We have previously examined the presumption of ‘equal shared parental responsibility’ in the horrific case of the Edwards family in our blog, The Presumption of Equal Shared Parental Responsibility: The Horrific Case of Olga Edwardson 18 September 2020. We looked at...
A private member’s bill,[1] which is to be heard when Parliament sits in October, proposes to remove the Family Law Act presumption of equal shared parental responsibility and the court’s associated consideration of equal time or substantial and significant time with...
What happened to the Edwards family? In 2016, Olga Edwards, the mother to two teenage children; Jennifer and Jack, left John Edwards, the children’s father, and initiated family law proceedings. An Independent Children’s Lawyer was appointed on behalf of the children....
Do you have a trial date for your family law matter? Do you know what you have to do at your court hearing? Do you know what questions may be asked of you? If you or someone you know is a witness in an upcoming court hearing, you may want to do a test run of a typical...
Relationships and families are being significantly impacted during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, during March and April 2020, the Family Court saw a rise of 39% in urgent parenting applications, whilst...
Are you concerned about how conflict in your marriage or relationship might be affecting your children? Or your friend or relative’s children? It is obvious isn’t it, that a combatitive conflictual relationship could affect the children of that relationship, but how...
It is well known that being polite in the workplace is important to build rapport, improve team dynamics and establish a positive workplace culture. Being employed in a workplace where your bosses and colleagues are polite and friendly is a dream come true for most...
In a recent decision by the Federal Circuit Court, a Father was granted interim unsupervised time with his six-year-old child due to complications caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic.[1] In 2014, the Federal Circuit Court granted the Mother sole parental...
Imagine feeling that you are not able to leave your partner because your partner does not permit you to earn money or allow you access to any financial resources to re-home yourself. How do you leave with any possessions you may have, when you may not have access to a...
Family Law Funding The Family Court has power to order that a party in a litigation can pay to the other party their legal costs in the proceedings, as it considers appropriate. These are known as litigation funding orders and are made under three powers in the Family...
Does Family Dispute Resolution really work? Alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) is a process that is inherently reliant on an equal power dynamic existing between the parties.[1]Brianna Batey evaluates ADR processes in the family law jurisdiction and their ability...
What is BWS? Battered woman syndrome (‘BWS’) is a well-known psychological condition that was first introduced in the 1970s to describe the altered mental state of victims of family violence. BWS ordinarily develops in women who have been victims of long-term...