Filter news articles
In 2006 changes were made to legislation relating to parenting agreements, and the idea of ‘equal shared parental responsibility’ was ...
Following feedback from a long inquiry and various commissions into the Family Law system, on the first of September this year, new changes ...
Parental alienation following separation is a little discussed topic, possibly because it is controversial and can be difficult to prove. ...
We are pleased to welcome Belinda Jeffrey, Senior Associate and Elise Clowes, Associate to the Phillips Family Law team. Belinda has ...
Every year we, as family lawyers, anticipate that the lead up to the festive season holiday period is going to be incredibly busy with ...
Divorce is never easy for anyone, but it can have a considerable impact on your children if you are not conscious of a few key elements. ...
If you are reading this, you are likely to have some clients who are going through separation or divorce. As professionals who assist our ...
When it comes to financial agreements and divorce, there are a variety of processes in our tool kit that we can implement as family lawyers....
Property settlements can be complex and when you add “gifts” and “inheritances” into the mix, it can make things even more ...
The process of going through a divorce is complicated enough but when you add business ownership into the mix it can become a whole lot more...
When talking to people outside of the legal profession, I have noticed that there are many different perceptions about the role of a lawyer ...
When you are going through a separation or divorce, how financial assets will be split is a common query faced by our clients. In this ...
Just like every business, all law firms work differently. This is because we all have different values and skills that we put ahead of ...
Infidelity is one of the key causes of divorce in Australia. When going through the separation and divorce process there can be confusion ...
Throughout the course of a property settlement, clients have a continuing obligation to provide the other party, in a timely manner, with ...
When a couple is separating and they have children, there will normally be a property settlement and parenting orders involved. More often ...
As an accountant, you are often one of the first professionals to have the knowledge that a couple is considering separation or have already...
Trust structures are regularly used for asset protection purposes as well as tax planning. Spouses who are separated and looking to resolve ...
For your clients who are going through divorce, it can be a complex and stressful process. Often the process can be delayed when there is ...
When a couple decides to separate or even before then when they are encountering difficulties in the relationship, or trust has been eroded,...
As an accountant or financial advisor, if you have clients who are going through a divorce, considering how to deal with a settlement, and ...
If you, or someone you know, has been in a de facto relationship that has subsequently broken down it is important to know what this may ...
How a Farmer’s Divorce has changed in the Courts Starting out as a lawyer in the early 80’s in Toowoomba, I was exposed to cases ...
If you are reading this, you are likely considering separation or you are already separated and you have some degree of concern about what ...
Due to the emotional toll that separation and divorce brings, Christmas and other holidays can be a very challenging time. The feeling of ...
As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic has not just hit us with a virus but with an overwhelming amount of indefinite uncertainty too. It is safe...
When you file for divorce, there is a fair chance that you just want to get over with it as quickly as you can and get on with your life. ...
Often there is a misconception by financial advisors and accountants that in a divorce, a Trust is going to be treated differently, or ...
In this day and age, even since the advent of COVID-19, it is much easier for people to reside outside of their country of origin. However, ...
One of the good things about being a family lawyer is the diversity in matters that I deal with to help clients through what can be a ...
There is no doubt that going through a separation or divorce can be an incredibly stressful experience. It is particularly hard for those ...
When a couple chooses to divorce it can be an emotional and complicated time. Add in business ownership and it can make the separation ...
What is a family report? When you are separating from your partner, and if you have children together, you may hear about something called a...
As an accountant, you may find yourself in a situation where one party to a divorce is your client and they run a business in a company, ...
We are pleased to announce the recent promotion of Charlotte Paterson and Gareth Walters to Associates of the firm. ...
For parents who are unable to see their children, or do not have as much access to their children as they would like, and yet pay child ...
As a family lawyer, I see accountants, financial planners and commercial lawyers as playing key support roles when negotiating an outcome ...
How to communicate when going through a divorce Ineffective communication can be a significant factor in a couple separating. So it is not ...
We regularly write articles to help our clients and professional network so they can better understand concepts and issues surrounding the ...
Mediation is the process where a mediator, usually an experienced family lawyer, barrister or former Judge, assists people in dispute to ...
In the midst of this pandemic and change to life-as-we-knew-it, some of your clients were already going through significant change of their ...
As I write this article we are in the midst of significant changes to the way we as Australians operate day to day. I have helped hundreds ...
Here at Phillips Family law, the health and well-being of our clients, our team and the community is extremely important to us so we are ...
As an accountant, financial planner or lawyer, you are often the first point of contact for someone when they are separating. Being family ...
Separating from your partner, particularly if children and property are involved can be an emotional experience. As a family lawyer, there ...
While there is no typical day in my life as a family lawyer, I do like to bring some structure and routine to my work life where I can. In ...
The Christmas break and school holidays can be emotionally and mentally exhausting for any parent, but when you are considering separating ...
As a real estate agent, you are often faced with selling a family home following the separation of a couple. Each sale is unique because it ...
When people facing separation elect to do their financial settlement without a lawyer, they are commonly motivated to save money and avoid ...
Christmas after divorce can be a challenging and emotional time. It can be an equally challenging and emotional time if you are having ...
When a couple separates and begin the process of identifying and valuing the assets in the pool for division, if there is a family business,...
For people working outside the law, there can be a big divide in opinion about how people perceive that lawyers spend their day versus what ...
You may hear stories from friends and family about what happened during their divorce. Perhaps you’ve seen separation or divorce play out ...
As an accountant or financial planner, you can find yourself as the first person a client speaks to when separating from their spouse. Due ...
In my time as a family lawyer, there are a few misconceptions that come up time and time again concerning separation and divorce. While it ...
From the perspective of dealing with other professionals – lawyers, accountants and financial planners – the most significant learning ...
Contrary to popular belief, the action of ‘keeping the lawyers out of it’ is often the catalyst for a troublesome property settlement. ...
When someone is experiencing separation or divorce, regardless of whether they are the instigator, on the receiving end or both have agreed ...
When a marriage or de facto relationship ends and a property settlement is required, the need to understand what financial disclosure means ...
For accountants and financial advisors whose clients who are business owners and are separated but yet to finalise their property ...
“Am I in a de facto relationship?” People typically ask this question and seek our advice at one of two points – before they start...
We work closely with our clients and their financial advisors when a relationship is coming to an end and there are dependent children ...
At times there is a misconception that lawyers say or do particular things to ‘rack up more fees’. In the practice I work in, I can ...
As accountants or financial planners who are trusted advisors to your clients, there are some ways you can further help your clients and ...
In my work with clients, one of the areas that people can find difficult to get their head around is the concept of being given a range of ...
I recently attended the Family Law Intensive Series in Sydney and one recent case highlighted was Hurst & Hurst. What makes this case ...
When couples who have accumulated assets in countries other than Australia decide to separate, it is important to understand that a Court in...
I recently spoke to a room of accountants at the Legalwise 4th Annual Trusts Essentials Conference in Brisbane about how the Family Court ...
If like me, you came across the Netflix television series Grace & Frankie over the holiday period, chances are you’ll know the point ...
At the start of this year the world’s wealthiest couple announced they are divorcing. Jeff Bezos is the founder and CEO of Amazon and his ...
The holiday season has come and gone, the school year has started. In my experience, this is a time where many people are considering ...
I recently presented at the Law Australasia conference on the topic of Binding Financial Agreements (BFA’s) as an estate planning tool ...
We are incredibly proud to announce that Phillips Family Law has once again been ranked as a first tier Family Law firm by the Doyle’s ...
We’ve all heard horror stories about how difficult or emotionally-charged situations can become during separation or divorce. If you are ...
Earlier this week I was fortunate to present to accountants at a Legalwise seminar on Managing Relationship Breakdown and share what every ...
Our duty as family lawyers is to take the heat out of matters, to hose them down, rather than adding fuel to the fire. If we take up our ...
Regardless of whether it’s you that is looking to relocate with your children or your former partner, you need to be aware of some ...
The case of Harris & Dewell and Anor (2018) is interesting for us as family lawyers and those of you who work in financial services or ...
Patricia and Martin had their retirement unfolding just as they had planned it. They had a unit in the city which was ideal for when they ...
Many people assume that they need to wait 12 months to begin addressing financial settlement following their separation. What you may not ...
An amicable separation is one goal that many separating couples aim to have. While this intention is admirable, remaining amicable is not ...
Often when we meet clients for the first time it becomes apparent there is a general misunderstanding about what the terms “separation” ...
What credit should be given to someone who has brought assets into a short relationship is a question we are often asked by people going ...
We are incredibly proud to announce that Phillips Family Law has again been ranked as a first tier Family Law firm by the Doyle’s Guide to...
As family lawyers, a question we are commonly asked is how an inheritance will be treated in a property settlement. The approach depends on ...
A concern which is often raised with us by people we assist who operate businesses or people with significant wealth, is that their ...
Our Director, Fiona Caulley was invited by the Queensland Law Society to speak to her colleagues at the QLS Symposium held at the Brisbane ...
While Australia has taken a large leap in marriage equality, recently legalising same-sex marriage, marriage being a union entered into for ...
When a parent wants to relocate to a place which is far enough away to impact on the time that the other parent spends with a child ...
As family lawyers we often work with accountants and financial planners to find tax effective options for our client to structure their ...
As family lawyers we understand that the end of a relationship is an emotional and traumatic time for all concerned. Whilst the people we ...
As family lawyers it is not uncommon that we are asked about how disputes about the family pets can be resolved. This is often an emotive ...