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
E-LAW Legal provides legal services in Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Gatton, QLD · Ipswich
Emmerson Legal & Accounting provides legal services in Gatton, QLD. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Tweed Heads, NSW · Northern Rivers
Family Law Gold Coast provides legal services in Tweed Heads, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Family Property Settlement and Property & Conveyancing.
Varsity Lakes, QLD · Gold Coast
Family Law Gold Coast provides legal services in Varsity Lakes, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Family Property Settlement and Property & Conveyancing.
West Perth, WA · Perth CBD
Fort Knox Legal provides legal services in West Perth, WA. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Planning & Environment and Probate & Estate Administration.
Melbourne, VIC · Melbourne CBD
Freeman Family Law provides legal services in Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gibson John F. Solicitor provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Gloria Family Law provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Balwyn, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Grice Legal provides legal services in Balwyn, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Frankston, VIC · South East Melbourne
Hayes & Associates provides legal services in Frankston, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Divorce & Separation.
Melbourne, VIC · Melbourne CBD
Hercules Constan provides legal services in Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Perth, WA · Perth CBD
Holden Barlow provides legal services in Perth, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Kew, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Hugh Bowers Barrister & Solicitor provides legal services in Kew, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and De Facto Relationships.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Iconveyancing.com.au provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Planning & Environment.
Darwin City, NT · Darwin & Palmerston
Infinity Legal provides legal services in Darwin City, NT. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Brookvale, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Jacqueline Townsend Solicitor provides legal services in Brookvale, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Property & Conveyancing.
Endeavour Hills, VIC · South East Melbourne
Just Family Law - Family Lawyers Dandenong provides legal services in Endeavour Hills, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Sydney, NSW · Sydney CBD
Justice Family Lawyers provides legal services in Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Bowen, QLD · Mackay & Whitsundays
Kahler Lawyers provides legal services in Bowen, QLD. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Property & Conveyancing and Family Law.
Sydney, NSW · Sydney CBD
Kate Austin Family Lawyers provides legal services in Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Wantirna South, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Knox Family Law Specialist provides legal services in Wantirna South, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Property & Conveyancing.
NSW · Illawarra & Wollongong
L D Lawyers provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Estate Planning & Testamentary Trusts.
Melbourne, VIC · Melbourne CBD
Lampe Family Lawyers provides legal services in Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Property & Conveyancing.
Point Cook, VIC · Western Melbourne
Lampe Family Lawyers provides legal services in Point Cook, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Property & Conveyancing.
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.