About Us

Susie has more than 20 years of family law experience across a range of roles.  She studied degrees in Business and in Law at QUT. Susie completed a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at QUT in 2001. Upon admission, she worked for many years in private preeminent family law practices in Brisbane and in Sydney.  While in Sydney she was fortunate to work under the tutelage of several Justices of the FCFCoA, including the Hon Justice Garry Watts AM prior to his appointment to the bench.  Susie also has experience working in boutique family law firms.   Susie has broad experience in a wide variety of family law matters, including high conflict and complex matters.

Susie taught family law at the University of Queensland for 3 years and for 7 years was an adjunct lecturer at a post graduate level teaching family law and negotiation at the College of Law, Queensland.  She was also invited to lecture in the Masters (Family Law) course at the College.  

In 2017 Susie was appointed as a Judicial Registrar of the Federal Circuit Family Court of Australia. 

In recent years, Susie was one of the first Judicial Registrar’s tasked to manage their own in-Court list dealing with financial and parenting matters. In that role she exercised her powers in Court to clarify and narrow legal issues and make determinations, when required.  

In her 6 years at the Court, Susie was the facilitator of hundreds of successful Court ordered Dispute Resolution Conference events.  Her Conciliation settlement rates were one of the highest in Australia, among her fellow Registrars (88%).    

In 2021 Susie was offered the appointment of Senior Judicial Registrar in the FCFCoA. She declined the appointment, preferring to focus on her work in the dispute resolution phase of the Courts case management pathway.

As a Judicial Registrar, Susie led the implementation of the priority property pools pilot (PPP500) project in the busy Brisbane registry of the FCFCoA.  She is committed to assisting parties of lesser means preserve their assets through early resolution.  To demonstrate this commitment, Walker Webb offer mediation at a reduced rate (in accordance with AIFLAM guidelines) for property pools under $750,000.  

Susie is an Accredited Mediator and also a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner registered with the Attorney General’s Department. She has training in mental health first aid, domestic and family violence and trauma informed practice.  

In parenting disputes Susie has particular interest in and understanding of children who are neurodiverse and / or have learning differences / disability.   

Susie has a keen interest in plain English legal drafting and a warm, easy to understand communication style.

As a mediator Susie’s goal is to ensure the parties feel heard in a safe and respectful environment with a focus on pragmatic and future-oriented solutions.