Learning & events

CPD event | Family Law Arbitration

with Debra Parker, Belinda Crawford, and Christopher Othen

TBC November 2022 | 5.30pm–6.30pm AEDT | Online
***Important Announcement - New date announced***
This is to keep you posted that this event has been postponed to November 2022. Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused. Kindly use the same link to register for the event. For attendees who registered for the previous date 29 September 2022, your registrations will automatically be moved to the proposed new date in the first week of November.

Hear from a highly experienced panel and keep up to date with developments in Family law arbitration. Some of the talkings points we will cover (but not limited to):​

  • When and where is arbitration more effective than mediation in family law?​
  • Regulatory framework for family law arbitration
  • Discussion as to why family law arbitration hasn’t gained more traction in the past
  • Trends in family law arbitration?​
  • Opportunities for Family Law arbitration and how to overcome barriers
  • General thoughts on family law arbitration?​

About the presenters

Debra Parker (Joining us online)
Founding Director, Parker Coles Curtis

Debra is a specialist family lawyer and the only lawyer in Canberra with Specialist Accreditation in two areas (family law and dispute resolution). She is a qualified arbitrator and collaborative divorce lawyer.

Debra is a member of the prestigious international Academy of Family Lawyers. She currently chairs the ACT Law Society’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and sits on the International Law Committee.

Debra is an expert on all areas of family law including matters such as surrogacy, adoption and child abduction and served a 10-year appointment as a Registrar of the Family Law Courts.

Debra made the Australasian Law exclusive list of top 50 ‘Elite Women’ and is listed by Doyles as ‘Preeminent’ family lawyer & ‘Leading’ Mediator.

Belinda Crawford

Belinda Crawford is the Principal Arbitrator & Mediator at her practice, Crawford Mediation & Arbitration. Belinda was admitted as a solicitor in 2001 and became an Accredited Specialist in Family Law in 2005. She commenced her career in 2 prominent Parramatta and Sydney law firms and practice exclusively in Family Law, often in high-net-worth cases. She was appointed a Registrar of the Family Court in 2006 and elevated to Senior Judicial Registrar in 2020. Belinda conducted hundreds of settlement conferences and determined many interim and procedural applications when working across two of the busiest registries of the Court over a period of 15 years. Belinda is an Accredited Arbitrator, Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. Since commencing her own practice, Belinda’s goal is to offer efficient and dignified solutions to family law clients through private mediation and arbitration.

Christopher Othen

Chris Othen is a specialist family law barrister at Waratah Chambers, Sydney, recognised by the profession in Doyle's Guide as Preeminent Family Law Counsel in Australia. He commenced practice as a solicitor in England in 1999. He migrated to Australia in 2005 and was an accredited family law specialist solicitor in Sydney until he was admitted to the Bar in 2011.

Chris is a member of the Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators and holds AIFLAM accreditation as both a mediator and arbitrator. He is one of Sydney's leading family law mediators and has conducted numerous arbitrations over the last few years.

Chris presents papers to professional associations in Sydney and in regional cities and towns, including recently for the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia and he is one of the authors of the Master Family Law Guide published by Wolters Kluwer.