Parenting & Child
Custody Lawyers
We support parents through custody arrangements, parenting plans, and court orders with your child’s best interests at the centre.
Child Custody Lawyers in Sydney
We’ll help you put your kids first
A relationship breakdown is already difficult. Not only are you working through the upset of the end of the relationship, but you’re also having to consider new living arrangements and how to divide your assets and property. And on top of this, if you have children, you also need to be thinking about child custody and looking after the best interests of your children. To help you through these difficult times, you need a family lawyer in Sydney that is well versed in parenting and children matters. This is especially critical if both parents cannot seem to arrive at a single agreement.
That’s where we come in. We are Family Lawyers specialising in Child Custody with plenty of experience in handling all types of child custody matters. Our Sydney child custody lawyers can help you to understand what is reasonable under the law and what your choices are for you and your children. Through our honest communication, practical support, and expert family law advice we can help you achieve the best outcome for you and your children. Learn More >>
What you can expect from us
When you engage us as your child custody lawyers, we’ll aim to:
- Understand your circumstances and what matters to you
- Prioritise your children’s needs
- Anticipate any issues or concerns
- Give practical advice and strategies
- Communicate with you regularly and clearly
Our professional duties are crucial to ensuring the best possible outcome for you and your children. We will honour those duties by:
- Respecting your confidentiality
- Acting in your best interests
- Representing you with skill and expertise
- Acting with honesty and integrity
- Giving you written information about our costs
Free first consultation
Finding the right family lawyer is a personal choice. Just because your friend recommended a lawyer doesn’t mean they’re a good fit for you. It may not be anything you can pinpoint; perhaps it’s simply a lack of connection.Why?
Because not all personalities are compatible. Not everyone gets along.
Yet, you need to trust your lawyer completely. You need to feel like they’re listening to you and that they’ve understood your circumstances and concerns. You want them to focus on what’s important to you and be honest about what’s achievable. And their advice should be practical and considered.
For these reasons, we offer a no-obligation, free first consultation to all new clients. It’s an opportunity to meet your lawyer and assess whether they’re a good fit for you before making a financial commitment.
Want to know more?
Best Child Custody Lawyers in Sydney
With a close-knit team of expert lawyers and outstanding support staff, we deliver leading child custody legal services to our clients in Sydney and New South Wales. We know that our services are most effective when you feel:
- Supported
- Believed
- Empowered
- Heard
- Valued
- Informed
So, we strive to ensure you experience all these things with every communication. That’s why we’ll always aim to be known as the best child custody lawyers in Sydney and New South Wales. Even better, we have lawyers fluent in Arabic, Mandarin, Lebanese, Vietnamese, and Spanish. This is just one example of our commitment to excellent communication. Need more proof? We’ve been rated in the Top Three Best Family Lawyers in Sydney for 8 consecutive years.
Our Child Custody Law Services
Typically, our services include:
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600+
5 Star Reviews and Thousands of Lives Transformed
At Unified Lawyers, results matter because they matter to you. We’ve helped more than 8000+ clients across Australia resolve their family law matters with care and expertise.
Umeir Mastoi
I had my recent divorce-related matter handled by the team at Unified Lawyers, including Daniel Abraham, Eliza Harley, and Alfi. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the team for managing my case so effectively and professionally. They were thorough, responsive, and supportive throughout what was a very challenging process. I would highly recommend them to anyone dealing with a complex divorce matter.
Niegel Vaz
I cannot recommend Maneesha Zacharias from Unified Lawyers highly enough. From the very beginning, she demonstrated exceptional professionalism, knowledge, and genuine care throughout my family law matter. Maneesha took the time to clearly explain every step of the process, ensuring I felt informed and confident in all decisions being made. Her attention to detail, responsiveness, and strong advocacy truly set her apart. Thanks to her expertise and dedication, I achieved a very positive outcome, and I’m incredibly grateful for her support during what was a stressful time. If you’re looking for someone who is not only highly skilled but also compassionate and committed, Maneesha is the person you want on your side.
Michael Tabet
Professional and well resourced organisation. Family lawyer Diana Melas dealt with my parenting case in an efficient and versatile manner to get the desired outcome quickly. Diana has a broad knowledge base of the law to put any of your concerns at ease and attacks her work load with some prowess.
Ashlin Weeks
Crispian and his team were extremely helpful and reassuring during a very stressful time in my life. Their guidance, knowledge, care, clear communication and hard work not only made the process easier and calmer by them ‘in my corner’ but I am very happy with the outcome reached. I would highly recommend them to anyone in the future
Ahmad Doar
I was represented by Leen Setrak who oversaw my family law matter and although it was a difficult time for me and my family, I was satisfied with the work and ultimately the result. I was always kept up to date, the advice was always realistic and fair, and the effort to resolve the dispute was unwaivering. Thank you Leen for everything, I can be a father to my kids again.
Lillian Nettlefold
I cannot recommend Jessica Adamovich highly enough. She gives you complete confidence going into trial, which makes an incredibly stressful process feel manageable and under control. Her professionalism, knowledge, and preparation truly stands out. Beyond her expertise, she is genuinely great to get along with. She communicates clearly, keeps you informed every step of the way, and makes everything feel like a seamless transaction. You always feel supported and understood. If you’re looking for a family lawyer who is both highly competent and easy to work with, Jessica Adamovich is an excellent choice. Thanks Jess, you have, and continue to be a pleasure to work with!
Umeir Mastoi
I had my recent divorce-related matter handled by the team at Unified Lawyers, including Daniel Abraham, Eliza Harley, and Alfi. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the team for managing my case so effectively and professionally. They were thorough, responsive, and supportive throughout what was a very challenging process. I would highly recommend them to anyone dealing with a complex divorce matter.
Niegel Vaz
I cannot recommend Maneesha Zacharias from Unified Lawyers highly enough. From the very beginning, she demonstrated exceptional professionalism, knowledge, and genuine care throughout my family law matter. Maneesha took the time to clearly explain every step of the process, ensuring I felt informed and confident in all decisions being made. Her attention to detail, responsiveness, and strong advocacy truly set her apart. Thanks to her expertise and dedication, I achieved a very positive outcome, and I’m incredibly grateful for her support during what was a stressful time. If you’re looking for someone who is not only highly skilled but also compassionate and committed, Maneesha is the person you want on your side.
Michael Tabet
Professional and well resourced organisation. Family lawyer Diana Melas dealt with my parenting case in an efficient and versatile manner to get the desired outcome quickly. Diana has a broad knowledge base of the law to put any of your concerns at ease and attacks her work load with some prowess.
Ashlin Weeks
Crispian and his team were extremely helpful and reassuring during a very stressful time in my life. Their guidance, knowledge, care, clear communication and hard work not only made the process easier and calmer by them ‘in my corner’ but I am very happy with the outcome reached. I would highly recommend them to anyone in the future
Ahmad Doar
I was represented by Leen Setrak who oversaw my family law matter and although it was a difficult time for me and my family, I was satisfied with the work and ultimately the result. I was always kept up to date, the advice was always realistic and fair, and the effort to resolve the dispute was unwaivering. Thank you Leen for everything, I can be a father to my kids again.
Lillian Nettlefold
I cannot recommend Jessica Adamovich highly enough. She gives you complete confidence going into trial, which makes an incredibly stressful process feel manageable and under control. Her professionalism, knowledge, and preparation truly stands out. Beyond her expertise, she is genuinely great to get along with. She communicates clearly, keeps you informed every step of the way, and makes everything feel like a seamless transaction. You always feel supported and understood. If you’re looking for a family lawyer who is both highly competent and easy to work with, Jessica Adamovich is an excellent choice. Thanks Jess, you have, and continue to be a pleasure to work with!
Affordable child custody lawyers in Sydney
Parenting decisions significantly impact your children, so it’s important to find legal assistance to help make arrangements that can work in your circumstances. When managed with skill, legal assistance can help improve your kids’ wellbeing and make your family’s future feel more certain. Of course, not all lawyers will be the right fit, so you must find a family lawyer with expertise in child custody. However, if money is tight, we understand that instructing a lawyer can be an enormous financial commitment.
There are some key questions to consider when it comes to legal expenses. For example, what exactly will be billed? What is your lawyer’s hourly rate? Can your lawyer estimate their legal fees? To help you feel more confident about engaging our services, we use billing methods different from other law firms. For example, we won’t bill you for:
- Short phone calls
- Faxes
- Printing
- Postage
We’ve created our billing system to fit each matter, and for further flexibility, we’ve designed various billing models:
1
Event billing
We bill you whenever there’s a specific event, which we identify in our costs agreement with you. You’ll have upfront knowledge of our fees and the events or milestones that will prompt us to send you a bill.
2
Time interval billing
We calculate costs on time spent, which is usually an hourly rate. You’ll have advance notice of our hourly rates, and we will give you a cost estimate.
3
Fixed-rate fees
We’ll give you an up-front quote before we start working on a task, and we’ll charge that amount regardless of the amount of time it takes us to complete the work.
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Custody Sydney
What are the differences between child custody, contact, and parenting arrangements?
Child custody and contact are terms that were used in the past. They described how children would divide their time between their parents who had separated or divorced, usually referring to living and visiting arrangements. Now, the term parenting arrangements is used. It describes children’s living and visiting arrangements and agreements.
However, on this page, we continue to use the term child custody because we have found that most people generally understand it.
To learn more, see our information about access to children and parenting arrangements.
What is the meaning of "the best interests of the child?"
In any family law matters concerning children, the most crucial consideration is that all decisions are made in their best interests. It means that parents are expected to focus on their children’s wellbeing rather than on the issues that have led to the breakdown of their relationship.
The concept of children’s best interests is based on the need to protect their rights and promote their welfare, allowing them to reach their full potential. In family law, these two key considerations are often expressed as:
1.The children’s right to have meaningful relationships with both parents
2.The children’s right to be protected from harm, including abuse, neglect, or violence
When working out children’s best interests, Australian family laws require that a court must consider a range of factors, including:
· The children’s wishes
· The nature of their relationship with both parents and other significant people
· How a change of circumstances will impact the children
· Each parent’s ability to meet the children’s needs
· The age, lifestyle, culture, and traditions of the children
· The risk of harm to the children
What are the other basic principles behind child custody (parenting) arrangements?
As a starting point, Australian family law says that there are three basic principles when making parenting arrangements:
1.The parents should share the parenting responsibilities equally
2.The parents should try and make parenting arrangements without going to court
3.The parents are both responsible for the child until the child is 18 years old
However, many factors may influence whether these principles can be applied in particular circumstances, for example, the child’s safety, whether there’s family violence and what’s in the child’s best interests.
What is a parenting plan?
A parenting plan is a written agreement you make with your former partner about parenting arrangements for your children. It’s up to you and your former partner to decide what should be included, for example:
· Where the children will live
· How the children will divide their time
· Where they will go to school
· Who will pay for what
· Arrangements for occasions such as birthdays
· Medical care
The parenting plan isn’t legally enforceable unless you ask a court to make orders based on the plan (consent orders). However, it’s a valuable record of your agreement with the other parent.
For more information about parenting plans, see our article on Access to Children and Parenting Agreements.
What is considered when making child custody (parenting) arrangements?
When making parenting arrangements, what is taken into account will depend on your circumstances, for example:
· Location of your children’s school
· Your children’s activities, including out-of-school activities
· Care requirements
· Medical treatment requirements
· How you share the financial responsibility with the other parent
· How you communicate with the other parent
· The children’s wishes (if they are older)
Get in touch to learn more about parenting arrangements.
How will a child custody dispute affect me?
If you and your former partner can’t agree on parenting arrangements, you may need to apply to a court to make parenting orders. If there’s a dispute about what orders the court should make, there will be a hearing (known as a trial) at which both parties can provide evidence. Evidence can include testimony from witnesses and various documents (including expert reports, emails, photographs, text messages and social media activity).
If you’re thinking about taking legal action, we recommend that you consider the following:
- It takes a long time for a custody issue to get to trial. In some cases, it can take years. While waiting for your trial date, the court may hold several minor hearings to check progress. If you have lawyers, they usually attend these hearings on your behalf. Your lawyers will also put much time and effort into preparing for the trial. It means that custody cases can be expensive – often costing each party tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees – so you need to consider the time and financial cost of going to trial
- When you start a child custody legal action, you may have to produce all documents or other evidence relevant to your case. Also, you may be required to answer questions or give reasons for your decisions, even if they don’t help your case
- Court cases are often stressful, which can impact you and your children
- Taking legal action means the court is asked to decide what happens to your children. You won’t have control over the decision, and in most cases, you will have to accept the outcome
- Depending on the ages of your children, you may have to deal with the other parent for many more years. Maintaining a good long-term relationship is often easier if you can reach an agreement without going to court
For more information, see our Australian Parenting Orders Guide.