According to data released by the RSPCA, Australian’s collectively have over 29 million pets and we have one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world – approximately 61% of households in Australia own pets, with dogs being the most common (40%), followed by cats (27%). So, how are pets [...]
‘De facto, night facto, the fact they are facto-ing at all is repulsive in the extreme’ – Kim Craig Nee Day Your mid-20s-something Sydney family lawyer Rhiannan Earl is here to dispel the most common myths you have heard about moving in together. You’ve heard from your parents, friends and that [...]
If you're currently or potentially a party to a property settlement, the property in question may not be worth what it used to be. This article in the Australian Financial Review highlights the downward pressure on house prices in Australia as a result of recent and upcoming interest rate rises. Time to [...]
Myth #1. “In property it is always 50/50, unless there are kids” There is no legislated starting point for property settlement. In assessing what a party may be entitled to there are a number of facts that are considered (being set out in the Family Law Act 1975). Factors such as [...]
Changes to the Family Law Act are proposed to include an overarching purpose to facilitate the just resolution of disputes: according to law; as quickly, inexpensively and efficiently as possible. What does this mean? We don’t really know yet. What it includes among another things are – “Efficient use of judicial and administrative [...]
Just because you are limiting your contact with people, you don't need to delay discussing your family law matter. We are happy to meet with you by Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or conference over the phone. Get in touch today and we'll organise an obligation-free initial consultation at a time to [...]
There are a number of traps that clients can fall into early on, which can be avoided and save a lot in terms of emotion and money: 1) Don’t be a keyboard warrior We’ve said it before; we’ll say it again, once something has been released into the social media [...]
The foundation of any property settlement is disclosure. You will hear family lawyers say "Disclose until it hurts and then disclose some more." For many parties this mantra is easy- a house that needs valuing, bank accounts, some publicly listed shares and superannuation – a balance sheet like that has [...]
We have blogged before about the importance of financial agreements in protecting assets. Another document essential for protecting contributions which come from family members is a loan agreement. If parents or other family members give money to an adult child to assist in the purchase (usually jointly with their partners) [...]
It has recently been announced that philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates are ending their 27 year marriage.Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft and owns 1% of the company, worth an estimated $146 million. His total worth is estimated to be $130 billion. He is fourth on Bloomberg’s list of the [...]