Blog

Women need superannuation Let’s be honest, superannuation is definitely not the most attention-grabbing topic we can discuss. But here’s the thing. Unless you like eating baked beans in your retirement, superannuation is really ­important. The problem for women is that their careers can be characterized by a pattern of broken...

Decision Making When You’re Going Through a Separation Guest Post for Farrar Gesini Dunn by Scott Malcom from Money Mechanics Confident decision making as you are going through a major life event can be difficult. With divorce emotions can be raw and the vision or plan for your life has...

Meet your lawyer Part 2 In last week’s blog I talked about why going to see a family lawyer for the first time can be a nerve-wrecking idea but by the end of the initial appointment they can help clients to feel a sense of empowerment  and allow them to...

Meet your lawyer Part 1 In the first of a two-part blog, I talk about what to expect during an initial appointment with a family lawyer, and why we’re not all as scary as you might think. I’m aware from meeting with clients over the years that even the idea...

Thanks to Michael for sharing his article with us! Guest Post from Michael Miller MLC Advice Canberra Decision making when you’re going through a divorce. Financial planning is in many ways quite simple, it’s just about decision making. So I spend just as much time reading material from the field...

Financial Agreements – De Facto versus Marriage The Full Court of the Family Court has delivered a new judgement regarding whether you can have a binding financial agreement (aka a pre nup) that covers both de facto relationship breakdown and marriage breakdown. Background Several years ago the Family Law Act...

The future has finally arrived. Yes it is different than we all thought. But don’t worry, your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one. Doc Emmett Brown – 21.10.2015. Wise words from a wise man, to...

A couple of weeks ago I posted about trying to make sense of the fluctuating Court fees (see blog post below entitled The cost of divorce…what’s the deal with the fluctuating Court fees). When I last posted the Court fees had been hiked up; then dropped down; and then hiked...

I’m a family lawyer and to be honest I have a hard time understanding what is going on with the cost of divorce and changes to the Court fees. So I can’t imagine how the general population is meant to understand it. In the lead up to the new financial...

As a family lawyer one of the most common questions that I get asked by my clients is what their obligations are when their child or children do not want to spend time with the other parent when the parents have separated. This is particularly concerning for parents when there...

It has been a very exciting start to the new year for me. Not just because it is summer (well, sort of summer), but, because after five great years at another law firm, I have now started working at Farrar Gesini Dunn in Melbourne. Here is a little bit of...

Back to school. The start of a new school year is an exciting but often an uncertain time for many families especially those who have recently separated.  It’s around this time of year that we receive an increasing number of enquiries from clients wanting answers to questions such as: