Category: Negotiation

As with many professional services sectors, law professionals generally really only sell their time. And, as we all know very well, time is money. So if you are searching for legal advice the family lawyer cost can be higher depending on the expertise level of your attorney. In the interest of saving everyone time (and money), we've compiled a shortlist of items to consider if budget is a factor (and let's face it that it probably is!). Keep these in...

Who Is Responsible For Payment of School Fees and Extra-Curricular Activities Post Divorce? A major concern amongst parents who have children under their care is the payment and costs associated with extra curricular activities. As sport, music, dance, and other similar activities are popular with children of all ages, the costs associated with these can be quite significant over a long period of time. Unlike child support payments which are determined upon set criteria and formula, non-periodic payments associated with...

Contesting A Deceased Estate If you believe that a deceased friend or family member’s Will does not reflect their last wishes or are concerned with the circumstances and nature of an updated will, you may challenge the validity of the Will. This situation commonly arises where the deceased friend or family member may not have been in the right state of mind to understand what they were doing, or if a fellow family member has manipulated the person's wishes. To...

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...

The term lifestyle clause has grown in popularity over recent years. It’s something that is trending with first-time newlyweds; as well as those who have walked down the aisle before. So what is a lifestyle clause? It’s about locking in a variety of terms and conditions before the big day in an attempt to avoid misunderstandings and conflict of interest down the track. These clauses are often added as addendums in a prenuptial agreement and are in addition to things...

Payment and Recovery of a Child Support Debt If an application has been lodged with the Child Support Agency, and for whatever reason, there is a debt outstanding on the assessment of child support by the agency, how is that debt recovered? An assessment for child support by the Child Support Agency is normally paid by the employer of the person who owes child support (the payor). The person, normally the father, who is required to pay child support, will...

What is The Parenting Bill? A proposed new forum for resolving family law disputes relating to children. The parenting bill proposes to establish a new statutory authority to offer self-litigants (parents who do not have legal representation) an alternative to having their matters heard in the Family or Federal Circuit Courts (The Family Courts). A vast majority of matters heard in the Family Courts involve unrepresented parties. They do not, in the main, have the knowledge or ability to fully...

Want Separation? Do Negotiation, Collaborative Practice, Mediation to resolve all the issues arising from a separation We want to separate. Where do we go from here? It's very important to do negotiation, collaborative practice, and mediation before separation. Many couples who separate can agree on what they wish to happen in relation to a distribution of their assets and if there are children, the arrangements which they wish to make and put in place for the children’s future. When couples...