Village Family Lawyers

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Village Family Lawyers Specialist family lawyers in Mount Eliza and Malvern, Victoria. LIV Accredited Family Law Specialists. Nationally Accredited Mediators. Tel: 1300 413 997

Resolution-first — 90% of mediated matters resolve without court.

18/10/2026

When you make that first call to a family lawyer, the most useful information is not in the answers.

It is in how they are given. You may be working with this person for a year or more, during a period when you are not at your best. Whether they leave you clearer or more confused in that first conversation tells you a great deal about the twelve months ahead.

Our latest podcast episode is about choosing a family lawyer when every practice describes itself in much the same language. Three things that can actually be checked, one question rarely found on any website, and what to listen for when you make the call.

One of the three is accreditation, and the episode explains what it actually involves, which is more than most people assume. Another is whether a practice is built to resolve matters or to litigate them, and how you would tell the difference from the outside.

About six and a half minutes.

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/72tq9mSNzz05tNCIoFBzXG?si=QOwGigh6TpuZRfH7arW54Q

Most people have to choose a family lawyer at the worst possible time, with less energy than the decision deserves.You a...
15/10/2026

Most people have to choose a family lawyer at the worst possible time, with less energy than the decision deserves.

You are not alone if you are finding it hard to work out what you are even supposed to be comparing. Every firm describes itself in similar language, and none of it tells you whether these particular people are right for what you are facing.

Three things can actually be checked. Whether the lawyer holds accreditation that has been externally assessed rather than self-described. Whether the practice is set up to resolve matters or to litigate them. And whether that individual lawyer works on the kind of situation you have, because a business structure and a parenting dispute are not the same job.

We have written a plain English guide to all three, along with when it is worth making the call in the first place.

Parents separating tend to believe there are two options for the children. Drag them into it or keep them entirely out o...
11/10/2026

Parents separating tend to believe there are two options for the children. Drag them into it or keep them entirely out of it.

There is a third, and most people have never heard of it.

In child inclusive practice, a qualified child consultant meets the children separately, away from both parents, and brings what they hear back into the mediation as themes. Not verbatim quotes. Not a report card on either parent. And never a question about who they would rather live with, because that question is the harm everybody is trying to avoid.

Village Family Lawyers has worked this way for a long time, and it is becoming far more common as mediation becomes the default path. The specialists we work alongside come through The Village Circle and approach it the same way, starting from the child's own experience rather than from the parents' account of it.

It does not suit every family. Whether it is right depends on the children's ages, their emotional readiness, what they are already carrying, and whether it is safe. Making that assessment, and advising parents honestly when the answer is no, is a large part of the work.

For anyone who advises separating families, it is worth knowing this option exists. Most parents will not ask for it, because nobody has told them it is there.

A lot of people file for divorce believing it sorts everything out.It does not. Divorce ends the marriage. That is all i...
07/10/2026

A lot of people file for divorce believing it sorts everything out.

It does not. Divorce ends the marriage. That is all it does. It does not divide your property, it does not decide superannuation, and it does not settle anything about the children.

What it does do is start a clock. Once a divorce is finalised, you have twelve months to apply for a property settlement. Miss that window and you need the court's permission to bring a claim at all, which is not something anyone should be relying on.

This catches people out more often than you would think, usually the ones doing their best to keep things simple and move on quickly.

If the property side is still unresolved, it is generally better dealt with alongside the divorce application rather than after it.

Read how divorce, property and parenting actually fit together: https://villagefamilylawyers.com.au/service/divorce-and-separation/

A lot of people file for divorce believing it sorts everything out.It does not. Divorce ends the marriage. That is all i...
06/10/2026

A lot of people file for divorce believing it sorts everything out.

It does not. Divorce ends the marriage. That is all it does. It does not divide your property, it does not decide superannuation, and it does not settle anything about the children.

What it does do is start a clock. Once a divorce is finalised, you have twelve months to apply for a property settlement. Miss that window and you need the court's permission to bring a claim at all, which is not something anyone should be relying on.

This catches people out more often than you would think, usually the ones doing their best to keep things simple and move on quickly.

If the property side is still unresolved, it is generally better dealt with alongside the divorce application rather than after it.

05/10/2026

Most people arrive at a first conversation about separation with the same question, and it is rarely about the house.

Am I going to lose my children?

Our latest podcast episode answers it properly, in about seven minutes. What the law actually decides about children. Why custody is not the term Australian family law uses. The difference between where a child lives and who makes the big decisions, which do not have to sit with the same parent. And why moving out of the family home does not, by itself, decide anything.

It also covers the belief that children go to their mother, which is not what the Family Law Act says and never has been. Neither parent starts ahead because of their gender. What shapes an arrangement is far more practical than that, and usually more negotiable than it feels at the start.

If you are somewhere in the middle of this, it might be seven minutes worth spending while you are doing something else.

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/02ocTigum9OLuZwEtzOzOH?si=usKTFF-aTvGgmMSiYl05Tg

It is usually the question that wakes people at three in the morning. Not the house. Not the superannuation. Whether the...
02/10/2026

It is usually the question that wakes people at three in the morning. Not the house. Not the superannuation. Whether they are about to lose their children.

If that is where you are right now, you are not alone in it, and for most families the fear turns out to be a good deal larger than the reality.

There is no rule in Australia that children go to one parent. There is no preference based on whether you are their mother or their father. And moving out of the family home does not, by itself, decide anything about where the children live. That last one keeps a lot of people in a difficult situation far longer than they need to be.

What actually gets decided is more practical than most people expect, and most families reach it themselves rather than having a court decide for them.

We have written a plain English guide to how parenting arrangements really work in Victoria.

Read it here: https://villagefamilylawyers.com.au/child-custody-parenting-arrangements-victoria/

Parenting matters are rarely about the law. They are about a parent trying to hold something steady while everything aro...
29/09/2026

Parenting matters are rarely about the law. They are about a parent trying to hold something steady while everything around it moves.

When clients tell us what mattered, it is almost never the strategy. It is being kept in the loop. Not feeling like the least informed person in their own matter.

Chris recently left this review about working with Maria Stipic, Senior Associate at Village Family Lawyers:

"Maria at Village Family Lawyers Mt Eliza was fantastic from the initial consultation right through to securing our final orders. She was professional, compassionate, and kept us well informed at every step. Thanks to her expertise and dedication, we achieved the best possible outcome for my kids. Highly recommended." ~ Chris

Thank you, Chris. It means a great deal to Maria and to the team.

Maria trained and previously qualified as a Nationally Accredited Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, which gives her a distinctive perspective on family law matters and on how they can be resolved.

Most people picture a courtroom when they imagine how a separation ends.The reality of a contested matter is less dramat...
25/09/2026

Most people picture a courtroom when they imagine how a separation ends.

The reality of a contested matter is less dramatic and more grinding. Multiple hearings across months or years, costs running the whole way, and a decision made by someone who has never met your family.

Mediation is not right for every situation, and we say so when it is not. Where safety is a concern, or where one person will not engage honestly, other pathways exist for good reason.

Where it does suit, it is faster, considerably less expensive, and it leaves the decisions with the people who have to live with them.

Around 90% of the matters Village Family Lawyers supports through mediation resolve without court proceedings. That is mostly down to preparation, not luck.

If court is the thing you are dreading, it is worth knowing it is not the default.

www.villagefamilylawyers.com.au/service/family-law-mediation/

A job in Geelong. A new partner in Ballarat. A parent in Bendigo who could help with the kids.Then the thought that stop...
23/09/2026

A job in Geelong. A new partner in Ballarat. A parent in Bendigo who could help with the kids.

Then the thought that stops it: am I even allowed to go.

It comes up more than people expect, and the honest answer is that it depends. What matters most is the order you do things in.

Relocating with a child is not a decision one parent makes alone. If the other parent agrees, arrangements can be formalised. If they do not, it becomes a question for the court, and the test is what is in the best interests of the child rather than what is reasonable for either parent.

The expensive mistake is moving first and sorting it out afterwards. Undoing a move is far harder than planning one.

If this is sitting in the back of your mind, the time to ask is before you sign a lease.

Village Family Lawyers, Mount Eliza and Malvern. 1300 413 997

Address

1/24A Ranelagh Drive
Melbourne, VIC
3930

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+611300413997

Website

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