Category: Family Law

Parental Alienation As modern family structures have become increasingly complex in today’s society, so too has the threat of parental alienation. Parental alienation occurs when one parent influences the child against the other parent. This usually happens when both parties are seeing the children on a regular basis but are separated and no longer living together. Unfortunately, in most cases, this kind of emotional manipulation is unknown to both the child and the parent before it becomes a serious issue....

Merging of the federal circuit court of Australia On 30 May 2018, the Government proposed to restructure the existing structure of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. This will have the effect of merging the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCA) as of 1 January 2019. Resulting from this merge, a new Family Law Appeal Division will be created to specifically hear appeals from family matters of the new court structure. The new structure intends to create a...

Who Keeps the Engagement Ring Law after Separation? [caption id="attachment_11754" align="alignright" width="350"] Engagement Ring Law[/caption] Who keeps the engagement ring after divorce/separation according to engagement ring law? One of the big questions couples have after a relationship breaks down is what happens to the engagement ring. The issue of which party has a claim to this item can be contentious, with many different opinions based on tradition, morals, and conventions. Where parties are disputing the ownership of the ring, this...

Divorce and pets: Who Gets Animals in Divorce Proceedings? As animals have become an integral part of modern relationships, it is important to understand what happens to your pets during the separation and divorce proceedings. Given that one or both parties may have special connections to their pets, the decision of who gets the primary care of the animal can sometimes be tense and lead to hostile situations. Some of the situations regarding Animals During Divorce Proceedings that commonly arise...

How Do Mental Health Conditions Affect Family Law Proceedings? If you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, this can impact both child welfare/parenting arrangements addition to property disputes. However, a mental health condition does affect or have relevance to divorce proceedings (family law proceedings)  (provided there are no children in the relationship). Mental Health in Parenting Disputes The first and foremost principle applied by the Court in any parenting proceeding is placing the welfare of the child as...

Healthy and meaningful relationship Last year a Court dispute between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie resulted in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County imposing an order for the five children to spend more time with their father. When providing reasons for the judgment, the Court provided “it is critical that each child have a healthy and meaningful relationship with both parents”. The new order changes the original full-time custody arrangements in favor of Jolie to allow Pitt anywhere between...

Law of "Sperm donation Brisbane", Parental Responsibilities and Legislation Although Sperm donation Brisbane has historically been subject to anonymity in Australia, recent legislative reform and case law suggest a definitive movement towards inclusion within Family Law and Parental Responsibility. In all states and territories of Australia, donating sperm anonymously is now banned through legislation or mandatory guidelines. Whilst cases involving sperm donors are quite infrequent, the importance to both the Child Support Assessment Act and the Family Law Act is...

Family Report and Expert Evidence in Proceedings Expert evidence including a family report provides the Court with material from an independent viewpoint, which both assesses and highlights particular issues with each unique case. The most common form of expert evidence in family law proceedings is family reports, which are undertaken by psychologists to determine the children’s views, the party’s capacity regarding parental issues, and any emotional or psychological effects of previous family violence or abuse. The Family Report The family...

Important information and contact details about the Family Law Courts Brisbane The Family Law Courts Brisbane’ National Enquiry Centre (NEC) is the entry point for all telephone and email inquiries about Family Law Court matters in the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. [caption id="attachment_9140" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts Building[/caption] The NEC can assist with: Information about how to apply to the court Making urgent applications to the family law court Procedural...

What Does Structural Reform of the Federal Court Mean To You? On 30 May 2018, the Government proposed to establish the new Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCA), amalgamating the two courts together under a new regime. In addition to this proposed structure, a new Family Law Appeal Division will be created to hear appeals from the FCFCA regarding family law matters. The implementation of the new structure commenced operation on 1 January 2019. There will now be...

What if your Spouse is Entitled to Your Lottery Winnings? At one point or another, everyone has thought about the possibility of winning the lottery. But what happens to the lottery winnings if you are currently in a marriage? In the case of Elford & Elford, the court heard an appeal in relation to property settlement at the end of a relationship. In this case, Mr. Elford has won approximately $622,000 in the first 12 months of the couple’s marriage....

Are you Adopting a child in Queensland? The term ‘Adopting a child in Queensland’ refers to the process of transferal of legal rights and responsibilities of parenthood from one set of parents to another. This includes both the process of adopting a child into a family and, those parents who wish to place their existing child into adoption for various reasons. In Queensland, adoptions must be organized through Adoption Services Queensland, as it is currently unlawful for persons to privately...

Bringing Family Law Matters Urgently As most couples who suffer a breakdown of the relationship or marriage want to sort out the matter as soon as possible, it is common for parties to try and bring proceedings as soon as possible, especially in situations involving children. However, before parties engage with the Court process, it is necessary for parties to attend mediation. Requirement of Mediation Before the Family Court will hear a matter, the parties must attend mediation and obtain...

James Noble Law - The James Noble Family Law near Brisbane James Noble Law will look for alternate resolutions to resolve family disputes to ease the emotional issues and to minimise financial costs. We will examine alternative dispute resolutions that may provide a more suitable resolution including negotiation, collaboration and mediation. All of our solicitors are admitted to practice in the Family Court of Australia, Federal Circuit Court of Australia and Supreme Court of Queensland. Our professional staff regularly conduct...

Best Time For Divorce The promotion of the best time for divorce is intended to bring attention to the importance of minimizing conflict between couples following the unfortunate breakdown of the relationship. Common in these situations, both parties will be subject to a wide range of difficult emotions; inevitably though, both parties will suffer.   During these times of significant transition, children often find it difficult to cope with the vast number of events happening. Children may typically display and...

Breaching Domestic Violence Order? What to do? What is a Domestic Violence Order (DVO)? Domestic Violence Order (‘DVO’), also known as “protection” or “restraining” orders are made by the court to prevent domestic violence against the person bringing the application (“the aggrieved”). The imposition of a Domestic Violence Orders will generally impose certain conditions against the person committing the violence (“the respondent”) and prevent any further violence from occurring. Both conditions and the DVO itself are very serious, and any...

Better Health During Divorce Process Going through separation and the divorce process can be stressful on so many levels. That’s why it’s imperative you really make an effort to look after your health throughout the entires. How to survive the divorce process Getting sick or rundown is not going to help when you are facing the divorce process, so here are a few tips to stay mindful of as you strive to close this major chapter of your life. #1...

A Simple Way To Find the Best Family Lawyer Brisbane That Works For You. You can find the best family lawyer Brisbane at any time nowadays. Depending on how long a couple has been together, separating can be a lengthy, sometimes confusing, and often painful process. Then there are all the legalities involved in the situation. Find the best Family Lawyer Brisbane that gives the right advice. This is one of the times in life where you need to find...

Are you Getting Divorced? While we all want and need emotional support from those we are closest to when going through a marriage crisis and potential divorce, it’s not always wise to seek critical advice about what to do or how to handle the situation of getting divorced from the people we know. This is a very crucial time of life when emotions are running hot. If you tell your loved ones that your partner has up and left you,...

Do it for the kids. Separation and divorce are tough on everybody involved, and it can be even harder on children. While adults are often struggling to understand what went wrong, the kids often have no idea why their beloved parents are separating and no longer want to live together. Here we’ll look at a few tips to try and help your children through the process. Try and Maintain a Civil Relationship Some relationships end on mutual terms, and some...