Family Lawyers Sydney
The Best Sydney Family Lawyers to assist you in all areas of family law
It’s a big deal to claim we’re the best family lawyers in Sydney, but we stand by it. Why? Because we’re proud of our family law team and the services we provide.
You see, we believe being the best requires a whole range of things. It’s not only about experience, although we’ve got plenty. It’s about our abilities to:
– Listen to you
– Problem-solve the issues
– Plan the strategies
– Reduce conflict
– Anticipate how your former partner may respond
And, most importantly, we’re great at communicating. Regularly. Clearly. Honestly. With your best interests as our top priority.
We have lawyers who are also fluent in Arabic, Greek, Lebanese, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese. Language is no barrier to providing you with top legal services.
Need more proof? We’ve been rated in the Top Three Best Family Lawyers in Sydney for four consecutive years.
“Unified Lawyers rated top three best family lawyers in Sydney for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.”
Source: Threebestrated.com.au
When it’s time to go separate ways, we’re here to help you find your path
Separating from your partner or spouse can be one of the most challenging times in your life. You’re dealing with the upset of your relationship ending. There’s property to divide, new living arrangements, pets to consider and your kids’ well being to ensure.
Even if you and your former partner are on good terms, a divorce or separation is usually complicated and difficult.
So how do you get through?
With the best family lawyers on your side. That’s where we come in. Our lawyers understand that marriage breakdowns and the process of separation can be traumatic and uncertain. That’s why we’re here for you.
What you can expect from our Sydney family lawyers
When you engage Unified Lawyers as your family solicitors, we’ll make it our mission to:
– Take the time to listen and understand your situation
– Help you get back on your feet
– Assist you to move on with your life
– Resolve your matter efficiently and cost-effectively
Most importantly, we’ll communicate. We will:
– Give you clear advice, when you need it
– Help you understand the legal issues
– Provide the information you need to make the best decisions
– Give you written information about how we work, including our fees, and what you’re entitled to expect from us
– Respect your rights to confidentiality
But that’s not all.
Instructing a family lawyer is a big commitment. You want to make sure you’re getting the best possible representation. You want to know you’re getting value for your hard-earned money. And it’s important you feel confident that you’ve picked the lawyer who’s right for you.
We get it.
It’s why we offer a free first consultation to all new clients. You can use this time to ask some general questions, work out whether your lawyer understands your situation and get a feel for how best to resolve your family law issues.
Prompt Assistance for Your Matter
We go out of our way to ensure that we provide you with prompt assistance with your family law matter to ensure that you can recover as quick as possible and move on with your life.
To assist you in this difficult time, we will listen to your needs and provide you with a free consultation to help answer all your general family law questions so that you can make informed decisions moving forward.
Our family law services
We provide services in all areas of family law, to clients with many different backgrounds and needs. So, when you engage us, you can feel confident that you’ll get excellent family law advice.
Divorce
A divorce is legally known as dissolution of marriage. The Australian divorce system is no fault, meaning that spouses don’t have to prove that the relationship broke down because of the other person’s conduct.
Divorce Requirements
Before you can get a divorce, you must be able to show the marriage has broken down with no chance of reconciliation. You must also show that you’ve been legally separated for at least 12 months.
Getting a divorce in NSW With a Family Lawyer
If you’re getting divorced, you’ll need an experienced family law specialist to make sure the process is as quick as possible, with the least cost and with the best result.
Same-sex divorce in Australia
On 9 December 2017, same-sex marriage became legal in Australia. This change in the law now means that same-sex married couples can legally divorce. If you and your same-sex spouse are divorcing, we can help. Our gay and lesbian divorce lawyers have extensive experience in family law issues.
Property and financial issues
Working out how to split property and money can be one of the most challenging things about separation and divorce. We’ll do our best to make sure you get your fair share.
De facto relationships and property rights
De facto relationship rights under Australian family law are different from the rights of married couples. When you and your de facto partner separate, your property rights depend on the length of your relationship, whether you have any children together and other factors.
Spousal maintenance
Spousal support is often a crucial issue for separating or divorcing couples, especially if there’s a big gap between incomes and the future earning abilities of the parties. If spousal maintenance is an issue in your separation or divorce, get help from the top family lawyers in Sydney. That’s us.
Property settlement mediations
Mediation for property settlements can help you and your former partner work out how to divide your property without the expense of going to court. We’ll help you work out what’s right for your situation and we’ll do our best to make sure you get a great result.
Parenting and Children
Parenting issues are a big part of family law and negotiating arrangements for your children can be more stressful than any other aspect of the family legal system. We’ll provide you with the best support and the right advice.
Consent Orders and Financial Agreements
Sometimes, separated couples can agree on how their children should divide their time. When this happens, it’s useful to ask a court to make orders, so the agreement becomes legally enforceable. There are also binding financial agreements. We’ll give you advice on the financial agreement which best suits you.
Child Support
The Child Support Agency usually assesses child support payments, but not all assessments are appropriate. If you think your assessment is unfair, we can help you sort it out.
Grandparent’s rights
The rights of grandparents is an increasingly common family law issue, especially when grandparents are prevented from visiting grandchildren.
We’ll help you sort out your grand parenting issues.
Surrogacy
Surrogacy is one of the most complicated areas in Australian family law. Before you enter into a surrogacy arrangement, it’s critical to get specialised legal advice. You need to understand your obligations and rights.
Our family solicitors will answer all your questions, in clear language.
Affordable & Dedicated Family Solicitors in Sydney
It’s a big decision to instruct a family lawyer. When your family life is uncertain, using a lawyer can seem a significant financial risk.
But it’s not a risk. It’s an investment.
An investment in your wellbeing and your family’s future. Even so, money is money. That’s why we’re different from many 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 perfectly. For further flexibility, we’ve designed various billing models.
Event billing
We bill you whenever there’s a particular event. You know in advance how much we’ll charge and which events will trigger a bill.
Time interval billing
Costs are calculated on time spent (usually an hourly rate). We’ll tell you in advance of our hourly rates and give you an estimate of the costs.
Fixed-rate fees
We give you an upfront quote for a task. That’s what we’ll charge, regardless of the amount of time it takes us to complete the task.
Frequently Asked Questions
💰 How much will it cost to engage a family lawyer?
An average cost of a family lawyer will generally be between $300 to $450 plus GST an hour depending on the lawyer’s experience. Legal fees are front-of-mind for many clients. They’re often a source of stress. Once we understand your situation and your legal needs, we’ll give you a written cost estimate, and we’ll keep you informed of your costs throughout your entire matter.
❓ How do I choose a family solicitor?
Take as much time as you need to choose a family lawyer. Having the right lawyer is an essential part of getting the best result for you and your loved ones. We recommend that you choose a family lawyer who:
– Listens carefully
– Takes the time to understand your situation and wishes
– Communicates with you in plain, easy to understand language
– Clearly explains the legal concepts and processes
– Has expertise in similar family law issues
It’s not easy to make this assessment in a short discussion, that’s why we offer a free first consultation where we take the time to listen to you and understand your matter entirely. You can then meet with one of our family lawyers in Sydney, face-to-face, ask the tough questions and get some useful advice. Then you can decide whether we’re right for you.
📚 What should I bring to my first consultation with a family solicitor?
Bring with you any documents which are relevant to your divorce or child custody matter. If you have received any correspondence or court documents from another solicitor, make sure to bring these documents with you.
It may be challenging to work this out, so when you make your appointment, ask what documents you should bring in. We’ll give you some guidance before the appointment. Once we understand your situation, we’ll give you a more detailed list of the documents needed. Please also bring something to take notes, for example, a pen and paper, an iPad or another device.
🕗 When should I make an appointment to see a family solicitor?
As a general rule, it’s best to make an appointment with us as soon as you’re aware of a family law issue. For example, if you know that you’re about to separate from your partner, you can make an appointment, even though you haven’t yet separated.
👩💼 Do I need to have a lawyer, or can I represent myself?
There’s no legal requirement for you to engage a family lawyer. Even if the case is likely to go to court, you can represent yourself. However, most people benefit from specialist legal advice. We encourage you to make an appointment. You can use our free first consultation to work out whether you wish to engage us as your lawyers or not.
👩⚖️ How do I avoid my case going to court?
Couples may avoid court by trying to reach an agreement between themselves. Often, this can happen with the help of their lawyers. They may use mediation and Family Dispute Resolution to reach an agreement. Sometimes an independent person is used to help the parties resolve their issues. This person is known as a mediator.
If a family law issue can’t be resolved, sometimes one or both parties will apply to a court to decide. A court will do this after hearing evidence, weighing up the opinions of experts and considering the legal requirements.
We will explore with you whether it’s possible to settle your family matter without going to court.
⏳ How long will it take to finalise my family matter?
The time it takes to finalise your family law matter depends on many things, for example:
– How much you and your former partner can agree
– How quickly you’re able to reach agreement
– How many documents you can provide
– How quickly you can provide your instructions
We’ll discuss time estimates with you at our first consultation.