Jonson Leo

Few areas of law affect people as directly and personally as family law. The outcomes reached in family court proceedings shape daily life for years. They determine who the children live with and when, what financial foundation each party has going forward, and what the terms of a co-parenting relationship will look like long after the legal process is over.

Our team brings over 40 years of combined experience to family law and to family law alone. Chadstone clients work directly with solicitors who have spent their careers in this one field, and who apply the same rigour and the same honesty to every matter they handle regardless of how straightforward or complicated it appears.

What the family court process actually looks like

Family court proceedings are structured to encourage parties to reach their own agreements at every stage. Filing an application does not mean marching straight into a courtroom. It opens up a series of conferences and structured resolution processes, most of which are designed specifically to give both parties a realistic picture of the likely court outcome and the opportunity to settle on that basis.

Most matters resolve before a final hearing. We prepare every Chadstone client as though the matter might go the full distance, because that preparation is what makes negotiation and resolution at every earlier stage more effective.

Divorce and separation

Separation triggers the legal work. Property, finances, parenting and maintenance all need to be addressed during this period, and the decisions made now carry long-term consequences. Divorce comes later and is in many ways the simpler part of the process, but it introduces a twelve month window for property proceedings that needs to be planned for from the outset.

We help Chadstone clients sequence their matter correctly so that deadlines are managed and nothing important is left to chance.

Property and financial settlement

Every property settlement is different. The law requires an assessment of what each party contributed across the full relationship, in financial and non-financial terms, and what each will need going forward. That assessment is complex and the factors that carry most weight vary significantly from case to case.

We handle the full range of property matters for Chadstone clients, including:

• Complex asset pools involving investment properties, businesses or self-managed super funds
• Inheritances and how they are treated depending on when they were received and how they were used
• Family contributions made by one party’s parents through money, property or unpaid care
• Assets held in trusts, companies or structures that obscure their true ownership
• A former partner who is being deliberately obstructive or dishonest about disclosure
• Situations where third parties have an interest in assets that are part of the pool

Mediation is required before a final hearing. We prepare clients thoroughly and we are ready to proceed to court if it does not resolve things.

Children’s arrangements

Parenting matters require careful handling at every stage. The law asks a single question: what is in the best interests of this child? We help Chadstone parents build well-grounded, child-focused proposals and we are fully prepared to take contested matters further when that is what the situation requires.

Why Just Family Law

We hold an Accredited Specialist designation in family law from the Law Institute of Victoria, independently assessed and held by a small number of Victorian practitioners. Every solicitor here works exclusively in family law with no divided focus or competing practice areas. That depth of specialisation is what produces the quality of advice our clients rely on.

Talk to a family court lawyer in Chadstone

A clear initial conversation about your situation is the most useful first step. We offer a free consultation and we make it count.

Call us on 03 9793 7888 to book yours today.