Thank you for listening to The Brief Case! A podcast for lawyers, hosted by lawyer and cartoonist Sarah-Elke Kraal.

Catch us on Instagram (@briefcasepod) and the world wide web: www.briefcasepod.com.

My guest in this episode is Senior Judicial Registrar Anne-Marie Rice, Executive Director, National Registrar Operations and Practice, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.

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. No more gladiators: An FCFCOA Pulse-Check with SJR Rice

“One of the biggest misconceptions about what happened on 1 September 2021 was that there was just a merger of two courts. So many other things happened simultaneously.” – Senior Judicial Registrar Anne-Marie Rice

This episode looks deeply at one question: what are you doing to further the overarching purpose of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth); that is, to facilitate the just resolution of your client's dispute as quickly and efficiently as possible? The sands have shifted in the FCFCOA's case management approach, and the message is clear: no more legal gladiators. No more weaponising of gratuitous legal arguments. No more positions-based battles designed to heighten the drama.

The focus is on resolution; and the noble pursuit of the lawyer has swung like a pendulum from combat to closure.

So what will you say when you are pointedly asked this question by the Judicial Registrar managing your client's matter?

SJR Rice references the following practice direction: Central Practice Direction: General Federal Law proceedings (1 September 2021).