Aim and Objectives
The aim of this conference is to examine recent developments in core areas of family law and practice and childcare law practice. The objective is to provide practitioners with a concise and essential overview of the many recent developments and the implications for day-to-day client advice and practice and procedure. This conference has been designed by family and childcare law practitioners for their colleagues in the profession. Legal and child care practitioners and related professionals will find attendance at this conference essential to address new legislation and consequential practice changes. 

Topics and Issues to be covered
• Case Law update 
• Wellbeing and the family law practitioner
• Domestic violence and coercive control
• Pre-nuptials 
• The issue of increasing SEA’s - the impact of same on the wider child care system
• Forensic Accounts and Family Law

Chairperson
Peter Doyle, Doyle Fox & Associates, Blessington
Peter Doyle is the Principal Solicitor of Doyle Fox & Associates, Chairperson of the Law Society of Ireland’s Child & Family Law Committee and is a member of the Court Service Family Law Development Committee. He practices in all areas of law and legal advice with a particular emphasis on Family Law and Litigation and is involved in many disciplines of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Peter gained experience with two legal firms in Dublin and worked for a period in the United States. He opened his practice, Doyle Fox & Associates, in Wicklow in 1999. He has many years’ experience in the area of Family Law. He is a trained Mediator and Collaborative Lawyer and was a founding member of the Kildare & West Wicklow Collaborative Lawyers Group. He is a member of voluntary organisations and committees and was one of the first solicitors on the Family Law Legal Aid Private Practitioners Panel.

Speakers  
Gerard Durcan SC. 
Gerard is a Senior Counsel who practices in the area of family and child care law.

Keith Walsh SC, Principal, 
Keith Walsh Solicitors, Dublin. Keith specialises in litigation & family law work and has published a number of articles on divorce and separation and reform of the family law courts in the Law Society Gazette and the Parchment. He has taught on the Advanced Course run by the Law Society in the area of family law and is a former chairman of the DSBA’s Family Law & Minors Committee. He is a former Chairperson of the Law Society’s Family Law Committee and he is a member of the Law Society Skillnet Steering Group. He started his career in the legal aid board, worked for a number of firms in Dublin and is principal of Keith Walsh solicitors. Keith is also Chairperson of the LSRA costs sub-group.

Helena Kiely, Chief Prosecution Solicitor
Helena Kiely is the Chief Prosecution Solicitor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.  As the Solicitor for the Director, Helena is responsible for providing a Solicitorservice to the Director in relation to the prosecution of indictable crime and summary offences which are directed for prosecution. The Office of the Director of Public prosecutions currently employs in excess of 163 lawyers, both solicitors and barristers and procures external legal services from solicitors and barristers for roles as State Solicitors and Prosecution Counsel. Helena holds a BCL from University College Cork, an MA (Criminology) from Dublin Institute of Technology and a diploma on Data Protection from Kings Inn. Helena is a former Chair of the Criminal Law Committee of the Law Society of Ireland.

Aisling Meehan, Aisling Meehan Agricultural Solicitors
Farmer, Solicitor and Chartered Tax Adviser specialising in Agricultural Law and Tax. Aisling Meehan is a Farmer, Solicitor and Chartered Tax Adviser.  Her law firm specialises in agricultural law and tax advice and has a nationwide client base.  She takes an active part in shaping agricultural legal and tax policy and was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2011 entitled “Access to Land for Dairying - New Legal and Tax Models in an Irish Context”.  She is regularly asked to speak on national television and radio and is solicitor to the Irish Farmers Journal.  She set up a co-op called “Understanding Agriculture” the aim of which is to create a greater connection between farmers and consumers.  She is a state board member of the Western Development Commission. Aisling is a qualified young trained farmer (Level 6 FETAC 2006) and farms in partnership with her husband Brian, also a young trained farmer (Level 6 FETAC 2018).  They have four young children Philip (7), Maureen (6), Holly (3) and Fiachra (1).

Antoinette Moriarty, Law Society of Ireland
Antoinette is a psychotherapist and organisational consultant with 20 years' experience of the legal profession. She is currently head of the Law Society of Ireland’s newly expanded Psychological Services and is an appointed member of the International Bar Association's Professional Wellbeing Commission. Antoinette is committed to supporting individuals, teams, and legal workplaces to perform to their highest potential. 

Dr Maria Corbett, CEO Child Law Project
Dr Maria Corbett is Chief Executive of the Child Law Project. Established in 2012, the Project attends and reports on child care proceedings, while protecting the anonymity of the children and families, with the aim of promoting transparency and debate on reforms. Prior to joining the Project, Maria was Deputy Chief Executive and Legal and Policy Director with the Children’s Rights Alliance. Maria holds academic qualifications in Social Science, Social Policy, Law and most recently a PhD from the School of Law in the University of Galway.

Tom Murray, Forensic Accountant, Friel Stafford
Tom qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) in 1997 whilst working with Chase Manhattan Bank. Tom has over 20 years experience in accounting and business roles. Before moving into Corporate Recovery and Insolvency with Friel Stafford in 2003, Tom developed wide ranging experience in finance roles with a number of leading financial institutions in a number of diverse areas including Corporate Treasury, Corporate Finance and Corporate Accounting. He is one of Ireland’s most experienced corporate recovery and turnaround practitioners and was one of the first Personal Insolvency Practitioners licensed in Ireland. He also is an experienced Corporate Financier with particular interest and expertise in the area of equity and debt fund raising, and the buying and selling of businesses. He has extensive experience of all areas of Litigation Support and Expert witness. He has worked with private clients, SMEs, national companies, multi-nationals, county councils and various Government and Regulatory agencies in defending and bringing proceedings. He is also a member of The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland, has a diploma in Forensic Accounting and is a Certified Mediator. He is authorised to act as a Personal Insolvency Practitioner by the Insolvency Service of Ireland.

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