Your Guide in Understanding Legal Matters in all Areas of Family Law

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Table of Contents

Getting Married? Get Help on Family Law, Melbourne Couples Advised

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How to Choose Your Divorce Lawyer: Melbourne Experts Advice Divorce Advice for Women from Family Lawyers, Melbourne Attorneys and Legal Experts Divorce Lawyers Melbourne: When Love Unravels

How to Arrange for Sufficient Child Support

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Getting Married? Get Help on Family Law, Melbourne Couples Advised

Whoever said that the greatest prenuptial agreement in the world is love probably hasnt heard about devastating Hollywood divorces. Of course, nobody wants to prepare for marriage by getting ready for a doomed end. But most people will agree that being well-informed (legally, at least) is a good way to start a lifelong commitment. In Australia, there are significant changes to the Family Law Melbourne couples should be aware of. If you have just decided to tie the knot, learning more about the updates on pre-nuptial agreements should be a good way to start. During this process, getting the services of a lawyer specializing in family law can help guide you navigate the finer legal points of married life. Under the updated Family Law Act, a pre-nuptial agreement will now be binding not only to married couples, but also to same-sex couples and defacto partners. The Federal Government says that this will address the wider majority of people wanting to seek protection from the law in case of unfortunate outcomes, such as a separation or divorce. The changes also aim to make pre-nuptial agreements stronger and more binding, to help couples manage financial and property issues such as how to divide assets of the conjugal partnership.
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In the light of such developments, legal experts say that now, more than ever, it is wise for couples to seek assistance from a Family Law specialist when they are preparing legal documents aimed to protect their individual and familys interests. Australian laws on pre-nups are relatively young just more or less a decade old and since it is still evolving, legal advisers are expecting more changes and updates will still be implemented in the near future. With the help of an expert on Family Law, Melbourne couples can be sure that the documents they design will still be considered legally valid in case a time comes that they would need to refer to it. The help of a family law expert can also help a couple plan, manage and organize their overall estate. Legal advice on legislative processes and technical issues can help you save time, effort and resources in case youll ever need to go to court. A family law practitioner can keep your documents up-to-date and make sure agreements adhere to legislative requirements whenever a governing law is updated. You may not always be able to control lifes developments, but with honest, wise advice, at least youll be sure that the law is on your side.

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How to Choose Your Divorce Lawyer: Melbourne Experts Advice

The process of divorce is considered one of the most draining periods in some peoples lives emotionally, physically, and if youre not well-advised, financially as well. As with most significant life changes, having a strong support system to back you up is a crucial factor for you to be able to handle the stress of this challenging time. Spend time with your family. Seek strength and humour with your best friends. And get a smart, highlycompetent lawyer quick. In Australia, divorce is governed by the Family Law Act, which just recently underwent a major overhaul including changing the grounds and system for divorce. In the light of these developments, it is critical to hire a divorce lawyer with a solid background and good track record, as well as up-to-date with current legislative changs. Finding a good lawyer is not just about typing divorce lawyer Melbourne on online search engines. Youll need to carefully weigh your options with research, face-to-face meetings, reference checks, and more. Do your homework. Your divorce attorney will represent your interests, give you counsel, and guide you in every decision that may have legal implications. Take thorough care when choosing your divorce lawyer ask

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your connections, seek recommendations, cyber-stalk potential names. Have a lineup of candidates and meet them in person for an interview. Its not a contest. During an emotionally-charged time, it may be tempting to choose a lawyer who will promise to be a zealous champion to win you everything you want. However, the most effective lawyers can be someone who will give you a clear, unbiased scenario of what divorce proceedings are, and who listen to your objectives to help you come up with an action plan. The court as a last resort. Looking for a good lawyer? Chances are, you wont find them in court. Divorce lawyer Melbourne experts say the best lawyers are often great negotiators. Choose a divorce attorney who can execute the best strategies and settlement proposals to keep you from going to court, thus saving you the added effort, emotional baggage, and financial stress of a protracted litigation process. Trust your instincts. Aside from considering the pros and cons objectively, its also a good idea to tune in to what your instincts tell you. Being comfortable with your lawyer means you will be able to give him or her important, often intimate details that may help you present your case more effectively.

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Divorce Advice for Women from Family Lawyers, Melbourne Attorneys and Legal Experts
Anxiety. Stress. Frustration. Loneliness. Hopelessness. But also, relief and freedom. It is no secret that divorce can be one, if not the, most emotionally taxing challenges you could ever face in life. And if youre a woman, most experts believe the negative impact is multiplied when it comes to your health, self-esteem and finances. A Marie Claire magazine report says that most of the time, women are hit harder than men, with a 45% substantial drop in their quality of life post-divorce. In Australia, where statistics say that one out of three marriages end up in divorce, there are more women initiating the divorce than men. This, despite a study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies saying women are left with significantly worse financial status than men after a divorce, as they experience far more hardships than their ex-spouses. Given this scenario, its no wonder why there are more women who are looking for legal counsel should seek family lawyers, Melbourne legal experts and divorce attorneys who champion a pro-woman perspective. While you may not be able to avoid the negative effects of divorce, there are ways to cushion the blow and help you recover your life more surely.

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Get funding. Divorce is not only emotionally stressful but also financially draining. You will need money to support yourself and your children, whether or not your partner cuts off his financial contribution. Youll be paying for your lawyer and other legal requirements. A lot of women undergoing divorce have been economically dependent on their spouse, and if you also have this predicament, think of ways to establish your funding. For instance, you can borrow money or sell your car but make sure you are seek advice first regarding proper documentation and other legal considerations. Organize. Keep track of every development. Maintain a calendar to write down events, deadlines, and schedules of meetings. File your paperwork with proper labels for easy reference. The period will also make a huge change on your family schedule. Make sure to correspond with your childrens teachers parties. Talk to your lawyer. Considering family lawyers, Melbourne legal experts and divorce attorneys with a track record of understanding womens issues may be able to help you represent your case better. A lawyer with an advocacy for womens rights may be able to address the specific issues and areas of concern unique to women. However, your search shouldnt be limited to just the pro-women standard. It should also be matched with competency, legislative know-how, negotiating skills and empathy qualities of equal importance when youre looking for a lawyer.
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schools, and other

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Divorce Lawyers Melbourne: When Love Unravels

Life doesnt always work out the way you want it. That partnership you were aiming for at your firm didnt pan out. That investment opportunity failed to come through. That vow you made til death do we partturned into til one of us grows weary of the other. The longevity of marriage, try as couples might, rarely reaches the ideal period it was meant for, which is that its supposed to be forever. When your blessed, legally mandated union is most assuredly headed for a heart breaking division, divorce lawyers Melbourne firms provide can help you put the pieces back together. Emotions will run high when you and your spouse have finally decided that there is no other recourse but to dissolve your marriage. Legally, as a married couple in Australia, youll only be granted a divorce if youve satisfied the required 12-month separation period. Applying the principle of the no-fault divorce, Australia has made it possible for many couples to avoid embittered divorce proceedings by giving them the yearlong separation to make a complete determination that no other avenuesfrom reconciliation to therapyexist to save the marriage and that the union is truly irreparable.

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You and your spouse may use this time to try and settle matters concerning your parental responsibilities. If your marriage has been blessed with a lovely brood all under the age of 18, divorce lawyers would advise you to resolve any arrangements the children will require before submitting your divorce papers to the courts. This should avoid any delays when your lawyer begins drafting the legal document that would detail any agreements you and your spouse have made regarding your children. During your marriage, its normal to have acquired a few properties like a home, a car (or couple of cars), bank accounts, and other financial assets. Inevitably, all these will have to be divided between you and your spouse. Settling financial affairs has proven to be a fiery phase in any divorce proceeding, and your own divorce might not be safe from it. A divorce lawyers expertise will not only help to settle division of properties as fairly as possible, but hopefully with fewer heated discussions over who gets what. Divorce lawyers Melbourne firms have on board can facilitate the legal dissolution of a marriage quickly and inexpensively. To avoid a bitter, drawn-out process that can cost you more than losing a significant amount of money, take the 12-month separation to reach out to your spouse and try to resolve a few matters privately. Your marriage might not have worked out the way you envisioned it when you and your spouse walked down the aisle. But you can certainly exercise control over how your divorce proceedings turn out. Use whatever bond
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you have left with your significant other and try to reach an agreement privately. And youll be surprised at how that one final gesture can make the termination of your union so much easier to accept.

How to Arrange for Sufficient Child Support

As much as youd like to avoid the issue, the possibility of your family suddenly breaking up might happen. Its not an ideal situation obviously, but it can be made manageable and acceptable at some point in your life. When you and your spouse have exhausted all possible opportunities for reconciliation and the viability of a divorce is looking like a done deal, then you have to set your emotions aside for the sake of the children. Because even before your divorce proceedings can commence, youll need to settle parental responsibilities privately to avoid time-consuming court schedules or costly settlement conferences. One of those responsibilities will include child support. The Australian government has made this usually difficult post-divorce matter easier to arrange. When you and your soon-to-be former spouse are in agreement over the amount to be paid and the schedule of the support, the private collect option allows you to transfer payments between yourselves. This is done without the supervision of the courts or the Child Support Agency (CSA). Though you will basically be making the arrangements on your own, it would be advisable to put your agreement in writing just as a future reference to keep track of payments.
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When there is a contention about the amount and frequency of payment you need to make but youd really rather not have the courts step in, the CSA provides a child support formula that will help you and your ex-spouse settle on a reasonable amount. The CSA also provides information on paying support when one parent lives overseas, when your financial circumstances change, calculating the cost of raising your children, and a range of other useful data, which you can apply to your particular situation. If your divorce has truly left you and your ex-spouse absolutely truculent, then the court can decide and order the amount and frequency of your childrens support and the CSA can collect the payments for you or your former spouse. A child maintenance order isnt only applicable to the children of legally married couples. Under the new law, de facto couples (couples heterosexual and same-sexwho have lived together for more than two years without being legally married) who have a child through conception or adoption are legally bound to pay child support. Whether you and your former spouse are in complete agreement or disagreement over the amount and frequency of support for the children, arranging the whole affair will be made entirely easier with the assistance of family lawyers. With a legal agreement drawn up, future contentions that will make it seem like youre still living under a single roof with your former
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spouse, should be prevented. In doing so, youll be able to devote all your energy towards raising your children in a stablethough separate environment.

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