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
Adelaide, SA · Adelaide CBD
Indigo Lawyers provides legal services in Adelaide, SA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, De Facto Relationships and Parenting & Child Custody.
Petrie, QLD · Brisbane North & Moreton Bay
Barton Family lawyers provides legal services in Petrie, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Wollongong, NSW · Illawarra & Wollongong
South Coast Family Law Group provides legal services in Wollongong, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Cleveland, QLD · Brisbane South & Logan
Cherry Family Lawyers Pty Ltd provides legal services in Cleveland, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Surrogacy & Adoption and Parenting & Child Custody.
Midland, WA · Perth East
Ds Family Law provides legal services in Midland, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, International Family Law & Hague Abduction and Parenting & Child Custody.
Darwin City, NT · Darwin & Palmerston
GRAYS LEGAL provides legal services in Darwin City, NT. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Family Law and Probate & Estate Administration.
Erina, NSW · Central Coast
Coastal Lawyers provides legal services in Erina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Criminal Law and Parenting & Child Custody.
Ballina, NSW · Northern Rivers
McVittie Legal provides legal services in Ballina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Divorce & Separation.
Coolangatta, QLD · Gold Coast
Palm Law Group provides legal services in Coolangatta, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Dee Why, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Wallen Family Law provides legal services in Dee Why, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Belconnen, ACT · Canberra
Yellow Legal provides legal services in Belconnen, ACT. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Dubbo, NSW · Central West & Orana
Mastronardi Legal provides legal services in Dubbo, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Mediation & Dispute Resolution.
Port Macquarie, NSW · Mid North Coast
Priest Legal provides legal services in Port Macquarie, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Ipswich, QLD · Ipswich
Best Wilson Buckley Family Law provides legal services in Ipswich, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Property & Conveyancing.
Margaret River, WA · South West
Cape to Cape Lawyers Busselton office provides legal services in Margaret River, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
Mount Pleasant, WA · Perth South
Biddulph & Turley provides legal services in Mount Pleasant, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Probate & Estate Administration.
Jandakot, WA · Perth South
Biddulph & Turley provides legal services in Jandakot, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Probate & Estate Administration.
Caloundra, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Ferrall & Co. Lawyers provides legal services in Caloundra, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Bundall, QLD · Gold Coast
Quinn Family Law provides legal services in Bundall, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Nowra, NSW · South Coast
Family First Lawyers provides legal services in Nowra, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Gosford, NSW · Central Coast
Family Law Partners provides legal services in Gosford, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Property & Conveyancing.
Mackay, QLD · Mackay & Whitsundays
Family Lawyers Mackay provides legal services in Mackay, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Binding Financial Agreements and Divorce & Separation.
Sawtell, NSW · Mid North Coast
Robson & Oliver Solicitors provides legal services in Sawtell, NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Family Law.
Lalor, VIC · Northern Melbourne
Mahons with Yuncken & Yuncken Lawyers provides legal services in Lalor, VIC. 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.