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
Lawyers Plus provides legal services in Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Criminal Law.
Malvern, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Lopes Family Law provides legal services in Malvern, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Divorce & Separation.
Albury, NSW · Riverina & Murray
Paige Legal Pty Ltd provides legal services in Albury, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Divorce & Separation.
Lismore, NSW · Northern Rivers
S P Lawyers Ballina provides legal services in Lismore, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Mediation & Dispute Resolution.
Subiaco, WA · Perth CBD
Brightside Family Law provides legal services in Subiaco, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Divorce & Separation.
Heidelberg, VIC · Northern Melbourne
Thompson Norrie Solicitors provides legal services in Heidelberg, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Perth, WA · Perth CBD
Wise Family Lawyers provides legal services in Perth, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Wills & Estates.
Ringwood, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Brendan H Hardiman & Associates provides legal services in Ringwood, VIC. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Family Law and Property & Conveyancing.
Buderim, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Bridges Family Law Specialists provides legal services in Buderim, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Canberra, ACT · Canberra
Chapman & Smyth Family Law provides legal services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Divorce & Separation.
Frenchs Forest, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Divorce.com.au provides legal services in Frenchs Forest, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Domestic Violence & AVOs.
Mount Waverley, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Hartleys Lawyers provides legal services in Mount Waverley, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Sanctuary Point, NSW · South Coast
Marriott Oliver provides legal services in Sanctuary Point, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Torquay, VIC · Geelong & Surf Coast
Randall Bell Lawyer provides legal services in Torquay, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Property & Conveyancing.
Joondalup, WA · Perth North
Reader Lawyers & Mediators provides legal services in Joondalup, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Wangaratta, VIC · Hume & North East
Thompson Southern Law Practice provides legal services in Wangaratta, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Wills & Estates.
Lismore, NSW · Northern Rivers
Universal Legal Recoveries provides legal services in Lismore, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Notary Public & JP Services and Property & Conveyancing.
Brisbane City, QLD · Brisbane CBD
Wallace Perkins Family Law provides legal services in Brisbane City, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Mediation & Dispute Resolution.
Campbelltown, NSW · Western Sydney
ADL SOLICITORS provides legal services in Campbelltown, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Bardon, QLD · Brisbane CBD
Alternative Dispute Resolution Services Pty Ltd provides legal services in Bardon, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Nambour, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Andrew Douglas Solicitors provides legal services in Nambour, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Applecross, WA · Perth South
Anthony R Clarke & Associates provides legal services in Applecross, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Family Property Settlement.
Ringwood, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Astute Conveyancing provides legal services in Ringwood, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Kawungan, QLD · Wide Bay-Burnett
Australian Breastfeeding Association provides legal services in Kawungan, QLD. Listed practice areas include Partner & Family Visas, Health & Medical Practitioner Law and Family 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.