Now that the 2017 work year has started, I’ve returned to listening to podcasts on the way to and from work.  A buzz topic at this time of year is New Year resolutions, particularly for people in business – what they are going to have achieved, professionally and financially, by December 2017.   For people…

There is a great deal of talk in the legal industry at the moment about ‘mindfulness’ – the notion that when engaged in a task, or interaction with another person, you must consciously be ‘present’ in that engagement, so as to give the most to it, and get the most from it.   In the…

I was at the shops on the weekend before last, and upon entering was confronted with Christmas carols, decorations in shops, and an enormous Christmas tree.  I consulted my calendar.  It was November 5.  That’s right, November.  ‘So it begins’, I thought to myself.  The stresses of Christmas – buying gifts, planning Christmas lunch, finding…

A business is often one of the most valuable assets seen in a pool of property after separation and divorce.   In new relationships, that business has often been accrued prior to commencement of the relationship, and represents the creativity, acumen and hard work of one of the spouses.   In later or ‘second’ relationships,…

When I meet clients for the first time, I find that they often have a pre-conceived idea that the job of their family lawyer is to ‘file’ their case with the Court, and await a hearing.  I am surprised that the perception of our legal system is that those who are enduring separation and divorce…

One of the biggest causes of divorce is financial problems.  But one of the biggest causes of business failure is divorce.   Make no bones about it, divorce is rough on business.  Any business owned by parties enduring separation and divorce will be poked and prodded.  The business may suddenly be called on to meet…

It seems like an oxymoron – a lawyer asking their client whether they really need their services – but any family lawyer will tell you that we regularly meet people who, when introducing themselves for the first time, hasten to explain that they are “not actually separated yet”.   Those people have thought seriously about…

In my experience, the most bitter post-separation relationships started out harmlessly enough – guarded but functional.   However, at some point the taking of pot shots at each other led to passive-aggressive emails and terse voice mails.   Pretty soon things had escalated to the point where a simple text message on a very pedestrian…

It sounds mercenary, but your property settlement, in which you deal with the financial consequences of separation or divorce, is really just a commercial transaction.  An important and life-changing financial ‘deal’, but a transaction nevertheless.   To examine whether that transaction has been favourable for you, the cost of its completion must be measured against…

Outcomes achieved after separation and divorce are often measured by their ‘cost’ – after those costs have been paid, can the outcome be considered a success?   The cost which immediately comes to mind when assessing a settlement outcome is legal fees – the professional fees you pay to your lawyers, and the experts used…

In last week’s blog (‘Honey catches more flies than vinegar – 5 tips to change toxic communication’) I wrote about changing the way we interact with our former partners and co-parents, so as to remove toxic communication from daily life.   I had some really interesting questions emailed through to me.  Feedback was largely that…

As family lawyers we see some former couples and separated parents who are in high conflict every day.   That conflict is usually borne out in terse and accusatory emails and text messages.   Those communications are about everyday life – how children are to be picked up from sport; paying of bills; and overdue…