Retired Federal Circuit Court Judge Judy Small is without question our most unique, and broadly qualified guest we have had on this program. Judy grew up right here in Coffs Harbour and went on to become a globe-trotting folk singer. She also had a lengthy career as a family lawyer, working for a decade with Victoria Legal Aid and then as a Federal Circuit Court Judge.

We were regaled with stories of Judy's upbringing on the Coffs Coast and her life as a singer and then "got serious" about family law and discussed the following issues:

1. Reforms to family law in the 1980s that changed the focus of the law, particularly relating to family violence

2. Judy's thoughts on reform still needed, particularly for Aboriginal and migrant communities.

3. Discretion for family law judges: liberating or frustrating.

4. Dealing with "he-said", "she-said" from the bench

5. Judy's advice to someone entering the family law system for the first time:

· Make sure you are safe.

· Understand that you are not alone.

· Have a lawyer that you trust, and who cares.