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
Melbourne, VIC · Melbourne CBD
Schetzer Constantinou provides legal services in Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Property & Conveyancing.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Catton & Tondelstrand Lawyers provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and De Facto Relationships.
Ballina, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gibson John F. Solicitor provides legal services in Ballina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Morwell, VIC · Gippsland
Victoria Legal Aid provides legal services in Morwell, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Domestic Violence & AVOs and Parenting & Child Custody.
Adelaide, SA · Adelaide CBD
Angela Ferdinandy provides legal services in Adelaide, SA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Family Property Settlement and Property & Conveyancing.
Bankstown, NSW · Southern Sydney
J P O'Neill provides legal services in Bankstown, NSW. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Firearms & Licensing Matters and Property & Conveyancing.
Melbourne, VIC · Melbourne CBD
Sayer Jones provides legal services in Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Geelong, VIC · Geelong & Surf Coast
Victoria Legal Aid provides legal services in Geelong, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Domestic Violence & AVOs and Parenting & Child Custody.
Mornington, VIC · Mornington Peninsula
Lawyers By The Bay provides legal services in Mornington, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Wills & Estates.
Southport, QLD · Gold Coast
Cudmore Legal Family Lawyers Brisbane Co provides legal services in Southport, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Property & Conveyancing.
Perth, WA · Perth CBD
Leach Legal - Family Lawyers Perth provides legal services in Perth, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Property & Conveyancing.
Wollongong, NSW · Illawarra & Wollongong
DGB Lawyers provides legal services in Wollongong, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Criminal Law.
Stirling, WA · Perth North
Thomson Family Lawyers provides legal services in Stirling, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Mount Gravatt East, QLD · Brisbane South & Logan
Wellners Lawyers provides legal services in Mount Gravatt East, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Divorce & Separation.
Neilson Law provides legal services in Bundall, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Sydney, NSW · Sydney CBD
Dimocks Family Lawyers provides legal services in Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Property & Conveyancing.
Railway Estate, QLD · Townsville & North Queensland
Turnbull Cameron provides legal services in Railway Estate, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Probate & Estate Administration.
Busselton, WA · South West
Cape to Cape Lawyers Busselton office provides legal services in Busselton, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
Narre Warren, VIC · South East Melbourne
Silk Legal provides legal services in Narre Warren, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Parenting & Child Custody.
Cairns City, QLD · Cairns & Far North
UNIVERSAL LAWYERS Pty Ltd provides legal services in Cairns City, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Criminal Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Ipswich, QLD · Ipswich
Bushnell & Power Lawyers provides legal services in Ipswich, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Immigration & Visas.
Proserpine, QLD · Mackay & Whitsundays
Crosby Brosnan & Creen provides legal services in Proserpine, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Wills & Estates.
NSW · Mallee
MYRIALLAKIS AND ASSOCIATES PTY LTD provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Criminal Law and Domestic Violence & AVOs.
Southport, QLD · Gold Coast
Pullos Lawyers provides legal services in Southport, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Divorce & Separation.
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.