The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Dr Angela O’Brien was called to the Bar in 2010. She has worked primarily in the following areas: Family Law – Parenting Orders and Property; Children’s Law (Family matters); Wills and Probate; Family Provision; Trusts; Family Violence; Intervention Orders; Victims of Crime; Employment disputes. She has an interest in coronial enquiry, intellectual property and disciplinary proceedings. Prior to joining the Bar, Angela was a senior academic at the University of Melbourne where she was an Associate Professor, foundation Head of the School of Creative Arts and Deputy Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. She has expertise in dispute resolution and law associated with the education sector, including workplace disputes, student disputes, education/research contracts, intellectual property disputes and administrative review. She has undertaken research involving the use of creative activity in diversionary programs with youthful offenders and youth at risk. She was the Chief Investigator in a large four year Australia Research Council (Linkage) funded project supported by the Department of Justice, Department of Human Services, VicHealth, Arts Victoria and the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. This project won the University of Melbourne inaugural Knowledge Transfer Excellence Award in 2007. She co-authored on this project, Creative Interventions for Marginalised Youth: the Risky Business Project (2008). A volume of essays, edited by O’Brien and Donelan, The Arts and Youth at Risk: Global and Local Challenges was also published in 2008. Dr O’Brien has extensive experience in ADR. She is a graded arbitrator with the Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators Australia (IAMA) and was an elected member of the IAMA National Council between 2004 and 2010. She was IAMA President 2008/9. She has been an accredited mediator since 2002 and a Nationally accredited mediator since 2008. She was a member of the National Mediator Accreditation Committee, which implemented the National Accreditation Standards in Australia. She has coached on the IAMA and Victorian Bar mediation training courses.