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Family law

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Parents paying a crushing price to protect their children from abuse

Legal aid fades even further away in Family Courts.

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Parents are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in protracted family law fights.

‘I will work until the day I die’: The crippling cost of family law fights

Eloise was forced to flee a husband who subjected her and their children to a “daily regime of coercive control”. The legal bills were crushing.

  • Michaela Whitbourn
More and more women are choosing to have a binding financial agreement, or BFA, known colloquially as a “prenup”, and the bank of mum and dad is one of the leading reasons why.
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The rise of prenups in Australia

More and more women are choosing to have a binding financial agreement, or BFA, known colloquially as a “prenup”, and the bank of mum and dad is one of the leading reasons why.

Lawyers say requests for advice about divorce peak in January and February.

‘Divorce season’: The surge in couples separating after the holidays

Lawyers say they receive a flurry of requests for advice about separation and divorce after couples spend extended periods together over summer.

  • Michaela Whitbourn
Lawyers are reporting growing demand for advice about child support. Proving paternity is a key battleground.

Warring parents, child support and the fight over DNA

Lawyers are reporting growing demand for advice about child support. Proving paternity is a key battleground.

  • Michaela Whitbourn
“Liking” negative comments on social media could have consequences in a family law fight, legal experts say.

How Instagram posts exposed a $100,000 lie in a family law fight

Social media is increasingly being used as evidence in court rows between separating couples, legal experts reveal.

  • Michaela Whitbourn
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Michael Tiyce and his schnauzer Ferdinand.

Who gets the pet – and other big changes for divorcing couples

Separating couples fighting in court over the family pet and the division of assets face a new legal landscape following landmark changes that started this week.

  • Michaela Whitbourn

I don’t hate my son’s killer. But I’ll never forgive him

Ken Marslew’s son, Michael, was only 18 when he was shot dead. Marslew turned the tragedy into positive change - and he’s not alone.

  • Dilvin Yasa
Japanese mother Komae Suzuki’s children have also fallen victim to child abduction.

Australia leads the way against Japanese child abductions

The Australian government has launched an unprecedented intervention in Japan’s domestic politics.

  • Eryk Bagshaw
When couples split, who gets to keep the pet? Australian family law is out of date, according to some legal experts.

Who keeps the fur baby?

Pets are treated as property under Australian family law, but some legal experts say change is needed, pointing to other countries that consider pet welfare in custody battles.

  • Jewel Topsfield