New President's Blog, September 2025
Posted: 25 Sep 2025 by IAFL
I am honored to being writing my first blog upon becoming the President of the International Academy of Family Lawyers in its 39th year. In the last six years, I have been fortunate to be able to serve as this organization’s Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer and President-elect. I particularly value being a Fellow in an organization that celebrates female leadership. I will be the 2nd of three consecutive women presidents of the IAFL – the first time this has happened in IAFL’s history. And I’m so very lucky to have the other two women presidents be women I love and admire so much – Rachael Kelsey and Suzanne Todd. I would be remiss in not expressing my gratitude to my mentor, Cheryl Hepfer, who encouraged me to apply to the IAFL eleven years ago and insisted that I speak at my first conference on a topic about which I had no previous knowledge when I also had a newborn baby. As Olivia Grobtuch from Melbourne and I always say, if you want to get something done, give it to a busy mother. I saw in Kenya that this is the philosophy of Kenyan women too, who are incredibly hard-working.
Sadly, the world is currently a fractured place and people and countries are turning inward and becoming more isolated. We, at the IAFL, have the opportunity in this microcosm to create a world where the rule of law and administration of justice in family law unite us. We are the finest, most experienced, and influential family law lawyers in the world. We have and we will continue to educate ourselves and our fellow legal colleagues. We have and we will continue to host conferences around the globe to learn from our fellows in the places where they practice law and live. And we have and we will continue to liaison with organizations that share our aspirations and commitment to the practice of law. We have and we will speak out when the rule of law in family law must be heard. The secret sauce though to what makes IAFL different from other organizations that are like ours is our genuine affection for one another and the warmth we extend to newcomers.
Bearing in mind the organization I find myself about to preside over, know that I plan to lead the way I move in life – with compassion, kindness, quiet courage, organization, and humor. I will always try my hardest and give my best. I am especially not afraid to take risks in the service of trying to do what is right.
My goals for this year are:
1. Grow and deepen communication and cohesion between the Chapters and Global with the goal of the Executive Committee members of the Chapters and Global moving forward together to cultivate the presentation of the Academy on a year-to-year basis rather than meeting to meeting. I want the Chapters and Global to work together as one while preserving the individuality of the Chapters.
2. Maintain and grow our communication and cooperation with other international organizations that complement ours to foster collaboration, not competition; find new fellows; and provide more content for our current fellowship.
3. Build on one of our organization’s greatest strengths which is fellow satisfaction and camaraderie by finding more opportunities to increase fellow participation, especially for fellows who have not participated other than meeting attendance.
Specifically, I plan to continue for the IAFL to hold town halls after conferences (the first of which was held last week) and have monthly calls with leadership of the Chapters. With the help and support of Carolina Marín Pedreño and our fellows in the Middle East, I am convening a meeting in Kuwait in March as a recruitment event for Middle Eastern lawyers, another place in the world where we need more voices in this organization. And I plan to carry on Rachael’s work in paving the way for the creation of a provisional African chapter. I am delighted and feel truly lucky to have become President of the IAFL in Kenya. We cannot be a truly global organization without the African continent.
I look forward to working with our new Chapter Presidents, John Spender (Asia Pacific), Emma Hatley (Europe), Caroline Harnois (Canada), and Katharine Maddox (USA). I am grateful for the continued collaboration and teamwork with our Executive Director, Annie Dunster, and the entire JLICS team. I want to ask forgiveness from and thank in advance of this year my supportive husband, my darling children, my nanny, and my legal assistant, Elisabeth Lee.
I am also going to take a a few minutes to write about our immediate past President, Rachael Kelsey, even though she does not enjoy being the center of attention. But I cannot let the moment pass without acknowledging her extraordinariness.
Rachel Kelsey is an accomplished lawyer as well as a visionary and creative leader – skills that are rarely found in the same person, but perhaps more importantly, she’s an exceptional human being. When you meet Rachael, whether you have never met her before or you have known her forever, and she says, “hello sweetheart,” it’s as if she only has eyes and ears for you. She would help anyone who needs it. She celebrates the triumphs of those around her and is always available to lend an ear when things have gone from great to gloom. She tells everyone they are magic and an absolute superstar which propels us forward with confidence, capability, and optimism. But we all know who the real superstar is – it’s Rachael.
Her brilliant mind, her curiosity, her boundless enthusiasm and zest for life, and her deep empathy keep us all coming back for more. It is her very essence which draws us in and never lets us go. This is how she has brought so many of us - very different people - together to accomplish so much in her two years as President of IAFL. I won’t recite all she has done for our organization because we have a 41-page 2025 annual impact report that does that for me. But for anyone who has been at AGMs before Nairobi, you know how much more Rachael has done than the rest of us mere mortals.
When you bring your whole heart to everything you do, you can get more easily hurt. But that has never deterred Rachael. Her vulnerability makes it okay for the rest of us to be vulnerable, which unites us all in our humanity.
Under Rachael’s leadership, the IAFL has become a more diverse, inclusive, and influential organization with more informed and connected attorneys. And frankly, she has made us better people. We celebrate this month the magic that is Rachael and lasting impact she has left on this organization. It doesn’t feel adequate, but I do want to end by saying thank you to Rachael. It looks effortless to many, but I know firsthand by being her right hand these last two years how much effort Rachael put forth and I acknowledge and make seen all her invisible work.
Finally, I look forward to interacting with as many of you as possible between now and end of my term in September of 2026. Committee names, committee heads, and the opportunity to sign up or change committees will come out soon. Please get involved in the areas of family law that interest you where you feel you can add meaning and purpose to our organization’s missions.
Our Fellows’ interest in the next two conferences in Hong Kong and Barcelona has been outstanding. In the new year, you’ll have an opportunity to sign up for Kuala Lumpur meeting in May. Kai Yun in Hong Kong, Emma in Barcelona, and John in Kuala Lumpur have planned wonderful conferences for us. I look forward to seeing you at one of the next three.
Warmly, Heather
