So you finally got some court orders about your child’s right to spend time with you. But what happens when the other parent is withholding the children with excuses and parenting orders are breached? This was looked at in the recent case of Raki & Perez Varela (2018) Background of Raki v Perez case Parties …
Custody

Parental Alienation in Australia To see how the Family Law Courts treat parental alienation, here is a summary of a case recently decided where custody was changed: (Lankester & Cribb [2018] FamCAFC 60 (6 April 2018) This was a case of severe alienation of the child against the father where the mother simply could not …

Can you use recordings in a family law dispute? The use of smart phones has made it easier for parties in family law proceedings to secretly obtain audio and video recordings as evidence to be used in their family law cases Each of the States has their own legislation in relation to recordings. For example, …

Use (and abuse) of social media is becoming more prevalent in court cases including in family law cases. Evidence in Court Cases Evidence obtained via social media is becoming increasingly common in family law proceedings. Evidence obtained from sources such as Facebook and Twitter can sometimes provide beneficial (and conversely sometimes very damaging) evidence for …

If you are looking at moving abroad with your child after divorce then this blog is for you. What happens when the parents are separated and don’t agree? The High Court of Australia has recently confirmed that children’s wishes although relevant, are not the only deciding factor in parenting cases. In the recent case of a …

Help! My ex-partner has kidnapped our child! Will the police help? The short answer is no. Clients often come to us stating that their partner has taken the child and that the police won’t help. In most instances a parent taking a child is not considered ‘kidnapping’ which is normally a term applied to the …

A common question I hear from family law clients is: I have recently separated from my partner and I wish to have equal time with the children. How do I get equal care of the children? It is not an “automatic right” of the parent to get equal care. Rather it is a right of …
