Blog

The ACT Law Society have written to me telling me that this month sees the 40th anniversary of my admission to practice and of my holding a Practicing Certificate continuously for that period. This month also saw the 20th anniversary of the founding of Farrar Gesini Dunn. Apart from making...

This year Farrar Gesini Dunn celebrates 20 years! FGD was founded in 1995 by partners Denis Farrar, Olivia Gesini and Jim Dunn and paralegal Ann Northcote (who is also now a partner). A lot has changed in 20 years, but what hasn’t changed is our commitment to our clients and...

Read a joke this morning. Joke was: Marriage is hard, man. Marriage is so hard that Nelson Mandela got a divorce. Nelson Mandela, dude spent 27 years getting tortured and beaten everyday of his life. 27 straight years. He gets out of jail, spends 6 months with his Wife and...

Recently Farrar Gesini Dunn sponsored a Law week event hosted by the Women’s Legal Centre which focussed on Domestic Violence. The keynote speaker was 2015 Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, whose son was tragically killed by his father. I have to admit, in my experience, this is true. If...

The High Court has said “lack of legal knowledge is a misfortune, not a privilege”. The Family Law Courts and the staff of those courts give people who represent themselves the maximum assistance they can, but the courts have an obligation to be impartial. There is only so much that...

Separation is not a topic you want to think about when you’re young and in love and starting your life with your significant other. However, it is a sad reality that sometimes things just don’t work out. Hearing a term such as ‘property settlement’ or ‘parenting order’, you may think...

Farrar Gesini Dunn and Certus Law have together built great new premises which will enable us to enjoy the benefits of being located on the same floor and remaining secure and independent from one another. We changed the way we work. Its called Activity Based Working (ABW) and there’s no...

My colleagues will be surprised I’m writing about Gough Whitlam but as politicians go he’s pretty universally appreciated and one reason for that is the Family Law Act. 

Congratulations to our very own Jessica Kennedy – 2014 ACT Young Lawyer of the Year. In 2013, Jess obtained her Degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Canberra. Her Thesis examines the changes made by the Australian Capital Territory Sexual and Violent Offences Legislation Amendment Act 2008 which...

When families are together, children usually get to see their parents every day. It’s when families separate that the children end up feeling unsure about when they will next see the other parent who they don’t live with. It’s always best for separated parents to agree on the time the...

This is a question that is regularly asked in family law. “I married my wife with the understanding that we were going to live together happily ever after, but then she ran off with Julio. Can I get our marriage annulled?” First of all, you need to appreciate that we...

The recent story of Baby Gammy and the surrogacy arrangement two Australian parents had with a Thai Surrogate has certainly generated discussion about surrogacy and the law that surrounds it. Over the last week, I have heard people ask: “Isn’t surrogacy illegal in Australia?”, ”Don’t the parents have a legal...