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Episode 9

Guest - Kate Wells

In the ninth episode of the Broken Fathers Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kate Wells, a solicitor at Fedorov Family Lawyers who specializes in high-risk domestic violence cases and complex parenting orders.

Kate’s upbringing significantly influenced her career path. With a barrister father and a lawyer stepfather, her connection to the legal world began early. Her parents’ separation when she was six and their subsequent remarriages just six months later marked a difficult time. The lack of amicability during their split inspired her to focus on protecting children as a family lawyer.

Kate also shared her personal experiences with domestic violence. She also discussed the challenges she has seen with many DVO (Domestic Violence Order) applications against her clients being dismissed.

During our conversation, Kate and I emphasized the importance of documenting everything while acknowledging the emotional toll it can take. We also addressed the lack of media coverage surrounding suicide deaths related to family court issues, driven by concerns about potential copycat incidents.
Additionally, we discussed the significant impact that the family report writer and independent children’s lawyer (ICL) can have on verdicts.

Kate cited statistics from the Australian Institute for Suicide Prevention Research, noting that suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 44 in Australia, with half of those suicides linked to family court issues such as child custody battles and pending legal battles.