Lawasia 35th Annual Conference and 17th Annual Moot Competition

Justin Dowd, Principal Lawyer and Jackie Vincent, Principal Lawyer, from Australian Family Lawyers Watts McCray were speakers at the 35th Lawasia Annual Conference at judges at the 17th Annual International Lawasia Moot Competition.

Speaking in the Family Law Stream of presentations in the Conference, Justin and Jackie highlighted the development of ADR in family law and the progress that has been made since the incorporation of the Family Court. Justin spoke of the historical nature of ADR, referring to his time as a registrar of the Court in the 1990s; Jackie brought the debate up to date with a summary of the current state of the law and practice. Arbitration, mediation and collaborative practice were the focusses of the presentations.

Also participating in the session were Ms Gloria James of Singapore and Ms Rajashree Suppiah from Malaysia. The session was well attended and well received by an enthusiastic audience.

“It is particularly pleasing to be able to share current practices with other jurisdictions. The exchange of ideas can only lead to improved professional practice for us and for our clients,” said Justin.

Justin and Jackie were also invited to be guest Judges for The 17th International Lawasia Moot Competition was held in conjunction with the Annual Lawasia Conference in Sydney, with the Moot teams from Asia, fellow judges included Antoni Lasala Grimalt from Barcelona, Spain, and Mr Niten Chauhan from London, UK.

“The standard of mooting was extremely high and all participants gave excellent presentations, particularly considering the Moot was conducted in English, which is not a first language for either team. On this occasion, the Malaysian team was successful and was able to progress through to the finals with a very professional presentation of a complex arbitration fact scenario. The Moot competition is always a welcome adjunct to the Annual Lawasia Conference,” noted Justin.

Following the conclusion of the Moot, Justin was proud to show off our new Sydney office to his fellow Judges. The 35th Lawasia Conference finished with a Gala Dinner attended by 100 invited guests, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Sunday 20 November.

It was our pleasure to connect with Mr Shyam Divan (President Elect of Lawasia) from India, Steven Thireau, VP Lawasia from Malaysia, Ms Melissa Pang, President, from Hong Kong, Justin Dowd, Former VP, and Dr Gordon Hughes, Secretary General of Lawasia.