I have noticed that as the Covid-19 crisis has continued, many parents have sought advice as to whether the lock down and restriction of movement means parenting orders no longer need to be complied with. In some case I have seen parents use Covid 19 as an excuse to breach orders in circumstances that in […]
We are certainly approaching unprecedented and concerning times. While most people would agree that the health of the community and limiting the spread of the virus is paramount, it is also critically important that regular life carries on despite this pandemic. There is no doubt that over the next few months we will need to […]
It is permissible to adopt your partner’s child in Queensland, provided the process prescribed by law is followed. In Queensland the governing legislation is the state Adoption Act 2009 (Qld) (“AA”) and the Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) (“FLA”). The adoption process is conducted in the Family Court of Australia, a Queensland Magistrates Court […]
The Federal Circuit Court has issued Practice Direction No2 of 2020 which sets out more streamlined procedures for dealing with matrimonial property settlement matters. The new procedures apply to cases with a total net value of property less than $500,000 (called PPP500 cases i.e. Priority Property Pool cases) and apply to family law property settlements […]
While Christmas is a time for bringing families together, unfortunately it is also a time when family disputes can occur. As a family lawyer of some 18 years experience I have long noted the seasonal nature of family law work, and in particular that there is an increase in family law enquiries over, or just […]
In the last 12 months Shaun Mill of our office has completed two very significant milestones in his career as a Brisbane family lawyer. First, Shaun graduated from his Masters degree in Applied Family Law in 2018; and second, Shaun has successfully completed Accredited Specialisation – Family Law in November 2019. Most, if not all, […]
Why a family lawyer is necessary? Once the dust settles from the immediate emotional aspects of a separation, for many people thoughts will turn towards how and what is the best course of action to facilitate a swift, clean and lest costly relationship breakup. From a myriad of concerns, things such as financial support and […]
Introduction The Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 heralded substantial changes to the way in which parenting disputes were to be determined in Australia. In the Explanatory Memorandum to the amending Act it was noted the changes hope to: “support and promote shared parenting and encourage people to reach agreement about parenting of […]
Separation and divorce are unfortunate and significant life events that many people go through. For people separating while there is the obvious grief, anger and pain over the loss of a relationship, these feelings are often compounded by fear of an uncertain future, financial concerns and child custody issues.
The Federal government has enacted changes to the Family Law Act 1975 (FLA) that will prohibit the cross examination by self-represented parties in proceedings where there are family violence issues. Family violence in the FLA means violent, threatening or other behaviours that coerces or controls a family member or causes them to be fearful. The […]