Our People

Justin Dowd has been a Director of Watts McCray for over 20 years and a solicitor for 40 years. He has a wealth of experience and expertise. Justin became an Accredited Specialist in Family Law in 1994. He is also accredited as an arbitrator and mediator in family law.

Justin’s practice over the last ten years has increasingly been to specialise in international family law matters. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and the International Academy of Collaborative Practice. He is also an associate of the International Family Law Group based in London and the Anglo-Australian Family Lawyers’ Association. Since the merging of AFL and Watts McCray Justin has taken on the role of Head of Growth and Markets, utilising his wealth of experience to grow the client offering in areas such as arbitration and mediation and expanding the business nationally to serve more clients.

Justin is currently the Vice-President of Lawasia, the peak body of legal associations in the Asia-Pacific region. Justin was appointed as Australia’s country representative to Lawasia in 2013.

Justin is a Member of the European Justice Family Observatory; a Member of The Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries; and an Associate Member of the Hong Kong Law Society.

Justin is committed to protecting and enhancing the rights of children and in that capacity is a Director of the World Congress on Family Law and Children’s Rights; in addition, he is a Director of Northwest Disability Services, a not-for-profit organisation that provides services to children and adults with intellectual and physical difficulties.

In 2020, Justin was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to family law and to professional associations.

Justin has been 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.