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Divorce

Lawyers Sydney

Experienced

Divorce Lawyers Sydney

Michael Conley Lawyers are experienced divorce lawyers in the Sydney area, supporting our clients through divorce and separation with a range of family-focused legal services. Our team has extensive expertise in family law matters related to divorce and separation, with decades of experience to assist you and your family to the most beneficial resolution. Whether you are dealing with a straight-forward separation or need support with more complex disputes. Our experienced family law team will guide you from filing the correct forms to begin the divorce proceedings to resolving division of assets, including those located both in Australia and overseas. Together we’ll navigate this incredibly difficult time towards a satisfactory resolution to secure the future of your family.

The Benefits of

Working with a Divorce Lawyer

There are numerous benefits to working with an experienced divorce lawyer, but the the primary benefit is a divorce lawyer will focus on mediation and negotiation to resolve any disputes that arise during the process. 

As one of the leading family law firms in Sydney, we are experienced in managing the extremely difficult process of divorce. The end of a marriage is not a decision anyone makes lightly and needs to be handled with clarity, sensitivity and with a focus on the needs of your family moving forward.

We take a collaborative approach, working with our clients to understand their needs within the often complex disputes that arise with divorce. Our objective is focused on the big picture: to secure the best possible outcome for your family, especially for your children, by providing quality legal services. We have extensive experience with:

  • Marriage and de facto relationship breakdowns, including divorce and separation
  • Binding financial agreements, such as spouse maintenance and child support
  • Children and parenting arrangements, such as child custody, parenting orders and parenting plans
  • Property settlement, including property identification and valuation, both within Australia and overseas

Our Approach

As Divorce Lawyers

Michael Conley Lawyers support our clients with a diverse team of family law experts, who prioritise the needs of your family first for the best outcome. 

Our team includes barristers, partners, senior associates, paralegals, administrative staff, forensic accountants, counsellors, trained mediators and arbitrators. Together, our team takes a holistic approach to every case and strives to achieve a sensible and cost-efficient resolution that suits your needs with a focus on mediation, arbitration and negotiation.

Our goal is to understand the needs of your family in the long-term and attempt to resolve issues before heading to court to minimise 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 step. You are able to start 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.

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Divorce Law FAQs

As with most things, working with a professional usually makes the task at hand quicker and easier to deal with. There are people who do not use a lawyer when getting a divorce, especially if the divorce is straightforward and amicable. However, it is worth noting that a divorce order only ends your marriage and does not include arrangements for your children or your finances moving forward post-divorce.
How long a divorce takes depends on the complexity of the divorce and how amicable the separation is. The minimum amount of time you should expect is approximately 4 months and can take as long as 18 months to resolve. However, every case is different and how long your divorce will take will depend on your unique needs, which is why it’s best to work with an experienced divorce lawyer.
The introduction of “no fault divorce” under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) allowed an individual to divorce their spouse without a provable reason. This means that either one of the spouses must simply satisfy a Registrar of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia of the requirements for divorce for it to be granted. To do this you must “satisfy the Court that you and your spouse have lived separately and apart for at least 12 months, and there is no reasonable likelihood of resuming married life. It is possible to live together in the same home and still be separated. This is known as being separated but living under one roof.” (FCFCOA)
Superannuation is included as part of your property and assets when it comes to divorce. Married couples can claim some superannuation after a divorce, however there is a time limit from the date of separation up until one year after the divorce order is finalised. For de facto couples, this limit is up until two years after the breakdown of the relationship.
The average cost of a divorce in Australia can vary – again, it depends on the complexity of your needs and the amiability of the parties. A formal divorce requires a form to be filed with the Court and incurs a filing fee. An Application for Divorce filing fee is $930 (correct as of July 2020). However, if you need to go through the Court, the cost can become quite expensive, costing thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. This is why it’s best to work with a specialist divorce lawyer, like Michael Conley Lawyers, who are experienced in mediation and negotiation.
If one or both spouses has a sufficient connection with Australia and it’s national jurisdiction (i.e. one or both spouses was a resident for one year prior to the date of issue, domicile or nationality), then a foreign divorce will be recognised as being valid in Australia. This can be a complicated matter, so it’s best to work with a family law firm that specialises in divorce proceedings that can be complicated by international factors.
Divorce proceedings and property settlements are two different legal processes. A property settlement is the formal division of property following a separation that involves discussion about the division of assets. You can formalise your property settlement without applying for a divorce.
The short answer is yes, you can file for divorce while living in the same house as your spouse. If you and your spouse choose to remain separated under one roof, you should clearly define what the terms of your relationship are for the divorce proceedings. In order to file for divorce, you and your spouse, regardless of your living arrangements, will need to have been separated for at least 12 months.
Most divorce attorneys have an hourly rate, depending on their experience rates can range between $100 to $450 per hour. The end cost of reaching a dispute resolution can differ significantly from case-to-case, as it depends on the amiability of the parties involved, the complexities of your family dynamics and various assets, which can be further complicated by international laws if any assets are located internationally. The overall cost of a family lawyer is dependent on the individual case and the needs of the family you’re working with. To discuss your legal needs with leading family law specialists, book a FREE 15 minute consultation.
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Michael Conley Lawyers
Level 14, 14 Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000

Tel: (02) 9223 5299

Email:
lawyers@michaelconley.com.au

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