What is Child Support and what does it cover? All parents have a responsibility to adequately and properly financially support their child/ren until they attain the age of 18 years. Both the Family Court and government agencies consider such expenses to include housing, food, clothing and costs related to their child/ren’s education. These are the … Continue reading “Child Support Arrangements & Agreements”
What is a parenting plan? A Parenting Plan is a written agreement which covers parenting arrangements for children but is not formally approved by the Court. It is a more informal way of having arrangements in place for your children than Consent Orders, as the parties do not have to make a formal application to … Continue reading “Parenting Plans vs Consent Orders: What’s the difference?”
60-Second Summary: In order to reach an agreement on how to divide property between parties in a financial matter, it may be beneficial to appoint an expert witness who is qualified to determine the value of certain assets in the property pool. It is important to consider when it may be appropriate to appoint an … Continue reading “Expert Witnesses in Financial Proceedings”
Consent Orders – Is my Agreement Final? Family Law is often in the headlines for all the wrong reasons: the cost of legal representation, month upon month of delay, the uncertainty of outcomes, etc. But it isn’t generally highlighted just how often separating couples manage to resolve their property and parenting disputes without recourse to … Continue reading “Consent Orders – Everything You Need To Know”
The Divorce Process in Australia Clients often come to an initial consultation with us stating that they “want a divorce” when what they really mean is that they want to resolve a property settlement dispute with the other party or to sort out their parenting arrangements following separation. Whilst many clients genuinely believe the term “divorce” … Continue reading “17 Things You Need To Know About The Divorce Process”
I’m talking about Microsoft Excel, and I’m going to convince you that spreadsheets are your best friend in any property settlement case. Here’s why: Disclosure Why not use an Excel spreadsheet to list your disclosure documents (and the other party’s!), rather than doing it in Word? The benefit of preparing the List in Excel is … Continue reading “Want to Excel in your Family Law Case?”
The Team as DS Family Law wish you a joyous Christmas and a wonderful, safe and prosperous New Year. For your convenience, please note that our office will be closed from 12pm on Friday, 22 December 2017, and will reopen at 8.30am on Tuesday, 2 January 2018. If you wish to make an enquiry over … Continue reading “Merry Christmas! And Office Closure Hours”
We are pleased to announce that Shivon Smilovitis has joined the firm, as Managing Solicitor of the Mandurah Office. Shivon started working in family law in Mandurah in 2001, and having lived in the area since 1998 she has developed a strong understanding of the local community and its needs. Shivon spent many years operating her law … Continue reading “Shivon Smilovitis joins DS Family Law”
So you have just been served with an Application for Parenting Orders by the children’s father. Since separation over three years ago, the children have lived exclusively with you, and Dad has been largely absent from their lives. For the past three years, Dad has lived in Sydney, and apart from his child support and … Continue reading “School holidays in Bali… But do you have consent?”
As a family lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in trying to resolve some of the most bitter, intractable disputes between separating spouses, there are occasions when you think you’ve seen it all. Then, something happens that restores your belief that there are no lengths to which someone will go to “get one over” on … Continue reading ““She’s not getting the house”….so this happens!”
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