Family & Relationships · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
19 divorce & separation firms in Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches, New South Wales, including Chatswood, North Sydney, Hornsby, Manly.
19 firms
Chatswood, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Yorkins Legal & Conveyancing provides legal services in Chatswood, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Divorce formally ends a marriage. Parenting arrangements, property and financial support are separate issues, so ask which applications or agreements your circumstances require. Check eligibility, documents and dates before applying.
Ending the marriage does not itself divide property or settle parenting arrangements. Property applications generally need to be made within 12 months after a divorce becomes final; obtain advice about the deadline and any exception that may apply.
Divorce is based on the breakdown of the marriage, rather than fault. The FCFCOA removed the counselling-certificate requirement for applicants married less than two years from 10 June 2025. Check the current application process with the relevant court; Western Australia has its own Family Court.
Understand the next step
Ending a marriage and resolving parenting or financial arrangements are different tasks. Ask the lawyer to explain which applications or agreements you actually need and the sequence in which to address them.
Make sure a fixed divorce fee is not being mistaken for advice about dividing assets or arrangements for children.
This search area brings together North Shore and Northern Beaches centres. For a property purchase, family matter or estate, compare the actual office location rather than assuming every firm is close to your suburb.
For divorce & separation, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant NSW experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches. Your home address alone does not determine the applicable process.
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.
In New South Wales, most criminal and minor civil matters start in the Local Court, with more serious matters in the District Court and Supreme Court. Tenancy, strata, consumer and guardianship disputes usually go to NCAT. Solicitors are licensed by the Law Society of New South Wales, and complaints about lawyers go to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner.
Good to know
Yes. You can be separated while still living in the same home, but you'll need extra evidence, usually affidavits, to show the relationship had ended.
Once filed, a divorce order usually becomes final one month and one day after it's granted. The overall time depends on court scheduling and whether there are children under 18.
Milsons Point, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Dorter Family Lawyers & Mediators provides legal services in Milsons Point, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Balgowlah Heights, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Shipton & Associates provides legal services in Balgowlah Heights, NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Family Law and Property & Conveyancing.
Manly, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
MCB Lawyers provides legal services in Manly, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Balgowlah, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
De Saxe O'Neill Family Lawyers provides legal services in Balgowlah, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Lane Cove, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Fuentes Legal provides legal services in Lane Cove, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Mediation & Dispute Resolution.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Movement Legal provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Binding Financial Agreements and Property & Conveyancing.
Chatswood, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Orbell Family Lawyers Central Coast provides legal services in Chatswood, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Modern Family Law Solutions provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Chatswood, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Chatswood Family Lawyers provides legal services in Chatswood, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Binding Financial Agreements.
Hornsby, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Watts McCray Lawyers Hornsby provides legal services in Hornsby, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Business & Commercial Law and Health & Medical Practitioner Law.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Dorter Family Lawyers & Mediators provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Brookvale, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Reid Family Lawyers provides legal services in Brookvale, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Property & Conveyancing.
Chatswood, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
IATLawyer provides legal services in Chatswood, NSW. Listed practice areas include Immigration & Visas, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Lindfield, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Blackman Amanda provides legal services in Lindfield, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Wills & Estates.
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.
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.
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.
Hornsby, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Miller Noyce provides legal services in Hornsby, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
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.
Most matters start in the Local Court. More serious cases go to the District Court or the Supreme Court of NSW. Family law matters are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Practising certificates in New South Wales are managed by the Law Society of New South Wales. You can check a solicitor's status on its public register or by contacting it directly.