You should expect expert family law advice and guidance, with a down to earth judgment free approach. We are real people helping real people navigate one of the most difficult seasons of their life.
Generally, the first step will be for you to have an initial consultation with us. Before we can assist you and schedule an initial consultation, we do a conflict check to ensure there is no conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest. For example, if we have had prior dealings with your former partner.

Once we have confirmed we can work with you, you can schedule a suitable time for an initial consultation. We can do this online by videoconference, by phone or in person and it usually takes anywhere from 1 hour to 1 ½ hours. This meeting is our chance to get to know each other and for you to see if we are the right fit for you. During the initial consultation we get to know the details of your matter, provide you with some preliminary advice, identify any potential issues and your options moving forward.

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Just yourself and a form of photo identification such as a driver licence, passport or photo card. To get the most out of your initial consultation, we recommend that you prepare a list of questions to ensure all of your queries are addressed. It is easy to forget to ask a question you may have if it is not written down.

If your matter involves property, it will also be useful if you collate important documents and information in relation to the assets and liabilities. When you book an initial consultation, we will provide you with a list to assist you in obtaining the relevant information. Do not worry if you don’t have all the documents or information, it is not mandatory for the initial consultation and we can assist you with obtaining this if required.

An Accredited Specialist is a lawyer who has been recognised as an expert in their chosen practice area. To become an Accredited Specialist, a lawyer is required to have a minimum of 5 years post admission experience with 3 of those years being within their speciality area. They are required to undergo a meticulous peer to peer assessment process, which tests on both legal knowledge and its application in practice as including communication, problem solving and client relations. Once specialist accreditation is achieved, additional professional development in their area of accreditation is required each year.

Principal solicitor and Founder of Seacliff Family Law Ashleigh Wisbey is an accredited specialist in Family Law. By choosing to work with Seacliff Family Law you can be assured you are engaging an expert to guide, support and advise you towards the best outcome possible.

Yes, it is always a good idea to consult with a lawyer – even if it is a one-off consultation or you decide to remain in a relationship. It may help you feel less overwhelmed, provide you with your options and assist you with making informed decisions into the future. If you do decide to separate, having the benefit of prior advice and forward planning will be invaluable and may lead to a better outcome for you.

No! In some circumstances Court proceedings will be necessary. There are however many different pathways available to resolving your family law matter that don’t involve Court. We can help develop practical solutions to assist in addressing issues that may have been getting in the way of an agreement being reached. Obtaining specialist family law advice at the earliest possible opportunity may be the thing that keeps you out of the Court system altogether, potentially saving you thousands of dollars.

It is a myth that property is divided 50/50 or that an equal property division is the starting point. In some cases the Court may decline to make any property orders at all! There is no precise formula used by the Court to calculate the entitlement of each party. There are a range of factors that get taken into account, including:

• The length of the relationship;

• looking at the history to determine the contributions made by each party at the start, during the relationship and post separation (both financial and non-financial contributions are considered);

• considering the future needs of each party and if an adjustment should be made for things such as differences in earning capacity, age, health, financial resources and future care of children;

• if any adjustments need to be made to ensure the property settlement is fair overall.

Other things that should also be considered include valuations, taxation consequences, spousal maintenance and wastage issues just to name a few.

No two matters are the same. We can help to simplify the often confusing and complicated process and guide you towards a resolution so you can move forward with your future.

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