What is it and how can we help?
Family Law is so much more than just parenting & property and is relevant at all stages of your relationships, not just when they end. It also doesn’t have to be acrimonious, drawn out and expensive. When it is, no one wins.
When you initially consult with us about your Family Law matter, we will briefly touch on seven significant topics so that we can properly understand your circumstances and so we can tailor our advice to your individual situation.
- Divorce
- Domestic Violence
- Parenting Arrangements
- Child Support
- Spousal Maintenance
- Property Interests
- Estate Planning (Wills and Powers of Attorney)
Of course not all of these may be relevant to you, but they should be excluded if they are not. So when you come and chat to us about your parenting issues, don’t be surprised when we ask you about each of the other topics… More often than not, we hear, “I hadn’t thought of that” and that’s the point; you might not have thought of it because you were worried about the one issue which brought you to us.
Do I have to go to Court?
That depends. Both on why you are seeing us, and on both you and the other people involved.
If you are just seeking advice, then no. Courts are only there to made decisions when people in a dispute can’t resolve it themselves. So the key to avoiding Court is to ensure you come to negotiations with the intention of resolution, not point scoring.
We always suggest mediating any dispute. This may be Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) for a parenting dispute, or might be formal or informal mediation for other disputes where informal negotiations have not yet resulted in a resolution.
Mediation is very successful in resolving Family Law disputes.
But of course, you can only control your approach. There are always going to be disputes which do not resolve.
If you are unfortunate enough to need to go to Court, our experienced team will assist you through the process. We have experience in both the Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
But you’ll hopefully be pleased to learn that most of our Family Law matters are resolved by way of an Application for Consent Orders.
What does Family Law include?
Just as each Family is unique, each Family Law matter is also unique. But there are some patterns. As Family Lawyers, our clients consult with us on many of the following concerns:
- Divorce and nullity proceedings
- Pre-nuptial and separation agreements
- Spousal maintenance
- Property and financial settlements
- Child support and enforcement of payments
- Parenting plans for child custody and visitation
- Guardianship of children
- Adoption
- Paternity/parentage issues
- Domestic and family violence and Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs)
- Family mediation
- Same sex relationships
- De facto relationships
So if you wish to consult with one of our Family Lawyers, please Contact Us