High Court Delivers Decision on High Tax Debt
In December 2018, the High Court delivered a particular decision about whether the Family Law Act provides power for a Judge to order that one party could be substituted for the other for an unpaid tax debt. In essence, a […]
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Swift and Amicable Property Settlement? It Can Be Done!
Most of us have had the ever-enjoyable experience of being at a barbeque and listening to our neighbour’s step-father’s monologue about his dealings with his horrific ex-wife during their divorce. Or dodging the coleslaw flying from the teeth of a […]
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The Amazon of ‘Pre-Nups’ and ‘Post-Nups’
Going through a property settlement can sometimes feel like a long, enduring struggle through the Amazon jungle. There are obstacles, moments that will test you, and moments that will encourage you. There is also the moment when it all comes […]
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To Settle or Not to Settle?
Zoe Adams and Hillary McVeigh When we meet with new clients, often their first question is whether they should be bothering to seek family law advice as a result of a common misconception that property settlements are unnecessary or inappropriate […]
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War on Waste: What Happens if the Money We had has Been Wasted Since We Separated?
Almost everyone these days seems to have their particular vice or guilty pleasure. For me, it is my daily triple shot, skinny flat white every morning at about 9 o’clock which helps me power through my day. For others, it […]
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Am I in a De Facto Relationship?
In this day and age it’s often misconceived what being in a de facto relationship actually means. Put simply, in the eyes of the Australian law, a de facto relationship is a relationship between two adult persons that: live together […]
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Interim Financial Arrangements
In a family law property settlement, a lot of time is spent focused on the end game but what happens in the short term can sometimes be more important. When it comes to interim property orders, there are various types […]
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Only Two Things are Certain in Life…
Do Tax and Realisation costs in a property settlement really matter? As the end of the Financial Year and tax time roll around once again it serves as a timely reminder about issues of family law and tax. On its […]
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Family Law Misconceptions
Will she really get half? and other family law misconceptions Amity Anderson It is the nature of the industry that family lawyers work in, that so much of our initial time and advice to clients relates to their re-education about […]
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Who Gets the Farm? Part 5 – Your Optimal Outcome
Who get’s the farm? – Your Optimal Outcome Neal Wood This is the last in a series of articles about family law property settlement where farming and rural businesses are involved. I wrote in the first article that the short […]
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‘Tis the Season to be Settling
Neal Wood This December rounds out my eighth Christmas working in family law and without fail the last few weeks in December always bring a flurry of activity as the end of the year approaches. For the most part during […]
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Karl Stefanovic
From the outside looking in, it often seems the rich and famous lead a lavish lifestyle. Waterfront homes, designer clothes, extravagant holidays and high-end motor vehicles are what we regularly see splashed across magazine covers, accompanied by witty headlines about […]
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The Season of Goodwill
The Christmas and New Year season will soon be upon us again. Most of us will have echoed the comment “Where did the year go?” 2016 has been an eventful year both personally and professionally for me. I have celebrated […]
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Who gets the farm? (Part 4) – What’s it all worth
Neal Wood In previous articles I have talked about the importance of understanding the legal structures that are often at play in the background to a farm or rural businesses. You can read more about those matters here. Who get’s […]
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Don’t Press Send
Don’t press send- Five tips before you see your family lawyer We have regularly written about the importance of getting independent, specialised family law advice about your individual circumstances at an early stage. There is no substitute for it. In […]
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Who gets the farm? (Part 3) – The first steps towards resolution
Neal Wood The essential goal of any family law property settlement is to create legal certainty following the end of a relationship. After completing a property settlement each spouse ultimately obtains control of their own separate assets and liabilities with […]
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Your Checklist – Seeking the assistance of a solicitor
Your Checklist When relationships breakdown our clients are often seeking the assistance of a family law solicitor for the first time (other than a conveyance or perhaps a will). For that reason, I appreciate that it’s hard to know what […]
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Succession Planning
Recently, I participated in a Rural Succession and Continuity Roadshow that toured through Central Queensland. Together with colleagues from Anderssen Lawyers, Resource Consulting Services and The Entello Financial Group, we presented a series of seminars in Emerald, Biloela, and Rockhampton. Succession […]
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Who Gets the Farm? (Part 2) – Property settlements where adult children are involved
Neal Wood In a previous post, I wrote about the general approach that we work through when assisting clients to determine who may retain the family farm when a relationship breaks down. In this post and those to follow I […]
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The Semantics of Separation
The association between `separation’, divorce’ and `property settlement’ is a close one, but often misunderstood. Separation is the act of communicating an intention to suspend or end a relationship. A couple needn’t agree to separate but there is a need […]
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