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
Craigieburn, VIC · Northern Melbourne
Lampe Family Lawyers provides legal services in Craigieburn, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Property & Conveyancing.
NSW · Canberra
Mahons with Yuncken & Yuncken Lawyers provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Epping, VIC · Northern Melbourne
Mahons with Yuncken & Yuncken Lawyers provides legal services in Epping, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Capalaba, QLD · Brisbane South & Logan
McCormick Family Law provides legal services in Capalaba, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Wills & Estates.
Waurn Ponds, VIC · Geelong & Surf Coast
Michael K Lawyers provides legal services in Waurn Ponds, VIC. Listed practice areas include Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Family Law and Notary Public & JP Services.
Drayton, QLD · Toowoomba & Darling Downs
Mitchell Lawyers provides legal services in Drayton, QLD. Listed practice areas include Partner & Family Visas, Family Law and Parenting & Child Custody.
NSW · Wide Bay-Burnett
Morton & Morton Solicitors provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Personal Injury.
Eli Waters, QLD · Wide Bay-Burnett
Morton & Morton Solicitors provides legal services in Eli Waters, QLD. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Personal Injury.
North Ward, QLD · Townsville & North Queensland
NQ Legal provides legal services in North Ward, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Roma, QLD · Toowoomba & Darling Downs
On Call Lawyers Australia provides legal services in Roma, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Melbourne, VIC · Melbourne CBD
Oxen Lawyers provides legal services in Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Joondalup, WA · Perth North
Perth Family Law Centre provides legal services in Joondalup, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Binding Financial Agreements.
Richmond, NSW · Western Sydney
Rafton Family Lawyers provides legal services in Richmond, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Property & Conveyancing.
Southport, QLD · Gold Coast
Reardon Family Lawyers provides legal services in Southport, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Parenting & Child Custody.
Ballarat Central, VIC · Ballarat & Central Highlands
Relationships Australia Victoria provides legal services in Ballarat Central, VIC. Listed practice areas include Mediation & Dispute Resolution, Health & Medical Practitioner Law and Family Law.
Ballina, NSW · Northern Rivers
S P Lawyers Ballina provides legal services in Ballina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Parenting & Child Custody.
Parramatta, NSW · Western Sydney
Sarah Bevan Family Lawyers provides legal services in Parramatta, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
NSW · Northern Melbourne
Sarah Jefford - Family Lawyer provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Surrogacy & Adoption, Family Law and Parenting & Child Custody.
Warners Bay, NSW · Newcastle & Hunter
Sharon Moore Solicitors provides legal services in Warners Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Probate & Estate Administration.
Parramatta, NSW · Western Sydney
Sharon Payne Family Lawyers Parramatta provides legal services in Parramatta, NSW. Listed practice areas include Mediation & Dispute Resolution, Family Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Torquay, VIC · Geelong & Surf Coast
Springwood Lawyers provides legal services in Torquay, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Mediation & Dispute Resolution.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Springwood Lawyers provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Mediation & Dispute Resolution.
Sunbury, VIC · Northern Melbourne
Sunbury Law Pty Ltd provides legal services in Sunbury, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Probate & Estate Administration.
Heatherbrae, NSW · Newcastle & Hunter
Terrace Care provides legal services in Heatherbrae, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Parenting & Child Custody.
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.