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AFL makes 4 senior hires
Listed national law firm Australian Family Lawyers has made four senior appointments, including a former federal magistrate, for its in-house arbitration and mediation service.
Jerome Doraisamy
Australian Family Lawyers (ASX: AFL) and Watts McCray – which AFL acquired in June of this year – are continuing their search for top legal talent across Australia as part of their burgeoning family law operations.
The firm has also hired accredited mediators Catherine Joseph, Mikadie Joyce-Bates, and barrister Darren Mort, who has been practising family law at the bar for more than three decades.
The appointees will work with AFL’s new arbitration and mediation service, which launched in August.
“With the merger of the Federal Circuit and Family Court (FCFCOA) in September, more than 7,000 cases were taken off court waiting lists and pushed back into mediation and arbitration. This prompted the establishment of the Faculty of Arbitration and Mediation, or FAM, to provide an option for family law cases to be heard independently by experienced arbitrators and mediators,” the firm said in a statement.
FAM head Justin Dowd added: “The merger of the two courts has put into sharp focus the delay, cost and worry that litigants who have been waiting, sometimes for years, have experienced. These cases need a much quicker, cost-effective and certain outcome.
“This is where we see FAM will come to the fore. We have a growing team of certified, accredited mediators and arbitrators who will specifically focus on alternative dispute resolutions.”
Mr Dowd went on: “The calibre of the team joining the FAM network means families using the service can access some of the most experienced legal minds in the country. Our arbitrators and mediators, who include a former federal magistrate, have recent, relevant expertise that provides a deep understanding of the current legal frameworks and an innovative approach to unlock family law problems.
“We would encourage family lawyers to consider using independent arbitration and mediation options as a quick and cost-effective alternative to court time. This will be a game-changer for Australians wanting fast resolution to their relationship disputes.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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