The Secret to Getting The Best Outcome in Your Family Law Matter

A client once said to me “I got the best outcome in my family law settlement because I got the right people around me”.  How did he do this?

A good outcome starts with exceptional and specialist legal advice.  Good legal advice will assist you to address 6 key issues.

1. Like other areas of life, early attention to a problem can prevent a problem from escalating. Early attention can often nip issues in the bud before they blow up.  Find out early what you can or should not be doing so that you can make better decisions in the family law process.

2. Think about how easily you can talk to your lawyer and speak with them about your concerns. Do they explain things clearly for you and help you progress your settlement? Do they offer not just guidance in moving forward but options for you to consider?

3. Understand how the law will apply to you and in your own circumstances. Family law (and child rearing) appear to be the areas in life where everyone is an expert! Be guided by your family law lawyer as to realistic outcomes as opposed to your neighbour’s former mother in law’s family law experience and outcome.

This advice helps you adopt a commercial perspective and consider if you should incur more legal fees if your prospects of succeeding on a particular issue are poor – put your money towards issues which offer least risk or give you a better return for your money.

4. Good family law advice identifies for you what areas need further investigation including expert advice in other areas. Examples include understanding the financial position of your former partner and the assets and liabilities that may be available for division as part of your property settlement.  You can’t make sensible decisions without understanding the financial position.  Financial disclosure is required under the family law rules.

5. Good family lawyers will know when to, and will connect you with the right specialists to help with the non-legal aspects of your family law matter.

a. We will identify when you need to seek out non-legal specialist advice and we check out who we refer our clients to so that they are in safe hands. We also work with other experts to structure the best outcome for our clients. Examples include financial planners and accountants who can advise on tax implications of various possible outcomes and help you financially plan to put yourself in the best financial position post separation.

b. You may need to learn new skills? If your communication during the relationship was poor, is it likely to improve after separation? For most people, the answer is highly unlikely. A good family lawyer will identify when learning a new skill can help and can connect you with professionals for you to explore new ways of effective communication –attending communication after separation programs or parenting after separation helps many individuals move forward in a less conflicted way.  You and your children will benefit from it when mum and dad can communicate with each other in a positive way.

c. Sometimes you need someone to ‘unload on’ as opposed to friends, family or colleagues. Sometimes you need help to stop you from inappropriately unloading on your children.   Many individuals find counselling helpful to assist them through the emotional minefield of separation. Separation is a time of loss – often having support to talk to is helpful and good family lawyers know the best counsellors/psychologists that can assist you with your/your family’s specific concerns or issues.

6. Good legal advice helps you work out what settlement options would be best for you and your family including alternate dispute resolution. Good Family Lawyers offer you a range of alternatives to court – unless the Court is, of course, the appropriate forum and urgent orders are required.

Getting the right people around you helps you make the right decision for you and moving forward in your life.  Contact us if you want to discuss your family law matter and how we can help you. Our lawyers are accredited specialists in family law with many years of experience, well connected, compassionate and easy to talk to, progressive and adapting to the changing family law environment, trained as collaborative lawyers and most importantly passionate about helping clients resolve their family law matter with the best outcome for them and their families.