Brett McGrath

Brett has recently returned to Marsdens after his appointment as a Senior Judicial Registrar at the Sydney Registry in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. His four years at the Court, Brett presided over and determined complex property and parenting interim hearing proceedings in both Divisions 1 and 2.

A gifted mediator and negotiator, Brett has developed a reputation for settling the most complex and difficult family law matters to have come before the Court during his tenure. In recognition of his exceptional dispute resolution skills, in October 2022 the Court appointed Brett to the role of Director – National Registrar Operations (Dispute Resolution) and helped develop the Court’s new co-mediation model now implemented across Australia.

Brett attended Western Sydney University where he earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and where he also returned to lecture and teach the next generation of lawyers in Family Law, Advanced Family Law and Family Dispute Resolution subjects from 2016. He attended high school at St Gregory’s College Campbelltown, and has remained active in the Macarthur community. Locally, Brett served as President of the Macarthur Law Society (2014-2018) and the Greater Narellan Business Chamber (2018), and in 2019 was appointed by the Attorney-General of NSW as the Law Society representative on the board of the Legal Aid Commission of NSW (2019-2021). Brett is currently a proud board member of United Way, a charity that focuses on improving early childhood literacy across Australia. He is a Nationally Accredited Mediator (NMAS) registered through the Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators (AIFLAM).

Brett has served on the Council of the Law Society of New South Wales since his election in 2018. In that time, he has served as Treasurer, Junior Vice President and is President-elect for 2024. Brett has also served as Chair of the Audit, Risk & Finance Committee; Deputy Chair of the Professional Conduct Committee; and member of the ADR, Diversity & Inclusion, and Family Law Committees. Brett is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and has extensive experience in corporate governance.

Brett will be the second Marsdens President to lead the 40,000-strong legal profession, with the firms’ founding Partner, John Marsden being the first 30 years ago.

Born and raised in the Macarthur region, Brett’s family ties to the region go back almost 200 years. He and his partner are avid travellers.