Child Custody
Lawyers Sydney
Experienced
Custody Lawyers in Sydney
Michael Conley Lawyers are experienced child custody lawyers, Sydney, supporting our clients seeking custody of a child or another parental agreement with a range of family law services. Our team has extensive expertise in family law matters related to child custody, with decades of experience to assist you and your family to the most beneficial resolution. Using our knowledge of child rights and parental responsibility, as well as our experience in mediation and negotiation, our family law team will guide you throughout the process. Together we’ll navigate this incredibly difficult time towards a satisfactory resolution to secure the future of your family.
The Benefits of
Working with Custody Lawyers
Whether you are applying for full custody of a child or seeking a parental agreement, you will need both expert knowledge and extensive experience in family law and dispute resolution.
There are numerous benefits to working with experienced custody lawyers, but the primary benefit is the possibility of resolving custody disputes through mediation to achieve the best outcome is much higher. It can also prevent or reduce the financial costs of resolving disputes.
As family law specialists, the child custody lawyer you work with will be experienced in managing the dispute process and helping your family navigate this extremely difficult time. We take a collaborative approach, working with our clients to understand their needs within the often complex custody disputes. Our objective is focused on the big picture: to secure the best possible outcome for your family, especially for your children, by providing quality family law services.
Our Approach
as Child Custody Lawyers
Michael Conley Lawyers support our clients with a diverse team of legal experts, who prioritise the needs of your family for the best possible parental agreement, including barristers, partners, senior associates, paralegals, administrative staff, forensic accountants, counsellors, trained mediators and arbitrators.
Our diverse team of child custody lawyers work together in a holistic approach to every case. We strive to achieve a sensible and cost-efficient custody resolution that meets the needs of your family through mediation and negotiation. Our goal is to attempt to resolve issues before heading to court, minimising the financial and emotional cost of these often difficult situations.
We understand how important communication and a prompt response is during stressful times, which is why our team prioritises communication to ensure you know what is involved at each stage of the process. You are able to start court proceedings with confidence and always know what’s happening with your case. We always reply to your calls and emails, and we’ll never ask you to call back later.
- Divorce Lawyers
- Legal Separation
- Spousal Maintenance
- Child Maintenance
- Property Settlement
- Parental Child Abduction
- Family Law Mediator
- De Facto Couples
- Same Sex Couple Separation
- Family Court Litigation
- Splitting Assets
Want to know more about engaging a child custody lawyer?
Child Custody FAQs
What are the different types of custody?
The most common types of child custody are sole custody, joint custody, and primary physical custody (which caregiver the child primarily resides with):
- Sole custody is when one parent or caregiver has time with and responsibility of the child/children.
- Joint custody is when both parents or caregivers have time with and/or responsibility of the child/children. This may be equal shared parental responsibility and/or time, or it may be significant and substantial time.
- Primary physical custody refers to which parent or caregiver the child/children primarily reside with.
- Legal custody is another type of enforceable child custody agreement, as are Grandparent and Visitation custody.
Your family lawyer can explain the various types of custody that relate to your individual circumstances, the legal process involved, and the parenting arrangements that will meet the needs of your family.
What is the average cost of a child custody case?
Most family lawyers have an hourly rate, depending on their experience rates can range between $100 to $450 per hour. The end cost of resolving child custody disputes can vary significantly from case-to-case and is difficult to estimate, as it depends on the amiability of the parties involved and the complexities of your family dynamics.
More complex child custody cases can take longer – resulting in higher costs – however, the average cost of child custody disputes in NSW can range from $5,000 to $10,000.
For professional advice from leading family lawyers in Sydney, book a FREE 15 minute consultation.
What is the most common child custody arrangement?
In the Family Law Court of Australia, the preference is to award joint custody, both physical and legal, whenever possible. The purpose and hope of joint custody is for the child to develop meaningful relationships with both parents or caregivers.
Australia’s Family Law Act emphasizes children having equal or substantial and significant time with both parents or caregivers, and it is the belief of the court that joint custody encourages parents to share responsibility for the child/children.
What do judges look for in child custody cases Australia?
The primary considerations in child custody cases are outlined in the Family Law Act and include ensuring the child is enabled to develop a meaningful relationship with each of their caregivers and the overall benefit to the child of any arrangement.
The court will also consider the need to protect the child from potential harm, such as physical or psychological harm caused by experiencing or witnessing abuse, neglect or family violence.