Safety Bay parents: Are you thinking about separating or partner, or are you already separating from your partner? If you have children, property, or business interests then getting the right family law advice is a must. It might surprise you but the cost of not doing so can lead to both emotional and financial ruin. We are experienced, compassionate and affordable legal advisors in all matters of Family Law. Our local Perth Family Lawyers team will guide you through every step to receive the best possible outcome for your family.
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. Where there is a second property, a caravan or a boat in the mix, it needs valuing properly rather than being waved through as a lifestyle item.
Typically that involves:
Our job is to get you a settlement you can live with, documented properly, without spending the difference on legal fees getting there.
Give us a call and we will set out how this works in your situation.
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.
Child support is assessed on a formula, but the formula only works if the figures going into it are right. Self-employment and rostered work are common around Safety Bay, and irregular income is the single most common reason an assessment does not reflect reality.
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.
Talk to us early. It usually means fewer costs and more options.
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!
Asset division is where the detail lives — superannuation, offset accounts, vehicles, business interests and anything held through a company or trust. Around the Rockingham and Kwinana district there is often a boat, a caravan or a second property, and those are assets in law regardless of how they are thought of at home.
The exercise covers:
We locate and value everything, deal with the debts as well as the assets, and then formalise the division so neither of you is exposed to the other afterwards.
Give us a call and we will set out how this works in your situation.
If you are considering separating from your spouse, or have already done so, you may be entitled to, or liable for spousal maintenance.
Where one party stepped back from work during the relationship, maintenance is often the bridge between separation and getting back on their feet. Where income around the Rockingham and Kwinana district is seasonal or self-employed, a maintenance figure set off one good year rarely holds.
If you are already paying, we will tell you whether the amount is defensible and what it would take to change it.
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.
Parental responsibility is about the long-term decisions — schooling, medical care, where the children live and who they spend time with. Around the Rockingham and Kwinana district catchments are spread out and one parent often moves closer to work, so the orders need to say what happens if someone relocates.
Where agreement is not possible, we advise on mediation and, if it comes to it, on applying to the Family Court of Western Australia.
Call us and we will tell you where you stand before you commit to anything.
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.
De facto couples have broadly the same property and maintenance rights as married couples, and the same obligations. Around the Rockingham and Kwinana district a shared property, or one bought by a partner before the relationship started, is usually the sticking point regardless of whose name it sits in.
The two-year limitation period from separation is the thing to watch. We will tell you where you sit on it at the first appointment.
Call us and we will tell you where you stand before you commit to anything.
Contact our experienced divorce lawyers for Safety Bay.
The divorce application itself is usually the simplest part of a separation. It is a court order ending the marriage, nothing more. A joint application saves time and avoids service, and the whole thing can be done online without either of you attending.
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.
Safety Bay households often include one party who works away or works for themselves, which makes income the first thing to establish properly.
Where income is irregular, a support figure set off one strong year rarely holds, so establishing a realistic average matters more here than almost anything else.
The Rockingham and Kwinana district is home ground for us, Secret Harbour, Shoalwater, Singleton included.
The distance changes very little in practice. We take instructions by phone or video, send and receive documents electronically, and arrange signing to suit you rather than the office. Give us a call and we will explain how your matter would run from where you are.
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 south of the city, a fair way 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.
Most of it. The majority of separations resolve through negotiation, mediation and consent orders rather than a contested hearing. Consent orders are dealt with on the papers, so there is no court appearance at all.
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.