Family & Relationships
Parenting lawyers help separated parents agree on, or seek court orders for, where children live and how they spend time with each parent.
Australian courts decide parenting arrangements based on the child's best interests, with safety the first consideration. Parents can record an agreement in a parenting plan, which is flexible but not enforceable, or in consent orders, which are. A lawyer helps you understand what arrangements are realistic and how to present your case if agreement isn't possible.
Parenting arrangements shape children's daily lives for years. A clear, workable agreement reduces conflict and gives children stability.
Under the Family Law Act, the child's best interests are paramount and safety is the first consideration. 2024 reforms removed the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility, so each case turns on its own facts. Agreements can be recorded in a parenting plan or made binding as consent orders.
Parenting & Child Custody firms in the directory
561 firms
Blackburn, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Mahons with Yuncken & Yuncken Lawyers provides legal services in Blackburn, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Nunawading, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Mahons with Yuncken & Yuncken Lawyers provides legal services in Nunawading, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Frankston, VIC · South East Melbourne
Victoria Legal Aid provides legal services in Frankston, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Domestic Violence & AVOs and Parenting & Child Custody.
Brisbane City, QLD · Brisbane CBD
Bruce Dulley Family Lawyers provides legal services in Brisbane City, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Binding Financial Agreements.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Alex Mandry Family Lawyers Sunshine Coast provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Divorce & Separation.
Dandenong, VIC · South East Melbourne
Gale Family Law provides legal services in Dandenong, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Aspley, QLD · Brisbane North & Moreton Bay
KLM Solicitors Brisbane City provides legal services in Aspley, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Domestic Violence & AVOs.
Brisbane City, QLD · Brisbane CBD
KLM Solicitors Brisbane City provides legal services in Brisbane City, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Domestic Violence & AVOs.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Andrew Douglas Solicitors provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Pippa Colman Family Law provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Underwood, QLD · Brisbane South & Logan
Men's Legal Service provides legal services in Underwood, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Partner & Family Visas and Not-for-Profit & Charity Law.
Ringwood, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Victoria Legal Aid provides legal services in Ringwood, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Domestic Violence & AVOs and Parenting & Child Custody.
South Morang, VIC · Northern Melbourne
Mahons with Yuncken & Yuncken Lawyers provides legal services in South Morang, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Lismore, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gibson John F. Solicitor provides legal services in Lismore, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Dorter Family Lawyers & Mediators provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Camberwell, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Clancy & Triado provides legal services in Camberwell, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and De Facto Relationships.
Greenslopes, QLD · Brisbane South & Logan
Arora Legal Family Lawyers & Mediators provides legal services in Greenslopes, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Parenting & Child Custody.
Wollongong, NSW · Illawarra & Wollongong
Vietnam Veterans-Illawarra (Sub Branch) provides legal services in Wollongong, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Family Property Settlement.
Prospect, SA · Adelaide Metro
Matthew Mitchell Solicitors provides legal services in Prospect, SA. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Family Law and Criminal Law.
Brookvale, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Reid Family Lawyers provides legal services in Brookvale, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Property & Conveyancing.
Darlinghurst, NSW · Sydney CBD
Tiyce & Lawyers provides legal services in Darlinghurst, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Binding Financial Agreements.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Trianon Law provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Criminal Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Noosaville, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Cooroy Legal Centre provides legal services in Noosaville, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Parenting & Child Custody.
Coffs Harbour, NSW · Mid North Coast
Vincent Butcher Lawyers provides conveyancing services in Coffs Harbour, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Understand the next step
Describe the children’s current arrangements and the practical problem you want resolved. School, health, travel, communication and safety issues may need different discussions from a disagreement about time spent with each parent.
Ask how a proposed plan differs from a court order and what process would be required to record or change arrangements.
Explain the relationship history, current arrangements and outcome you want. Identify immediate concerns and provide every existing order or agreement.
Discuss negotiation and family dispute resolution. Parenting applications generally involve prior dispute resolution unless an exception applies; ask the lawyer to assess the appropriate process.
Ask how an agreement would be documented and implemented. Clarify who handles related transfers, finance and estate-planning work.
Ask for separate estimates for advice, negotiation, document preparation and court work. A fixed divorce-application fee does not necessarily cover parenting or financial disputes.
Ask for a written scope identifying the work you are authorising, the person responsible and when costs will be reviewed. If you only want advice on one step, say so before the firm begins wider work.
Highlight court dates, proposed travel or relocation and any planned property sale. Ask which time limits apply to your particular issues rather than assuming there is one deadline for everything.
Directory guidance updated 19 September 2026. General information to help you prepare for a conversation with a professional; not advice about your individual matter. Check current requirements with the relevant authority.
Good to know
No. The law focuses on the child's best interests. Equal time can be ordered where it suits the child, but there is no automatic starting point of equal time.
Relocating in a way that affects the other parent's time usually needs their agreement or a court order. Get advice before moving.
Not always. A simple divorce application can be filed online without one. It's worth getting advice before you apply if you have children, shared property or superannuation, because divorce starts the clock on time limits for property claims.
Married couples generally have 12 months from the date the divorce becomes final. De facto couples generally have two years from separation. After that you need the court's permission, which is not guaranteed.