Family lawyers are often asked about the share of property a party will be entitled to at the end of a short relationship, especially where one party has substantial assets at the start and makes overwhelming financial contributions.
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Instructing a Divorce Lawyer Doesn’t Mean Going to War
We often have clients who attend their first appointment concerned about what it means to have instructed a divorce lawyer. It is a common misconception amongst people that when you instruct a divorce lawyer you have reached a point of no return and it is now “game on”.
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Lotto Wins
The recent large prize pools offered in Australian Saturday Lotto ($30 million), OZ Lotto ($40 million) and Powerball ($35 million) bring into question how the Family Court deals with Lotto wins in property proceedings.
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Binding Financial Agreements – Dead or Alive??
Earlier this week, the High Court handed down its decision in the matter of Thorne & Kennedy [2017] HCA 49. This case was an appeal from a decision of the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia regarding the enforce-ability of pre-nuptial and post nuptial agreements in certain circumstances.
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Reducing the financial pain
news.com.au recently reported in the financial section of their website an article on 'How to reduce the financial pain of a relationship breakdown'. Quoting from The Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s MoneySmart financial guidance service, they state the first steps in a separation should include closing joint bank accounts, keeping record of key dates, assets and debts, updating other financial commitments such as rental agreements and utility bills, and seeking legal advice.
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‘For Richer, Divorce For Poorer’ – The financial cost of Divorce
AMP released an income and wealth report in December 2016 titled “For Richer, Divorce For Poorer” outlining the financial impact of divorce on home ownership and a separated individual’s financial position after separation.
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2015 Divorces – Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics have just released the divorce statistics for Australia in 2015. Last year 48,517 divorces were granted in Australia, which was an increase of 4.3% (2019) from 2014 (when 46,498 divorces granted).
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Can Divorce proceedings be made public?
In the wake of the separation of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie you may be wondering how such specific details of their separation became worldwide news in such a short period of time. You may also be concerned that details of your own divorce proceedings are at risk of such exposure.
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Divorce and Separation – are they Seasonal Events?
Family Law circles in Australia often say that there are busier periods of the year which may typically include the periods following Easter, school holidays and the Christmas/New Year holidays. But is there any truth to this theory?
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Divorce and Separation in Australia
The Australian Bureau of Statistic released the 2014 data for divorce rates this week. Last year in Australia there were 46,498 divorces granted, a decrease of 2.4% (1,140) from the 47,638 divorces granted in 2013.
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