What does a divorce lawyer / family lawyer do?

Family lawyers, commonly referred to as divorce lawyers, assist people in the process of family separation and/or divorce, financial, spouse maintenance, child support and parenting disputes both at Court and out of Court; but being an excellent family lawyer involves so much more.

The best family lawyers do the following:

1. Listen to the needs of their client and understand their issues;
2. Focus on the outcomes important to the client;
3. Help to create a plan;
4. Generate options to achieve those outcomes; and
5. Achieve an efficient and cost-effective settlement where possible.

An excellent family lawyer seeks to minimise the emotional impact of family separation on their clients; and the whole family unit, especially where children are involved. They should never make things worse.

An aggressive approach by the family lawyer is not always in the best interest of the client, their family, or their wallets. Persuasive and respectful communication with the other party or their lawyer is usually more effective in achieving the client’s desired outcome than costly and hostile legal communications.

Family law is a specialised area of federal law and requires specialist legal skills and experience. There are many options to be explored such as collaborative law, mediation, arbitration and sometimes litigation.

Developing a relationship of trust and rapport with our clients is a great honour for us and we do not take it lightly. If you would like to do separation well and divorce differently, our specialist Family Law team would love to speak with you. Call us on 02 8197 0105.