Eliza Tiernan

Eliza practices in family law and its related jurisdictions. 

Eliza commenced her legal career in 2010 as the Legal Associate for the Honourable Justice Cronin of the Family Court of Australia. Prior to being called to the Bar, she worked for over four years at a major national firm, where she practiced exclusively in family law. During that time, she regularly instructed and appeared in both the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia. 

Eliza holds a First Class Honours degree in Arts and a Juris Doctor degree in Law, from the University of Melbourne. She was awarded the Melbourne Law School Prize for Legal Research.

In 2017, together with solicitor Louise Cooney, she presented their co-written paper "Certain Unions Are Not Marriages: Predicting Outcomes on Separation for Same-sex Couples Married Overseas" at the World Congress on Family Law and Children's Rights in Dublin. The paper was subsequently accepted for publication by the Family Law Review.

Eliza accepts briefs to appear (as counsel or in her capacity as a Nationally Accredited Mediator) in, and advise on, matters involving all aspects of family law, including drafting briefs, advices, and appellate work. 

She has a particular interest in high conflict parenting matters, including relocation cases and briefs to appear for the Independent Children’s Lawyer, and complex property matters, including matters pertaining to third party and equitable interests, business structures and trusts, and spousal maintenance.

Eliza has been nationally accredited as a mediator since 2018, and has a strong interest in mediation, both as counsel representing a party and in the role of mediator. She is a member of the Family Law Bar Association, and the Women’s Barristers’ Association.

Eliza read with Hilary Bonney and her senior mentor is Geoffrey Dickson KC.