Members of the Board are:
The Hon. Justice Rodney Burr AM, Family Court of Australia, Adelaide – Co-Chair
The Hon. Justice Stuart Fowler AM, Family Court of Australia, Sydney – Co-Chair
Sally Nicholes, Managing Partner, Nicholes Family Lawyers, Melbourne – Vice Chair and Treasurer
Justin Dowd, Partner, Watts McCray, Sydney – Secretary
Richard Foster PSM, Chief Executive Officer, Family Court of Australia, Canberra –Board Member
Leisha Lister, Executive Adviser, Family Court of Australia, Canberra – Board Member
Geoffrey Sinclair, Partner, Barry Nielson, Brisbane – Board Member
Malcolm Broun QC, Retired
The World Congress has organized five successful Congresses at international locations (Sydney in 1993, San Francisco in 1997, Bath in 2001, Cape Town in 2005, Halifax in 2009). In addition, three Members of the Board, Justices Burr and Fowler and Mr Habermann (retired) were for many years on the Executive of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, the pre-eminent legal representation body in Australia. Justices Burr and Fowler were, at different times, Chairs of the Section. The Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia holds biennual conferences which have the reputation of being the largest legal conferences in the southern hemisphere.
Each of the gentlemen referred to have played important roles in the development of these biennual conferences over two decades and each of them has been Chair of such conferences in their own States (Justice Burr in Adelaide, South Australia, Justice Fowler in Sydney, New South Wales, and Mr Michael Habermann at the Gold Coast Queensland). In addition, these three gentlemen were also inaugural Board Members of the Family Law and Family Rights Section of LawAsia and during their term of office organized international conferences for that body.
Justice Fowler is a former President of the Law Council of Australia and Justice Burr is a former President of the Law Society of South Australia. In those two latter roles, both were instrumental in organizing a number of significant national and state conferences.
Justice Burr is a former Member of the Board of Management of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, a position which he held for 6 years, and in that role he assisted in organizing and hosting international and domestic conferences.
Malcolm Broun OAM QC was, with Justice Fowler, the co-editors of Australia’s leading Family Law reference work, “Broun and Fowler, Australian Family Law and Practice. Mr Broun is regarded as the father of family law advocacy in Australia. He is the founding president of the Family Law Practitioners Association of New South Wales and has been the outstanding contributor form the profession to post graduate education.
Ms Sally Nicholes is the Principal of a law firm in Melbourne, Australia which apart from its private practice in Family Law dedicates itself to promoting children’s rights by providing substantive pro bono legal services and assisting in projects to various not for profit organizations and foundations dedicated to children and associated interests groups involved in the support of the position of women and the disabled. Ms Nicholes was responsible for developing a project conducted by WC during the 4th World Congress in Cape Town linking enforcement officers of police departments in various parts of the world, NGO’s and lawyers working towards “best practices” in addressing the issue of child sex tourism. In addition to being a member of the Board of WC and CRI, Ms Nicholes is a Board Member of the International Social Services Australia (ISSA), the Lasallian Foundation and a Member of the Children and Youth Issues Committee of the Law Institute of Victoria.
The Hon. Justice Stuart Fowler AM
Board Member and Co-Chair
Street Address: Family Court of Australia, Lionel Bown Bulding 97-99Goulburn Street SYDNEY NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA 2000
Postal address: as above
Telephone: (Judges Associate) +61 2 9217 7113
Facsimile: (Judges Associate) +61 2 9217 7138
Email address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Hon. Justice Stuart Fowler AM was appointed a judge of the Family Court of Australia on November 16 2007. Prior to that he was a senior Sydney solicitor specializing in the practice of family law and is Principal of Stuart Fowler and Partners in Sydney, Australia. He is the founding and current co-chairman of the World Congress on Family Law and Children’s Rights Inc, and a co-convenor of the First, Second, Third and Fourth World Congresses on Family Law and Children’s Rights. After holding a number of positions on the Executive of the Law Council of Australia, Australia’s peak council of Lawyers, he became President of the Council in 1994. In that role he represented Australian Lawyers at a number of international meetings including as a member of the Council of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. He is a former chairman of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia and the founding chairman of the Family Law and Family Rights Section of the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (Lawasia ).
He was one of the first Australians to be elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He is the Vice Chairman of the New South Wales Family Law Practitioners Association. He has served for many years as a member of the Family Law Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales. He was the inaugurator and a founding member of the board of the Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators. He has served on the advisory committee on the accreditation of Family Law Specialists in NSW. He has been honoured by the United Nations in an Award naming him as a patron of the International Year of the Family for outstanding services to that year. He was Chairman of the Law Council’s Australian Rights Conference examining means to protect human rights in Metropolitan law. He has a strong belief in the ability of lawyers to use their skills to make a real contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, particularly those of children.
The Hon. Justice Rodney Keith Burr AM
Board Member and Co-Chair
Street Address: Family Court of Australia, 3 Angas Street ADELAIDE SOUTH AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA 5001
Postal Address: Family Court of Australia, GPO Box 9991 ADELAIDE SOUTH AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA 5001
Telephone number: (Judge’s Associate) Australia +61 8 82191637
Facsimile: (Judge’s Associate) +61 8 82191655
Email address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Hon. Rodney Burr was appointed a judge of the Family Court of Australia in 1998. Prior to that he had a distinguished legal career specialising in family law. He is a former President of the Law Society of South Australia, a former Chairman of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, and Co-convener of the, First, Second, Third and Fourth World Congresses on Family Law and Children’s Rights. He is a former Member of the Board of Management of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, a former Member of the Federal Attorney-General’s advisory Family Law Council, a former Member of the Board of the Law Foundation of South Australia, a former Chairman of the Family Law Section Law Society of South Australia and a former Member of the Steering Committee of Lawasia Family Law and Family Rights Section. He was also a former Member of the Board of Examiners of the Supreme Court of South Australia, a Judicial Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a Member of the Family law Section of the American Bar Association and a Member of the International Law Sub-Committee of the ABA. The Hon Rodney Burr is a Recipient of United Nations Award for services to the International Year of the Family 1994. The Hon Rodney Burr was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours List in January 2005 in recognition for his work for and on behalf of children in the establishment of the World Congress.
Malcolm D. Broun OAM QC FTIA BA (Hons) LLB CyC
Board Member and Secretary
Street Address: Edmund Barton Chambers, Level 44 MLC Centre, Martin Place SYDNEY NSW 2000
Postal Address: as above
Telephone: +61 2 9220 6100
Facsimile: +61 2 9232 3949
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Malcolm began practise at the NSW Bar in Australia in 1959. He was appointed Queen's Counsel 1982. He has practised extensively in the High Court of Australia, the NSW Court of Appeal, the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of NSW Equity Division. He has been President of the NSW Family Law Practitioners Association. He is Chairman of Lawasia general practise section and a Member of the Organising Committee of the World Congress since its inception, including particularly papers committee for Sydney 1993, San Francisco in 1997 and Bath in 2001. Malcolm has organised international family law and Law Asia conferences in Hawaii, London, Vienna, Hong Kong, Fiji, India and Beijing. He has acted as a consultant to the Parliamentary Committee on Family Law.
The Australian Secretariat for World Congress is:
Ms Gail Fowler, Capital Conferences Pty Limited
Postal Address: PO Box 253 CHURCH POINT NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA 2015
Telephone: (Australia) +61 2 9999 6577
Facsimile: (Australia)+61 2 9999 5733
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Sally Nicholes Secretariat
Board Member and Vice-Chair
Street address: Nicholes Family Law, Level 3, 224 Queen Street, MELBOURNE VICTORIA AUSTRALIA 3000
Postal Address: as above
Telephone: +61 3 9670 4122
Fax: +61 3 3967 0512
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Sally Nicholes works at Nicholes Family Lawyers practising in all aspect of family law; with a specialist expertise in international Family law and complex property proceedings.
Sally also acts for the Department of Human Services in their delegated capacity as State Central Authority in Victoria for implementing the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction(the Child Abduction Convention)
Sally is a member of the Law Institute of Victoria and an active participant in the LIV's International Steering Committee and Children and Youth Issues Committee.
Sally has published in family law in the LIV Journal, Family law Journal, Melbourne University law review, and has presented papers at international forums on Australia's obligation under various international treaties including the Inter-country adoption Convention and Child Abduction Convention.
Sally has spoken and participated in resolutions reached various Best Practice Forums for the Child Abduction Convention such as those runs by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, USA.
Justin Dowd
Justin studied law at the University of Sydney. He completed undergraduate articles of clerkship at Duggan and Doyle; a Sydney city based general practice for two years before admission as a solicitor in 1976. Justin then worked at Tierney and Dowd, a Riverina based practice, initially as an employee for a year and then as a partner for the next ten years.
In 1987, Justin commenced employment as a Deputy Registrar of the Family Court, initially in the Sydney, and then Parramatta, registries. He left that position in 1989 to join large city practice Phillips Fox, as a Senior Associate in the Family Law section. In 1992, Justin returned to the Family Court as a Senior Registrar and then Regional Registrar, of the Court with supervisory responsibilities for the Registrars in the Eastern Region of the Court.
In 1994, Justin commenced employment with Watts McCray, a specialist family law practice. Justin became a partner in 1995 and has remained with Watts McCray since that time, during which the practice has grown to be one of the largest specialist family law practices in Australia, with offices in Sydney, Canberra, Parramatta and the NSW Central Coast. Justin was accredited by the NSW Law Society as a specialist in family law in 1994.
Justin specialises in international family law matters. He is a member of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the International Academy of Collaborative Lawyers, and an associate of the International Family Law Group, based in London. He is a long standing member of Lawasia, including Lawasia’s Family Law and Children’s Rights Section, as well as the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia. Justin is a Public Notary and accredited as an arbitrator in family law. He has also been the primary convenor of the Australasian Family Lawyers Conference for over 15 years. He is a member of the Board of the World Congress on Children’s Rights and Family Law, an international congress convened to highlight and progress children’s rights internationally.
Justin is an author of the family law section of Halsbury’s Laws of Australia, Australian Practical Forms and Precedents and the principal author of the Lexis Nexis online service, Practical Guidance in Family Law. He has written many articles and presentations on family law, nationally and internationally.
In 2007, Justin joined the Council of the Law Society of NSW. He has served on a number of committees, including the Professional Conduct Committee (2007-2010); Family Issues Committee (2007-2011, Co-chair 2009- 2011); Dispute Resolution Committee (2007-2010); Audit Committee (2009-2011, chair in 2010); Finance Committee (2009-2011; chair 2010); Executive Committee (2009-2011).
Justin will be Law Society President in 2012.
Richard Foster PSM
Chief Executive Officer, Family Court of Australia
Acting Chief Executive Officer, Federal Magistrates Court of Australia
President Elect, International Association for Court Administration
Richard Foster was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Family Court of Australia in May 2000. Richard assists the Chief Justice in the administration of the court, which is Australia’s superior court in family law. Under his leadership, the Family Court has undergone substantial change. The establishment of the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia and extensive family law reform by the Australian Government entailed a fundamental review of the role of the Family Court. Richard has advanced the Court’s standing with the Federal Attorney-General’s Department from an organisation that operated in isolation to an open and consultative one, enabling the Court to lead and contribute to innovation and professionalism in the family law system. Prior to his appointment, Richard worked in court administration in executive positions such as the Executive Director Court Services, Ministry of Justice Western Australia; Registrar of the District Court in South Australia; and Registrar of the Magistrates Court of South Australia. He is the previous Chair of the Australasian Court Administrators Group; previous Member of Council of the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration; previous Chair of the Institutes Case Management Committee and its Library Standards Committee; previous member of the Victorian Civil Justice Review Advisory Group. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra. In 2006, Richard was awarded the Australian Public Service medal for his outstanding contribution to the area of Court’s Administration.
Leisha Lister
Executive Adviser, Family Court of Australia
Leisha Lister is the Executive Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Family Court of Australia where she manages and coordinates the development of policy, research and advice to the court. Leisha has managed a number of significant projects for the Family Court including the Mental Health Support Project (Integrated Client Service); the review of the Magellan Programme involving cases of serious child abuse; the Less Adversarial Trial Education project; and more recently the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research project looking at issues facing Indigenous Australians access to the Family Law Courts. Leisha is the Court’s programme manager for the Indonesia/Australia Court to Court Legal and Judicial Reform Programme. She assisted with the 2007 access and equity study for the Religious Courts undertaken in collaboration with the State Islamic University (PPIM UIN) and PEKKA and the 2009/10 access and equity study for the General Courts on family law and birth certificate issues in Indonesia. Leisha has previously worked in the areas of community development, HIV/AIDS education; child protection, and the prevention of trafficking of women for the purpose of prostitution. She holds qualifications in law, business and applied science. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
