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Family Law Matters

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Family Law Matters

Collaborative Family Law Specialists; helping families soar during difficult times At Family Law Matters, we want to help good people heal the conflict.

If you are thinking about separating from your partner, you may be worried about contacting a lawyer – everyone’s heard the stories of the “bad divorce” that turned into a nasty court battle. We want to keep your family out of court. We believe you should experience a more positive way to end a relationship. If you would like to explore your options and know more about how to separate in a private and peaceful way, email or call for a confidential, no-obligation discussion.

16/06/2026

Raise your hand if you thought a "Trust" was something you learned about in Equity - something to do with the Supreme Court. 🙋

No judgment here. But if you're working on a family law matter and a Company or Trust pops up in their asset pool - you need to know exactly what that means for their case.

We're breaking it all down in Webinar 14: Business Structures Part 2 - Companies & Trusts

📅 Tuesday, 30 June 2026 | 1:00–2:15 PM

We'll cover Companies, Discretionary and Unit Trusts, how to read ASIC searches, what these structures mean for your client, and your disclosure obligations.

Don't let a business structure catch you off guard in a matter. 👇
🔗 Register: https://forms.fillout.com/t/jdevfLzexrus

Missed Part 1? Grab the recording here:
https://learn.familylawmatters.com.au/family-law-101-webinar-13-property-business-structures-part-1-60-day-access

12/06/2026

We are now at Step 183 on our Mt Everest climb.

Our last update was Step 142. Since then, we have counted all of our settled matters from 2021 and added another 40 steps to our climb. That means Step 142 now marks the milestone that honours the families we helped in 2021, and with those additional 40 matters included, we have climbed from 142 to 182 metres up our Mt Everest mountain.

Each step in this climb represents a family, a story, and a resolution reached with care, courage and support.

Step 183 represents a client who showed incredible strength in the face of a verbally abusive former partner. Despite everything they had been through, they did not let that experience define them or bring them down. Reaching a resolution in that matter was an important reminder of the courage our clients carry.

Step by step, we continue climbing.

11/06/2026

📚 𝗝𝗨𝗟𝗬 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞

For most NSW public schools, school finishes on Friday 3 July.

That might feel a long way off, but for separated parents, now is the perfect time to work out how the school holidays will operate.

Some important questions to discuss:

✅ Who will have the children for the first half of the holidays?
Will holiday time start:
• After school on Friday?
• After the weekend?
• On the first Monday of the break?

✅ When is the changeover point?
For families sharing school holiday time equally, we suggest using the midpoint of the holidays as a guide.
This year, that falls on Sunday 12 July. If no specific time has been agreed, a practical option is a changeover at around 2:30pm.

✅ What happens at the end of the holidays?
School resumes on Tuesday 21 July.
Will the children remain with the parent who has the second half of the holidays until school returns, or will they return to the other parent beforehand?

If you already have Parenting Orders or a Parenting Plan, follow those arrangements. And you should always check with your child's school for exact dates and other pupil free days.

If there are no formal arrangements in place, a simple approach may be:
📍 Parent 1 has the children from after school on Friday 3 July until 2:30pm on Sunday 12 July.
📍 Parent 2 has the children from 2:30pm on Sunday 12 July until school recommences on Tuesday 21 July.

The most successful holiday arrangements are usually the ones discussed early, before plans are booked, expectations develop, and frustration builds.

A conversation now can save a disagreement later.

If you need some help sorting out your school holiday arrangements, feel free to reach out.
☎️(02) 9523 3007

Family Law Matters - Helping families experience calm through separation, one agreement at a time.

05/06/2026

𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆?

When a public holiday falls on a Monday, separated parents often wonder:

Who gets the extra day? 🤷‍♀️

The answer depends on your usual parenting arrangements, and any agreements or orders already in place.

Here are three common approaches:

✅ If changeover usually happens on Sunday, keep the normal Sunday changeover. The children then spend Monday with the parent whose time would ordinarily include the Monday.

✅ If changeover usually occurs through dropping the children to school on Monday, parents can arrange changeover at the time school would normally start or finish, allowing the other parent to resume care on Monday.

✅ Alternatively, parents may agree that the parent who had the children for the weekend keeps them for the entire public holiday Monday and takes them to school on Tuesday, with the other parent resuming care after school Tuesday.

There is no universal “right” answer. The important thing is that parents communicate early and reach an agreement that works for their children.

📌 If you have a Parenting Plan or Court Orders that deal with public holidays, those arrangements should be followed.

Not sure how the long weekend should work in your situation? We’d be happy to help. Give our team a call - there’s another long weekend coming in October, so better to be prepared in advance for next time.

Family Law Matters 💙🩵💚
Helping you Soar
(02) 9523 3007

09/05/2026

Mother's Day landed differently for me this year.

I found myself thinking about a client I worked with last year. She showed up to every appointment on time, composed, prepared. Always had the documents ready. Always had a plan.

What she didn't always have was someone to pick up the children if a mediation ran late, or someone to tell her she was doing an incredible job.

She was holding everything together - the school runs, the paperwork, the fear - while quietly going through one of the hardest things a person can go through.

That takes a kind of strength that doesn't get talked about enough.

So today, if you're the mum who's navigating something hard and still showing up anyway, I want you to know that it doesn't go unnoticed.

Not by me.

Not by the people around you, even if they don't always say it.

You're doing more than you realise. 💙

06/04/2026

Step 142 on our Mt Everest climb.

This step reflects a matter guided by Veronica involving a tricky super split. While it was not without its challenges, both parties were pleased with the outcome, and especially our client, who was grateful for the quick resolution.

Every step in this climb represents a family moving forward with greater clarity, less conflict and a result they can feel at peace with.

We are proud to keep climbing, one family at a time.

27/03/2026

We are now at Step 141 on our Mt Everest climb.

You may remember that our last update marked Step 92. At the time, our Mt Everest project reflected the number of families we had helped stay out of court from 1 January 2023 onwards.

More recently, we took a step back and realised how meaningful it would be to also acknowledge ALL the families we have supported over the years. This post is dedicated to the families we helped in 2022. When we revisited 2022, we found that 48 families were able to stay out of court with our guidance.

Adding those 48 families to our count took us from Step 92 to Step 140.

That means the family we supported this past week now brings us to Step 141.

Each step in this climb represents a family, a story, and a resolution reached with care, courage and support.

Step by step, we continue climbing.

27/02/2026

Another flashback! - Step 92 involved untangling competing priorities, managing uncertainty around future earning capacity, and working through sensitive personal circumstances. Progress came from thoughtful planning and direct conversations that kept the focus on solutions rather than process.

Measured steps can still lead to meaningful change.

18/02/2026

Flashback! - Step 88 reflects the resolution of a family law matter involving complex structures, income disparity, health considerations, and careful planning for future needs. At times, the issues felt layered and difficult to untangle.

By prioritising practical discussions around the table rather than prolonged correspondence, clarity was achieved sooner and momentum was maintained. This approach allowed the focus to stay on solutions, not conflict.

With steady guidance and considered decision making, the family was able to move forward with certainty and a clearer path ahead.

One step at a time.

13/02/2026

Your first solo Valentine’s Day might be the last thing you want to think about this weekend, but here at Family Law Matters we believe it should be a time to celebrate 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

Our first top tip to survive your first solo Valentine’s Day is to give yourself a theme song. Our chief conflict healer, Antonella Sanderson gives this advice:

“𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 (𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘋𝘢𝘺) 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 - 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘬.

𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 “𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦” 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤 - 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦! 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.”

Find “your” song, and have it ready to go whenever you need a pick-me-up.

If you would like a few more gentle tips for getting through Valentine’s Day after separation, we have shared a blog that you might find helpful here:
https://familylawmatters.com.au/enjoying-your-first-solo.../

Address

87A Cronulla Street
Cronulla, NSW
2230

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61295233007

Website

http://www.familylawmatters.com.au/

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