05
Apr

Resolving Your Matrimonial Property Settlement – It can be easier than you think!

Susan and Graham have been married for 11 years and have two children who are 7 and 5 years of age. Sadly, their marriage comes apart and they separate. Susan has the primary care of the children after they separate and works part-time, therefore earning a smaller income than Graham. Susan and Graham own a home with a mortgage. They also both have some superannuation, minimal savings and a car each. They both had some assets at the commencement of their relationship and they both accept that during the relationship […]

31
Mar

Who let the dogs out … or alternatively, who gets the dog?

So who let the dogs out? Don’t let your fur child be collateral damage when your relationship breaks down. When we think about a relationship breakdown we know that the welfare of children is vitally important but then there are other important souls to consider as well. Our loyal and devoted furry friends need to be considered too. Who will take your pets and who will care for them? Loyalty and devotion are to be rewarded and not forgotten in the turmoil of a relationship breakdown. The Family Law Act […]

22
Mar

What is best for the children?

When it comes to separation, whatever the circumstances, the one thing to keep in mind, is ‘ ‘what is best for the children?‘. Matters for consideration will generally relate to aspect in the context the risk of potential emotional trauma, continuation of stability in their home life and how to parent the right way. Emotional trauma can impact on your children even if you and your partner are very aware of the risks to your children of conflict and you both do your very best to avoid conflict. Circumstances which […]

02
Feb

Will you still love me when we are older?

When you or your partner don’t want the relationship to be over, how do you both cope? As I always tell my clients, the relationship is over when your partner says it is and there is nothing you can do about it unless your partner is willing to join you in a concerted effort to restore it or find out what is going wrong. I find myself saying this to my clients far more than I am comfortable with, but it’s so true. If your partner is not a willing […]

25
Jan

Who should be teaching our children?

Having reached the ripe old age of 52 (soon to be 53) not much surprises me anymore about the human condition, but I believe it’s just reached an all-time low. As I have matured I am very careful what I allow myself to watch on television or social media because once you see something it is not easy to ‘unsee’ and there are just somethings you don’t want to have to try and ‘unsee’. Over the weekend I was watching President Donald J Trump and his beautiful first lady dance […]

23
Jan

Dave’s Story – Part 2 – a Happy Ending

Readers of Dave’s Story – Part 1 will recall how one misdirected letter set about a chain of events which did not work in favour of Dave’s former wife. Dave had had enough, all he wanted was peace and quiet and plain old happiness – but in the end, not at any price. In the end the property matters between Dave and his former wife settled on a sensible basis, but not before Dave and his former wife had spent money on legal matters. Legal costs which were most likely […]

12
Nov

Dave’s Story – Part 1

I first met Dave when we played cricket together in Brisbane. Dave had come down from the country. He was a talented and skilled player. With his batting, he could turn a match on its head. He could take the impossible catch – he was a natural. Dave was waiting to join the armed forces. He was too young to join when I first met him so filling in his time meant a job and sport on the week-ends. All things sport drove him. He bemoaned leaving school – he […]

01
Nov

Divorce – the D-word

Divorce (the ‘D’ word) is a frequently discussed topic and is often the cause of many bad jokes. For those of us who have experienced the breakdown of a marriage or a relationship, the event is far from being a joke. It’s a gut wrenching, devastating and wholly unpleasant experience. The sad and sorry truth of the matter is that if a partnership or marriage breaks down, there are no winners, just battered, distressed and hurt participants. Close to half of all marriages in Australia end up in divorce. The […]

Parents Communicating for Children's Well-Being

29
Oct

Sue’s Story – Focusing on Your Children’s Well-Being

My husband David and I separated a little over 2 years ago. I found it especially traumatic, particularly as I didn’t see it coming and David left our family to go and live with another. Yeah sure we had some problems including some regular arguments which sometimes included yelling and screaming but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think we would end up going through a marriage separation, let alone conducting trench warfare in the family law system over our meagre possessions. Aside from trying to deal with […]

26
Oct

Tarzan and Jane – The Split

So you and your partner have finally decided that there is no future in your relationship. Sad as that might be – you both have had to face the facts and they are that the love you once had for each other no longer exists. It might be that you have just drifted apart or that you each now seek different goals or perhaps it might be that the differences which you could in the past paper over are now just too much to deal with. So, irrespective of who […]

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