Lakey Family Law and Mediation

26/05/2026

Everyone deserves to be warm. But the reality is, many children and families in our community are facing winter without the most basic of necessities – a warm coat or jacket.

We’re helping our Charity Partner, Big Group Hug, collect warm coats and jackets to distribute to Melbourne families in need and have set ourselves the goal of 30 Coats by 30 June.

Help us get there – bring your new or preloved children's and adult's coats or jackets to one of our offices to donate to the Big Group Hug Winter Warmers appeal.

🩵 Hawthorn – Level 1, 32-36 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East VIC 3123

🩵 Mornington – Level 1, 61A/1140 Nepean Highway, Mornington VIC 3931

🩵 Preston – Suite 12C, 215 Bell Street, Preston VIC 3072

20/05/2026

We’re delighted to welcome Bonnie Esposito to the team as Special Counsel. Bonnie and Annette first crossed paths over a decade ago, when they were both establishing their own practices.

Their shared values, philosophy and approach to family law formed the foundation of a professional relationship – and friendship – built on mutual respect and trust, which has continued ever since.

As a sole practitioner who has specialised in family law for more than a decade, Bonnie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. She is also a Collaborative Law Practitioner, Parent Co‑ordinator and panel lawyer with Relationships Australia, and has a background in psychology and neuroscience.

But, most importantly, she shares our values, focus and commitment to achieving the best possible outcome for every client, as quickly and amicably as possible.

12/05/2026

The friendly voice on the other end of the line when you call, and the smiling face that welcomes you when you visit, belong to our receptionist, Tania.

As someone who loves order and structure, she is incredibly efficient, methodical and proactive and does an excellent job of keeping us all organised.

She loves meeting new people, hearing their stories, travelling, and dancing, even though she describes herself as an introvert.

And, from what we can tell, her dancing talents extend far beyond the dance floor... Whether it's Ballet, Street Latin or any other genre, Tania is always ready to take to the floor and enjoys watching and performing in musical theatre productions.

28/04/2026

Last week, the team came together to officially welcome Tania, our new receptionist, into the fold.

With so many of us these days, working flexible hours across two locations, we’re not all in the same room nearly as often as we’d like – which is why nights like this matter.

A good meal, a few laughs and a chance to enjoy one another's company outside of the office strengthen the bonds and connections that make us such a great team.

12/04/2026

When it comes to your family law matter, there's a really good reason why you should never chat with AI about it – and it's not what you think!

These days, we’re all using AI for all sorts of things in our professional and personal lives. But, most of us know we can’t necessarily rely on what it tells us to be accurate or factual.

02/04/2026

We want to take a moment to introduce you to two of the newer lawyers on our team – Chiara and Lisa.

Chiara began working as a solicitor in 2021. Deeply passionate about family law, her genuine care for her clients and desire to make a meaningful difference in their lives led her to join our team. Clients value and appreciate her warm, friendly nature, focus on achieving the best possible outcome (whatever that looks like for each client) and attention to detail.

After 25 years practising as an accountant, Lisa made the inspiring choice to return to university, study law and embrace a new profession. Graduating in 2024 and being admitted in 2025, she embraced the opportunity to join a team of supportive, inclusive, passionate and genuine family lawyers like ours. As a mum to two teenage girls, clients value and appreciate the perspective, understanding, life experience and focus on their best interests that Lisa brings.

27/03/2026

Annette recently joined Rohan Hoult and Bronia Tulloch to talk about preparing for interim property hearings, the key documents and materials required and how to strategically deploy them, for an episode of the Foley's List podcast.

Along with sharing her expertise in this area, Annette talked about what it was like starting out on her own, just a vision, a laptop and a mobile phone... Along with how Lakey Family Law has grown and evolved over the last decade, how our team is using AI and some of the experiences she's had over the course of her career in her family law.

Have a listen here https://foleys.com.au/resources/daze-in-court-interim-property-hearings

13/03/2026

Last week, our Founder and Principal, Annette, shared the story of how Lakey Family Law came to be with a group of Mornington Peninsula business owners.

How it began with a vision of creating a firm focused on achieving the best outcome for each client as amicably as possible, a laptop, a mobile phone and a printer...

And how, a decade on, with a team of twelve working across two offices, that focus and commitment to the client's best interests continues to guide us.

09/03/2026

You would’ve struggled to find a dry eye among us last week when we joined our wonderful Chiara and her now husband, Robert, in celebrating their love.

Wishing the happy couple a lifetime of joy, happiness and a future built on love, laughter, support and respect.

08/03/2026

As a family law firm, International Women’s Day is particularly special for us. Not just because it is about acknowledging and celebrating women, but because of what it stands for – a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination that’s equitable and inclusive, where difference is valued and celebrated. And, because our work is about empowering and advocating for our clients, male and female.

This year's theme, ‘Give to Gain’, emphasises the power of reciprocity and support. People, organisations, businesses and communities sharing their time, knowledge and resources to support and advance gender equality.

In many ways, it is the essence of how we, as a business, work towards creating a more inclusive and equal world. Creating opportunities for graduates and those in the final years of their studies in our firm. While we're a boutique firm, over the last five years, we've been able to offer nine graduates and students the opportunity to start their careers as paralegals.

And through our ongoing support for Big Group Hug, a grassroots community organisation that helps Melbourne's most vulnerable families and children by collecting and distributing new and pre-loved essentials to help them live with dignity and security.

So, today on , we’re not just acknowledging and celebrating the women in our world, but also reflecting on how we can create more opportunities and do more to support women.