Forrestdale parents: If you have already separated or are thinking about separating, And you have children, property or business interests then getting the right family law advice is a must. The cost of not doing so is immense. Both emotionally and financially. You need experienced, compassionate and affordable legal representation. Our team of local Perth Family Lawyers has the experience and knowledge to guide you through every step to receive the best possible outcome.
Let us do the heavy lifting as dealing with family law issues is emotionally challenging. We provide the support and guidance you’ll need so you can be enjoying a new future with confidence and clarity.
When going through a divorce or separation you’ll want expert advice and representation to ensure a fair division of property assets.
Property settlement is the part most people ask about first, and it is usually the part that decides how fast everything else falls into place. Acreage takes longer to sell and valuations vary widely, so the valuation itself is often the argument and the timeframe stretches accordingly.
We can help you work through:
Our job is to get you a settlement you can live with, documented properly, without spending the difference on legal fees getting there.
Call us and we will tell you where you stand before you commit to anything.
If you are divorced, separated and have children under the age of 18, speak to our Perth child support lawyers who know the WA Family Law.
The assessment is one thing. Whether it gets paid, and what to do when it does not, is another. Out around Forrestdale the drives are long, so changeovers, school transport and who does the running have to be spelled out or they become the ongoing dispute.
Common issues we deal with:
We help establish an assessment, change one that no longer fits, put a binding agreement in place, or recover payments that have stopped.
Contact us and we will explain the realistic options for a matter like this.
Asset division for separated couples can be contentious and having a clear and thorough process will make the process easier for both parties. We can help!
Financial separation is the step that stops your finances staying tangled with your former partner’s indefinitely. Around the south-east corridor there can be machinery, sheds, stock or a small holding, and each needs valuing on its own rather than being lumped in with the land.
We can assist with:
We handle the superannuation splitting, the property transfers and the paperwork that makes the division stick.
If this is where you are at, call us and we will talk it through.
If you are considering separating from your spouse, or have already done so, you may be entitled to, or liable for spousal maintenance.
Maintenance is separate from child support and separate from the property settlement, though the three interact. Around the south-east corridor it often follows a single-income arrangement where one party ran the property or the household while the other earned.
Maintenance is often better resolved as part of the overall settlement than run separately, and we will advise you on which approach suits.
Contact us and we will explain the realistic options for a matter like this.
Orders can be put in place or existing orders can be updated to make sure that parental responsibility of a child or children is protected.
The law starts from the best interests of the child, not from either parent’s preference. Out around the south-east corridor the driving is the arrangement. Who does the changeover run, from where, and what happens in the wet season all need to be written down.
We draft arrangements with enough detail to be enforceable and enough flexibility to survive a change of job or school.
Talk to us early. It usually means fewer costs and more options.
If you have been in a De-facto relationship and you are now separated then talk to our team today about sorting out your parenting plans and financial asset division.
A de facto separation raises the same questions as a divorce — property, maintenance and children — without the divorce itself. Around the south-east corridor one party has often put years of work into the other’s property, and that contribution is recognised even without a title interest.
The process is the same as for a married couple: identify the asset pool, negotiate, then formalise through consent orders.
Call us and we will tell you where you stand before you commit to anything.
Contact our experienced divorce lawyers for Forrestdale.
Divorce and property settlement are two different things, and people are often surprised that one does not deal with the other. The hearing, where one is needed at all, can usually be attended by phone or video, which matters when you are out past the south-east corridor.
Sole or joint application, we handle the filing and tell you what the court will want to see.
Call us and we will tell you where you stand before you commit to anything.
People in Forrestdale households often have one party who has put years of unpaid work into the property, and that counts.
Unpaid work on a property counts as a contribution even where only one name is on the title, and it is one of the more commonly overlooked parts of a settlement.
The south-east corridor is home ground for us, Gosnells, Harrisdale, Haynes included.
Come in if it suits, or do it by phone and video if that is easier.
If you are needing to get a property fixed up to be sold after a slit Electricians Near you will get your wires and lights up to code.
Legal guidance for property settlements and conveyancing, property disputes across Perth.
In the same way an electrician can help you get your house ready for sale a plumber can do the same, checking for leaks, drips or other issues in the home.
If you are moving house after a family dispute case has been finalised talk to a settlement agent today to discuss your options.
No — there is no automatic equal split in Western Australia, and that’s the most common misconception we correct. A settlement is worked out in steps: identify and value the whole pool, assess what each party contributed financially and non-financially, then adjust for future needs such as care of children, health, age and earning capacity. That process sometimes lands near half, and often doesn’t. A long marriage where one party raised children and the other built a career rarely produces an even division, and neither does a short relationship where one party brought in most of the assets.
Yes. ABMS Lawyers acts across the Perth metropolitan area from our office in South Perth – it is a straightforward drive from our South Perth office. Consultations can be in person, by video or by phone, documents are exchanged electronically, and signing can be arranged to suit you. Call us and we will work out the best way to handle it.
Superannuation is treated as property and forms part of the pool, which surprises a lot of people. It can be split between the parties by consent orders or by court order, and for many separating couples it’s the second-largest asset after the family home — sometimes the largest. It’s also the asset most often overlooked in an informal agreement, and the hardest to fix afterwards. Splitting it requires orders drafted so the fund can actually act on them, so it’s worth getting the wording right the first time.
Where both parties disclose properly and the assets are straightforward, a few months is realistic. Where a valuation is disputed or disclosure is incomplete, it takes longer. The delay is almost always disclosure, not the court.
Not automatically. Neither party has to leave simply because the relationship has ended, and moving out doesn’t forfeit your interest in the property — that’s another common worry with no basis. Who stays is usually a practical question about who can meet the mortgage, where the children are settled and whether both parties can reasonably remain under one roof in the meantime. Where they can’t, interim arrangements can be agreed or ordered covering who lives where and who meets the outgoings until a settlement is reached. If safety is a concern, that changes the picture and should be raised straight away.