults involved with justice, care and protection, and mental health processes
to improve communication environments. 

The Talking Trouble team provides
communication assistance in courts,
Family Group Conferences, police interviews, at the Parole Board, and in
related settings, and also delivers professional development and projects with
stakeholders.

Mr Tolich started his working career in 1980 at McElroy Duncan and Prebble and left in 1983 to undertake post-graduate studies at Oxford University. He returned to New Zealand in 1986 and joined Rice Craig in Papakura as a solicitor and later partner, remaining with that firm until 2008. In 2009 he joined Corban Revell as a consultant and continues to hold that position. Prior to his appointment as FCA, he worked primarily in the Family Court, including conducting Mediations, Senior Lawyer for the Child and Lawyer for Subject Persons work in most Courts in the Auckland area. 

Mr Tolich was appointed to take up the role on 2 April 2024, based in Auckland Family Court with a secondary court responsibility in Palmerston North Family Court. 

Alissa is a partner and Chair of the Board at McVeagh Fleming. She has been practising family law since 2003, initially in Christchurch before joining McVeagh Fleming in Auckland in 2011. 

Alissa specialises in relationship property, estate, and trust disputes, care of children, family violence and mediation. She is also an accredited NZLS Panel of Mediators Family Specialist, a trained Collaborative Practitioner, and a Lawyer for Child.

Stephen was a partner in a small suburban Auckland firm for 20 years before commencing practice as a barrister in 2006. He was appointed a KC in 2021. Stephen’s practice is now predominantly property and trust focused but he has appeared in cases involving care of children over the years. 

Judge Morrison sits in the North Shore Family Court. Prior to her appointment in May 2022, she was a family law barrister, Lawyer for Child, Lawyer for Subject Person and Lawyer to Assist practising in the Wellington region, where she had spent most of her career, which also included time as an instructor and Programme Manager at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. Her iwi affiliations include Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui.

Louise is a
barrister at Southern Cross Chambers. She graduated from the University of
Auckland in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts (History) and a Bachelor of Laws, and
was admitted in October 2004.

Louise has
practised in Auckland since then, in family law, employment law, insurance law
and general civil litigation.

Since 2009,
Louise has practised exclusively in the area of family law and has interests in
proceedings concerning children’s issues, proceedings under the Protection of
Personal and Property Rights Act 1988, Relationship property, Spousal
Maintenance and Family Violence. Louise is also regularly appointed as court
appointed counsel – lawyer for child and counsel to assist.

Louise is one
of the Family Law Section representatives for Auckland Central as well as being
a member of The Law Association Family Law Committee. 

Rosemarie Brown 

(FAMINZ (Mediator); PRI; Lawyer, Chartered Accountant; Grad Dip Bus. (Dispute Resolution); BMS; LLB)

A Chartered Accountant from the Waikato with 35 years in business across a range of sectors and multi-disciplinary teams gave Rosemarie an insight into disputes and people. Rosemarie began mediating in 2006 in Australia then New Zealand. Rosemarie now works as a lawyer in Hamilton and mediator in Auckland. She is an experienced mediator, FDR, PFM and Voice of Child provider and member of collaborative teams as a Lawyer, Mediator and Financial Neutral.

Kate is a dispute resolver active in mediation, arbitration and collaborative resolution. Her work encompasses a broad range of commercial, property and family disputes. She has particular expertise in resolving family disputes concerning trusts, estates, companies and relationship property. She has a special interest in governance disputes, especially those concerning shareholders, incorporated societies, charitable trusts and body corporates.

Before coming to the law she had a 20-year career in business. She has held governance roles continuously since 2004, currently as an elected member of the governing bodies of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ) and the Collaborative Law Association of New Zealand.

Kesia is a barrister practising in Auckland. She is a member of both Ponsonby Chambers and Kate Sheppard Chambers. She handles all types of family law matters, with a particular interest in relationship property issues arising out of a separation, complex parenting and protection disputes, and reproductive law.

Kesia enjoys making contributions to the legal profession beyond the work she does in practice. She has written and presented legal seminars for NZLS, TLA and Legalwise on various family law issues. She has authored and featured in articles for LawTalk, LawPoints, LawNews, and At The Bar; and is a regular contributor to The Family Advocate. 

Kesia is an appointed member of the FLS Advisory Panel focussed on family law reform. She has been an appointed member of a number of other committees, including the Auckland Women Lawyers’ Association and a NZLS Lawyers Standards Committee. Kesia is also an ambassador of White Ribbon New Zealand; appointed in recognition of her work in assisting victims of family violence. To learn more about Kesia, visit www.kesiadenhardt.co.nz. 

Sonya is a barrister from Halcyon Chambers who acts for children, parents and caregivers from diverse cultural backgrounds in Oranga Tamariki, COCA and FV proceedings. As a practitioner on the mental health roster and adjudicator with the Tenancy Tribunal, Sonya has experience in dealing with people's personal struggles and helping them navigate these difficulties. Sonya has trained social workers from her time practicing in OT and continues to train social workers, community workers and educators with NGOs. Sonya assists with work for the FLS advisory panel and is a member of the ADLS Family and Mental Health Committee.

Sonya hopes to de-mystify ideas about what lawyers for children can do and provide a practical guide for lawyers starting out in the Family Law space.

Ben has been practising family law since 2002. His expertise covers all practice areas including both children and property cases. Teaching and improving advocacy remain an important focus for Ben. He is on the faculty of the NZLS Litigation Skills programme.

Shahn joined Denham Bramwell in May 2021 following ten years at Qantas Airways in London and Perth.

His aviation career has given Shahn strong people skills, firstly as a flight attendant and later in human resource management and training & development roles on the ground.

Shahn has a keen interest in parenting matters, including the return of children in Hague Convention proceedings. He works with community organisations and private clients in parenting disputes and family violence cases.

He can assist with legal advice on family law issues, conflict resolution and mediation. Shahn regularly appears in the Family Court as a litigator.

Aroha Fletcher is a Senior Associate at Stace Hammond. She specialises in Family law, helping clients navigate and resolve disputes, particularly in high-conflict cases involving children. She is a member of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa and the Family Law Section and has been involved in community initiatives to assist people’s access to family lawyers. 

Aroha currently assists various ethics committees in resolving disciplinary actions for different professional bodies. She previously practised on the North Shore and has been involved in the Royal Commission’s Inquiry into abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults in State and faith-based care in Aotearoa New Zealand between the years 1950-99.

Timothy is the Resolution Expert Oceana/Pacifica for OurFamilyWizard, and an active FDRP and parenting co-ordinator in Aotearoa New Zealand, where he also maintains a busy Family Law and Mental Health practice in Auckland and Palmerston North.

He also a currently published academic researcher and author, and Vice President of Pacifica Congress, - Asia/Pacifica's largest Family Justice membership group and peak body and the Chair of the Family Court Association Auckland.

Timothy is a past winner of many Aotearoa New Zealand awards including the 2020 Kiwi Bank New Zealand of the Year Local Heroes Awards, the 2017 NZ Law Awards – Mediator of the Year, and was the Winner of the Resolution Institute 2015 Practitioner Award for Significant Contribution to DR – for the development and/or promotion of DR in their communities.

Mark is a barrister practising at Mills Lane Chambers in Auckland. He has over 35 years’ experience as a commercial litigator. He specialises in relationship property and trust litigation and also acts as counsel in a range of commercial disputes.   

Mark joined the independent bar in 2020 and before that he was a litigation partner at national law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts for 28 years.   

In his early career as a litigation partner at MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Mark specialised in litigation involving financial services and receivership and insolvency law.  He transitioned to Relationship Property and Trust Litigation approximately 15 years ago and this is now his primary focus.   

Mark has extensive experience in running civil litigation matters in the Family Court, High Court and Appeal Courts. 

Brintyn (Tūhoe) is a family law barrister based in Warkworth and Auckland. He deals predominantly with complex care of children, family violence, relocation, and care and protection matters. He also undertakes relationship property work. Brintyn accepts Family Court appointments to act as Lawyer for Child. He is also an Instructor at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS). 

Brintyn is passionate about and actively advocates for the safety and well-being of practitioners. He also has an interest in matters of practice and procedure, alternative dispute resolution and elder law.