Family
Lawyers Sydney
Specialist
Family Lawyers Sydney
Michael Conley Lawyers are the best family lawyers in the Sydney area, supporting our clients with a range of family-focused legal services. Our experienced family law team will guide you and your family towards the most beneficial resolution. We have expertise in a range of family law matters including divorce, separation, financial support, parenting orders, and more. From straight-forward matters of separation and support, to more complex disputes involving substantial and varied assets located both in Australia and overseas, we’re here to guide you towards a satisfactory resolution and help secure the future of your family.
FAMILY LAW
As one of the leading family law firms in Sydney, we focus on taking a collaborative approach to assist clients in resolving complex family law disputes. Whether you’re seeking guidance from a family divorce lawyer or need assistance from an experienced family dispute lawyer, our objective is to secure the best possible outcome for your family, especially for your children, by providing quality legal services. Focused on the big picture, we work with you to facilitate the most beneficial family law settlements. 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
- Child abduction matters
- Property settlement, including property identification and valuation, both within Australia and overseas
Our Approach
to Family Law Matters
Michael Conley Lawyers support our clients with a diverse team of family solicitors and lawyers, who prioritise the needs of your family first for the best outcome.
Our team includes barristers, family law solicitors, 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.
Want to know how our family law services can help you? Book a FREE 15-minute call to discuss your needs and to arrange a meeting with one of our professional family lawyers.
FAMILY LAW SERVICES:
- Divorce Lawyers
- Legal Separation
- Child Custody
- 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 how our family law services can help you?
Family Law FAQs
What is the Family Law Act in Australia?
The Family Law Act 1975 is an integral piece of legislation that focuses on the rights of children, as well as parental responsibilities in regards to children. The objective of the Family Law Act (FLA) is to ensure that children can enjoy a meaningful relationship with their parents and/or caregivers, and are protected from harm. The focus is very much on children and their rights within the family dynamic, and less about parental rights.
Is family law federal or state in Australia?
Certain areas of family law fall under federal jurisdiction, while others fall under state jurisdiction. For example, federal parliament has jurisdiction over marriage, divorce law, parenting and family property on separation. However, when is comes to other areas, such as child welfare (including adoption, etc.), states and territories retain jurisdiction. It can seem confusing working between federal and state jurisdictions, which is why the advice and support of an experienced family lawyer is important.
What is the main aim of the Family Court?
The main aim of the family court is to manage and adjudicate family law disputes between parents and others who have parental responsibility for children and young people. This could include resolving issues around custody, living arrangements, parenting orders and financial agreements or maintenance. The primary focus of these family law proceedings is to provide the best outcome for children and young people to ensure their security and well-being.
What power does Family Court have?
The Family Court of Australia has power or jurisdiction, granted under the Family Law Act 1975, over all marriage-related cases in all states and territories of Australia, with the exception of Western Australia. The court has power over any family law issue related to marriages, divorces, maintenance or child support, property settlement and other issues related to residence and contact. An experienced family court lawyer can help you navigate the family court and guide you through understanding the full extent of these powers and how they may affect your family.
What is included in family law?
Family law is a type of legal practice that focuses on legal issues involving familial relationships, such as marriage, divorce, custody, adoption, property settlements and more. The focus of family law as a practice is family dispute resolution: we provide expert advice to find a quick and beneficial outcome for families and ideally avoid court.
What does a family lawyer do?
Family lawyers can handle a range of family-related disputes, though the most common cases for any family law firm is divorce cases and issues related to divorce, including financial support, custody or parenting arrangements, dividing assets or property, etc.
Family lawyers often work across a range of matters, including:
- Divorce: divorce application and settlement, and family arrangements related to divorce.
- Parenting orders and custody: parental responsibility, child welfare, custody rights, child living arrangements, allocation of time for each parent and/or legal caregiver.
- Financial matters: pre-nuptial agreements, division of assets (i.e. properties, superannuation, complex trust structures, companies/businesses, bankruptcy, etc.), spousal maintenance, and child support.
- Injunctions and personal protection orders.
How does family law work in Australia?
It covers what happens when there is a dispute about the care of children or dividing property after the end of a relationship. The Family Law Act applies to all children. The Family Law Act covers married couples who want to divorce and make arrangements for children and property.
How much does a family lawyer cost?
Most lawyers have an hourly rate, depending on their experience. The end cost of reaching a dispute resolution can differ significantly from case-to-case, as it depends on the amicability 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.
Can costs be awarded in Family Court?
The court does have the power to award costs in certain circumstances. The criteria for awarding costs in the family law cases are outlined in Section 117(2A) of the FLA and details what should be considered when deciding whether an order should be made.
Can you represent yourself in Family Court Australia?
Yes, you can represent yourself in court – known as a ‘self-represented litigant’ – however, the legal system can be confusing or overwhelming for those who are inexperienced in law proceedings, and we would recommend seeking legal advice at the very least. You can also make family law court enquiries through this service: Family Law National Enquiry Centre 1300 352 000. Alternatively, you can contact us, an experienced Sydney family law firm, for a 15 minute FREE consultation on the family law issues you’re facing.