Vincent Papaleo

Vincent Papaleo is a clinical psychologist with more than three decades of experience working at the intersection of psychology and family law. He is the founding Director of Papaleo Associates, a Melbourne-based clinical practice specialising in forensic and family law assessments. Over the course of his career, he has become widely recognised for his expertise in complex parenting disputes, particularly those involving high levels of conflict and significant risk factors affecting children and families.

Mr Papaleo began his professional career in clinical psychology within the Department of Child Psychiatry at Austin Hospital in Melbourne. This early work established a strong foundation in child development, attachment theory, and the psychological needs of children within family systems, areas that would later become central to his forensic and family law practice. Since entering private practice, he has dedicated the majority of his professional work to the preparation of independent expert reports for the Family Court and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.

As a Single Expert Witness, Mr Papaleo is frequently engaged by the Court and by legal practitioners to undertake comprehensive family assessments in matters involving complex parenting disputes. His work commonly involves cases where there are allegations of family violence, child abuse, substance misuse, severe parental conflict, or significant mental health concerns. His assessments integrate clinical interviewing and developmental analysis to assist the Court in determining parenting arrangements that best promote a child’s psychological wellbeing.

A defining feature of Mr Papaleo’s professional approach is his emphasis on developmentally informed parenting arrangements. He has consistently advocated that decisions about children’s living arrangements following parental separation should be guided primarily by the developmental needs of the child rather than adult expectations of parental equality. In particular, his work has highlighted the importance of attachment security and developmental stability in infancy and early childhood, and the risks posed by poorly structured shared care arrangements during these critical stages.

In addition to his forensic practice, Mr Papaleo has been involved in the training and supervision of psychologists and other professionals working within the family law system. He regularly provides professional education to legal practitioners, psychologists, and family consultants on topics including high-conflict separation, risk assessment in parenting disputes, developmental considerations in parenting arrangements, and the psychological impact of prolonged parental conflict on children.

Mr Papaleo’s work frequently addresses some of the most challenging issues encountered in family law proceedings, including refuse and resist dynamics, coercive control, personality disturbances, trauma, and complex family violence allegations. His reports are known for integrating clinical insight with a detailed understanding of the legal context in which parenting decisions are made.

Through his clinical practice, expert reporting, and professional education, Mr Papaleo continues to focus on promoting child-centred, developmentally informed decision-making in the resolution of parenting disputes.

Senior Judicial Registrar Hiles

Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia

SJR Hiles commenced working in family law in 2008 in Newcastle before also taking up a role as a solicitor with a specialist family law firm in Canberra the next year. Immediately prior to joining the Family Law Courts in August 2021, she worked as the Deputy Head of Family Law Practice at Legal Aid ACT. SJR Hiles has attained a Master of Laws (Family Law) and is an Accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. She was an Independent Children’s Lawyer (ICL) for many years, part of the teaching panel for ICLs nationally and is currently Chair of the ACT ICL Advisory Committee and a member of the Courts’ CLE Committee. SJR Hiles was appointed as a Judicial Registrar of the Federal Circuit and Family Court at the Canberra Registry in 2021 and was sworn in as a Senior Judicial Registrar in September 2025.

Jessica Cruise

Jessica was admitted to practice in the ACT in 2004. She practiced in community legal centres in Queensland and Sydney before joining Legal Aid WA in 2009. She returned to the ACT in 2018 and spent a year in private practice before joining Legal Aid ACT in 2019.

Jessica completed her Independent Children’s Lawyer training in 2009 and has acted predominantly as an ICL since that time. 

Jessica also sits on the ACT Law Society Professional Standards and Family Law Committees and on the ACT ICL Committee.