Perpetua (Pepe) Kish

Keynote Speaker – Kindness in Law (Collaborative Stream)

Co-Founder & Chair at The Kind Lawyers | Director at The Balance Family Law

Pepe is one of Australia’s most innovative lawyers. As the multi-award-winning director of Balance Family Law, she works with separating couples from all over Australia to keep them out of court. Despite taking on all types of family law matters, Pepe has not had a matter progress to a final hearing in 10 years, a testament to her ability to resolve effectively conflict.

In 2021, Pepe founded The Kind Lawyers movement and seeks to change the conversation in law, from combat to kindness. The Australian Association of Collaborative Professionals (AACP) welcomed Pepe as an elected board member in October 2023, and she is a director and leader of Pacifica Congress, the leading multidisciplinary organisation of family law professionals in the Pacific region, working to improve the experience of family law for children and their families. Pepe is a also a sought after keynote speaker, delivering guest lectures and presentations nationally and internationally.

Pepe is trained in conflict management coaching, parenting coordination, collaborative coaching, and advanced collaborative law. She is also an accredited mediator, holds postgraduate qualifications in Human Services (child welfare and development) and has worked as a case manager in child protection and youth justice, which enhance her very human-centric approach to law.

Rethinking Strength

Discover why kindness is not weakness in law, but a powerful driver of resolution, trust, and credibility.

Beyond AI Disruption

Understand why the biggest challenge to traditional legal practice isn’t technology, but a cultural shift towards empathy and collaboration.

Winning Without Fighting

Learn practical ways to embed kindness into practice — creating sustainable results for clients, lawyers, and firms.

We Don’t Fight. We Win. A lawyer’s extinction event isn’t AI. It’s kindness.

The greatest disruption facing the legal profession isn’t artificial intelligence — it’s the cultural shift towards empathy, collaboration, and kindness. For too long, the practice of law has been defined by conflict and competition, with adversarial models leaving families fractured, clients disillusioned, and practitioners burnt out. This session challenges that mindset and presents a new way forward: one where kindness becomes the competitive advantage.

Drawing on real-world examples from collaborative practice and values-driven firms, this session shows that kindness is not weakness. Instead, it is the foundation for trust, stronger client relationships, and more sustainable legal outcomes. Attendees will explore how embedding empathy into practice reduces conflict, protects wellbeing, and creates an environment where both clients and practitioners can thrive.

This is more than a call to be compassionate — it is a challenge to rethink what it means to win in law. By embracing kindness as a core professional value, practitioners can move beyond outdated notions of “fighting for clients” and instead achieve lasting resolutions, healthier workplaces, and future-ready practices.