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ATSILS Family and Civil Law Gathering 2026

Last week, members of our Family and Civil Law teams from across Queensland gathered on Yuggera and Turrbal country in Brisbane (Meanjin) for the ATSILS Family & Civil Law Statewide Conference. ⚖️✨

Following an Acknowledgement of Country, the delegation received a warm welcome and opening remarks from our Chair Ken Georgetown, CEO Shane Duffy, and Principal Legal Officer Greg Shadbolt—setting a collaborative and inspiring tone for three days of intensive professional development.

The dynamic program focused on practical training, sector updates, and strengthening our state-wide collegiate network. We extend our sincere thanks to the incredible guest speakers and industry experts who shared their time and vital insights:

  • Belinda Aisbett, Rachel Frankish, Natalie Cranston and Adam Ross (ATSILS POD Team) who presented on Workforce Development
  • Melissa Lightburn & Tyron Day – Administrative Review Tribunal QLD First Nations Liaison Team
  • Audrey-Bella Moran – Data and File Management
  • Shane Budden (Special Counsel Ethics, Queensland Law Society)
  • Senior Judicial Registrar Flintoff – Federal Circuit & Family Court of Australia
  • Anand Shah (Barrister) – Mediation Practice
  • Craig Smith (Director of Legal Practice, QUT) – Courtroom Advocacy Masterclass
  • Magistrate Mac Giolla Ri – Magistrates Court QLD
  • Hamish – Blue Card Services QLD
  • Dr. Gavan Palk (Barrister & Forensic Psychologist) – Client Capacity and Mental Health
  • Dr. Tarli Young (UQ Centre for Excellence) – Workplace Well-being

We also want to acknowledge the exceptional work of the ATSILS POD team, Jennifer Ekanayake (ATSILS Director of Family Law) and Simon Burgess (ATSILS Director of Civil Law) for their meticulous event planning and management, and a big thank you to Aiden Harrison for doing such a fantastic job facilitating the conference! 👏👏

Our practitioners returned to their respective regional hubs upskilled, re-energised, and deeply committed to delivering high-quality, culturally robust legal services for our communities.