If you have been charged with any of the following offences, please contact us immediately for legal advice.
It is better if issues can be resolved through discussions, mediation, counselling, negotiation or arbitration rather than through the Family Court.
There are also certain pre-action procedures set out by the Family Court which encourage parties to try to reach an agreement on disputes rather than resorting to legal action. Parties are expected to comply with these steps where possible before making an application to the court.
However if parties have tried to discuss their issues with each other but cannot reach an agreement or for reasons such as family violence negotiation is not a viable option they may need to file an application in the Family Court of Western Australia to seek Final Court Orders.
Exemptions to pre-action procedures is possible in some cases and we can advise on this option.
Cathryn Ng and Noeleen Robinson can also assist clients with all aspects of Violence Restraining Order proceedings and all criminal charges which in our experience often arise during family breakdowns.
We are very experienced in all criminal law matters and in Family Law matters where there are allegations of violence, or serious allegations such as sexual offences, or drug and alcohol charges or aggravated assault we are very well positioned to advise and represent clients throughout their criminal court proceedings as well.
We recommend that clients who intend to file an application in the Family Court or are already involved in Family Court proceedings make an appointment with us to obtain detailed legal advice as soon as possible.
This is because there are many legal issues to consider prior to drafting court documents and sometimes obtaining the right advice at an early stage will avoid further conflict between the parties and may even lead to a swift resolution by consent.
In your initial appointment we will generally cover topics such as the duty of both parties to make full and frank disclosure in financial cases, the contributions of each party to the accrual of assets during their relationship, whether existing or proposed parenting arrangements are in the best interests of the children, whether spousal maintenance or adult child maintenance is needed, whether a proposed property settlement is reasonable, how to prepare for court proceedings, how to file an application for divorce and many other topics.
In some cases after your appointment you may feel enabled to continue with your application as a self represented litigant thereby avoiding ongoing legal costs.
However if you decide to retain legal representation during your Family Court proceedings our experienced lawyers will be pleased to assist you with every aspect of your case.