Family Lawyers Melbourne

Getting married, separating, and divorce are all times that you may need to engage family law services. These scenarios may include:

• finalising a divorce
• negotiating a separation
• financial agreements
• prenuptial or postnuptial agreements
• managing child support or child custody arrangements
• splitting or protecting assets

We also work with couples and families when they are buying or selling property, drawing up wills or have received an inheritance.

A formal long-term financial plan in a relationship can create clarity and can avoid potentially costly or upsetting legal matters later on.

If you’re considering a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement (a Financial Agreement), our prenup lawyers will ensure you have proper guidance and advice.

We’ll see that all important factors are covered, including inheritances, future needs of your children, family businesses, spousal maintenance, property and existing debt arrangements.

Many significant and long-term partnerships are de facto or domestic relationships, and both have specific laws and unique considerations that apply to them.

Our team can help you to navigate any legal matters arising during a de facto or domestic relationship, as well as those that occur after a partnership ends, including financial agreements, custody matters, and family or personal violence issues.

Navigating parenting arrangements, disputes and organising child custody arrangements can be an emotionally charged experience.

Our team takes a compassionate and fair approach to negotiate outcomes that reflect your family’s best interests, aiming to avoid court whenever possible. We can assist with consent orders to formalise agreements, providing clarity and legal certainty.

Most parenting disputes can be resolved successfully with good guidance, clear communication and mediation, but we will provide excellent legal representation if there isn’t another option.

If you are negotiating child support matters or spousal maintenance, our team of family lawyers can assist you in determining a fair arrangement, which can then be drawn up into a Binding Child Support Agreement.

We can also help you to determine child support payable and your child support assessment if you are using the government child support scheme. If there are disputes over amounts owed or amounts received, we can assist you in legally addressing this.

Negotiating property and financial settlements can be complex. We can help you to achieve a fair and equitable outcome whilst minimising legal costs and avoiding court where reasonably possible, expertly guiding you through settlement.

Our property settlement lawyers can help you to fairly divide superannuation, and self-managed superannuation funds too, drawing up financial agreements after negotiations. We can also support you through the court process if a property settlement can’t be reached in mediation.

Family violence still happens all too often and has a devastating effect on everyone involved. It can take on multiple forms, including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and financial abuse, coercion, harassment or stalking.

Our Family Violence Lawyers have extensive experience in this area and will handle your matter with sensitivity with confidentiality assured.

We can provide support in:

• Applying for Family Violence Intervention Orders
• Defending Intervention Orders
• Personal Safety Orders
• and children’s matters related to abuse or violence.

Going to court can be a highly stressful and drawn-out process. We seek to resolve matters out of court wherever possible, using several methods, including mediation and collaborative law.

We believe most family law disputes can be resolved without attending court. When you engage our team to work with you, we’ll inform you of a range of options to address your matters without attending court.

Children may come into contact with the court system through divorce or separation cases, instances of family violence, and involvement with the Victorian Child Protection Service’s child protection procedures.

Our committed team understands the significant influence that court proceedings and child protection actions can have on families, especially the children and youth entangled in family law issues.

International family law cases can be challenging due to the complexities and variances between laws in different jurisdictions. We have extensive experience assisting clients to resolve international matters, including divorce, child support and child custody.

If you are facing an urgent issue, such as a child custody matter that involves a partner or ex-partner who is planning to leave Australia or is no longer in the country, it’s imperative to seek legal assistance as soon as possible.

Wills and estates are a critical consideration when it comes to the long-term planning of your family. Having a will in place allows you to make your wishes clear about what you want to happen in the event of you dying or being ill or incapacitated. If you have children, you can provide instructions for guardianship, care and other matters, such as inheritances. Our team can also help you execute a will, contest a will, or with any other matters related to estate planning.

If you are in a same-sex relationship or marriage, laws relevant to heterosexual relationships and marriages will apply to your relationship in Victoria. This applies to de facto relationships and marriages, and similar laws apply to domestic relationships. Parenting and custody matters are treated accordingly, as are child support and other financial agreements.

Our family lawyers can help you to navigate legal matters during your relationship or during a relationship breakdown.