Profile
Lorraine Lopich is a director of Mediate Today Pty Ltd, and Collaborative Lawyers Pty Ltd t/a Lopich Lawyers. She is a nationally accredited mediator, collaborative lawyer, international facilitator and trainer in a broad range of alternate dispute resolution processes. She is also a family group conferencing facilitator and a registered family dispute resolution practitioner.
Lorraine is a former member of the Law Society of NSW ADR committee. She co-chaired the international sub-committee of the Dispute Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association for the development of a collaborative dispute resolution process for cross-border disputes. She has been a member of the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Practice and was a founding board member of Collaborative Professionals NSW (CPNSW), being the first Secretary and the second President of CPNSW.
She has extensive experience is the areas of Local Government including as Chair of the Environment, Planning and Development Committee of the Snowy River Shire Council for four years and member of the NSW Regional Planning Committee. Lorraine conducts alternate dispute resolution in development applications and building disputes. She is also a panel member of a number of Councils to review and investigate Local Government Code of Conduct complaints, often incorporating dispute resolution and facilitation in such matters. Lorraine also conducts mediations in relation to disputes in relation to Wills and estates.
Lorraine has owned operated a number of small businesses and she has extensive experience in mediation of small business disputes including lease disputes.
Lorraine has extensive experience in matters involving complex interpersonal relationships in the workplace and between members of families as they relate to family owned businesses. She is an experienced facilitator in such areas as community consultation and change management.
Qualifications
- Admitted to practice as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW, 1992.
- Admitted to practice as a solicitor; High Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia, 1993
- Admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of the ACT, 1995
- Nationally Accredited Mediator, Law Society of NSW & LEADR
- Trainer – Mediation & Collaborative Law (International Academy of Collaborative Professionals standard)
- Registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner No. R1003816 and FDRP supervisor
- Accredited Family Law Arbitrator
Areas of Practice
- Collaborative law, mediation, facilitation and family dispute resolution
- Trainer – mediation & collaborative law :-
- professional development unit, School of Law University of Wollongong;
- collaborative law for the Professional Development Unit: LAW, University of Technology Sydney;
- the Law Institute of Victoria;
- CLE Masters Family Law;
- LexisNexis
- Member of the Shellharbour City Council Conduct Review Committee.
- Panel mediator for the Law Society of NSW;
- Author: Australian Family Law: Sections; Collaborative Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Family Relationship Centres published by Lexis/Nexis. Papers on collaborative family law practice that have been published by dispute resolution associations including LEADR and ADRB.
Education & Qualifications
- Bachelor of Legal Studies Macquarie University, 1992.
- CHC80308 Vocational Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution with Distinction
- Advanced Collaborative Law – UTS
- Integrating Sustainability, University of Technology of Sydney Centre for Local Government, 2004.
- Development Control, University of Technology of Sydney Centre for Local Government, 2004.
- Mediation Certificate, Bond University – Dispute Resolution Centre, 2004.
- Framework for Mediation Practice, Unifam Counselling & Mediation, 2005.
- Certificate of Accreditation – Mediation Level 3, Business & Commercial Mediation, Australian Commercial Dispute Centre, 2005.
- Certificate of Accreditation – Mediation Level 3, Local Government Mediation, Australian Commercial Dispute Centre, 2005.
- Collaborative Law Practice Program, UTS: LAW short course, Presented by Stuart G Webb and Marion F Korn for University of Technology of Sydney, 2005
- Advanced Mediation Skills Workshop “The Heart of Conflict: Advanced Skills for the Dispute Resolution Professional” Presented by Bernie Mayer for LEADR, 2005
- Advanced Mediation Certificate, Bond University – Dispute Resolution Centre, 2005
- Dispute Resolution Certificate, Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators in conjunction with Bond University Dispute Resolution Centre, 2005
- Certificate IV Assessment and Workplace Training, Training Masters, 2006
- Workplace Relations ADR Training Program, The Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia. 2006
- Family Law Arbitration – AIFLAM and Bond University – Dispute Resolution Centre
- Engaging the Public Controversy – with Peter Adler for LEADR – November 2011 .
Memberships
- Law Society of NSW and the Law Society of NSW Dispute Resolution Panel
- ADR Blueprint committee (ADR Directorate, NSW Attorney General Department)
- Family Law Section, Law Council of Australia
- Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators
- ADRA (past member of the Board)
- Collaborative Professionals (NSW) Inc (President 2007-2009)
