CPWA Collaboration Conference

When Separation and Succession Collide, How Do You Keep Your Clients Out of the Crossfire?

Join Australia’s leading collaborative professionals for a one-day masterclass on navigating complex, multi-disciplinary family and estate disputes without destroying family relationships or draining estates.

The Hidden Costs of Siloed Practice

You know the scenario all too well. A client walks through your door dealing with a separation, but it is never just about dividing the pool or setting up a parenting plan.

There are family trusts involved. Aging parents with succession plans. Tensions in blended families. Deep-seated grief, manipulative dynamics, and financial complexities that traditional litigation simply is not built to handle.

When family law and succession planning collide, processes get side-lined by emotional flare-ups, unpicking hidden tax risks, or watching drawn-out court battles consume the very assets families worked for generations to build. It leaves clients feeling exhausted and financially drained, and it leaves you carrying the heavy emotional burden of their conflict.

What Collaboration Makes Possible

Imagine stepping into those complex, high-stakes matters with complete clarity and a trusted team alongside you.

Family lawyers, estate specialists, financial experts and mental health professionals all rowing in the same direction. Instead of endless back-and-forth letters or high-conflict court dates, you guide families through structured, compassionate, and legally sound resolutions that protect relationships across generations.

You protect your clients, elevate your practice, and safeguard your own professional well-being in the process.

Introducing the 2026 CPWA Collaborative Conference

Separation and Succession: Can They Collaborate?

Presented by Collaborative Professionals WA (Inc), this conference brings together top legal, financial, and mental health minds to solve one of the most challenging overlaps in modern practice: the intersection of family separation and estate succession.

Our Core Promise: You will walk away with practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and non-legal skillsets to handle complex inter-familial disputes collaboratively, efficiently, and humanely.

What We Are Covering

Here is a breakdown of what you will gain from this packed single-day program:

• Managing Grief in Collaborative Matters: Learn practical skills to identify and manage emotional grief drivers in complex disputes without absorbing client trauma (with Colin Jowell).

• Costing a Collaborative Matter: Get transparent strategies and realistic models for pricing multi-disciplinary collaborative work effectively (with Tiffany Rochester, Candice Jonker, and Tricia Peters).

• Family Office & Business Disputes: Gain rare insights into mediating high-net-worth family business matters and family office dynamics (with Ann Cooley, Hong Kong).

• Live Case Studies in Separation and Succession: Dissect real-world cases involving blended family friction, financial agreements, and wills and estates when separation and succession overlap (featuring Jacinta Watkins, Lynda Babister, Katie McDonald, John O'Sullivan, and Debbie Clinch).

• Skills for High-Conflict Disputes: Deepen your understanding of inter-familial conflict dynamics and learn how prioritising non-legal skills supports your clients, your colleagues, and yourself (with Anne-Marie Rice).

• Collaboration with a Little "c": Discover practical ways to apply collaborative principles in your daily practice, even when a formal collaborative contract is not in place.

• Regulatory Updates for Financial Neutrals: Essential insights on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance (with Julie Strack and Leanne Martinez).

Learn From Recognised Industry Leaders

This year’s conference features an extraordinary panel of local, national, and international thought leaders, including:

• Anne-Marie Rice: AMDRAS registered mediator and former Registrar of the Federal Circuit Court and Family Court of Australia.

• Colin Jowell: Managing Director at Bill Will and experienced collaborative coach.

• Ann Cooley: Hong Kong-based family office mediation specialist.

• Julie Strack: CPWA President and Executive Director at Pitcher Partners.

• Debbie Clinch: Accredited Family Law Specialist, Principal at Clairs Keeley Lawyers, and former CPWA President with over 30 years of experience leading interdisciplinary collaborative resolutions.

• John O'Sullivan: Principal at O'Sullivan Law, experienced family lawyer, estate planner, and financial analyst serving on both the CPWA Council and AACP Board.

• Tiffany Rochester: Clinical Psychologist, Founder of Co-Parenting Companion, and leading advocate for child-focused family transitions.

• Plus leading WA specialists in wills, estates, tax, and family law.

Event Details 

• Date: Saturday, 15 August 2026

• Time: 8:30am – 5:00pm 

• Location: College of Law Perth, Durack Centre, 263 Adelaide Terrace, Perth

• CPD Points: CPD points will be applied for for attending legal practitioners.

• Catering: Morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea provided.

Reserve Your Seat

Seats at the College of Law are strictly limited to maintain an interactive, collaborative environment. Join us for a day of practical learning, multi-disciplinary networking, and fresh perspectives on resolving complex family disputes.