Title: Senior Family Mediation Coordinator

Company: Legal Aid NSW

Location: Haymarket, NSW

Wielding 41 years of expertise in alternate dispute resolution, primarily in family law, and leadership development, Sally Lord currently serves in her sixth year as the senior family medication coordinator at Legal Aid NSW. There, she provides access to justice for the most vulnerable members of the community through family law, and care and protection jurisdictions, as well as maintain responsibility for a panel of 110 mediators across the state of NSW. Ms. Lord also offers clinical supervision for the group and facilitating all professional development of the panel, reports to the commonwealth government and to the state government, and mediates in Hague Convention child abduction matters.

Ms. Lord attributes her success to her hard work, intelligence, strong belief in lifelong learning and love of what she does. Initially, became involved in her profession because of her prior experiences as a high school teacher. She has also worked as a statewide curriculum consultant, principal education officer and earned a master’s degree in dispute resolutions. Ms. Lord received a master’s degree in dispute resolution from UTS, an interdisciplinary master’s degree in women’s studies from University of New South Wales, with honors, and a Graduate Diploma in education from the University of New South Wales.

Ms. Lord presented a paper on child protection programs, called The Bidura Pilot Program. She advises young professionals entering their career to know when an opportunity arises and take it with both hands. In five years, Ms. Lord intends to pursue international opportunities in dispute resolution.