Family & Relationships
Family lawyers advise on separation, parenting arrangements, property division and divorce.
A family lawyer's early advice shapes everything that follows: what a fair property split looks like for your circumstances, how parenting time is likely to be arranged, and which steps must happen before court. Most matters resolve through negotiation or mediation, with consent orders making the agreement binding.
Separation affects where children live, the home, super and future finances. Decisions made in the first months, often informally, can shape the final outcome, so early advice avoids costly mistakes.
Family law is federal. The Family Law Act 1975 governs parenting and property for married and most de facto couples, heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, except in Western Australia, where the Family Court of WA hears these matters. Parenting disputes usually require family dispute resolution before court.
Family Law firms in the directory
2,444 firms
Browns Plains, QLD · Brisbane South & Logan
Wheldon Solicitors provides legal services in Browns Plains, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Ziman & Ziman Solicitors provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Property & Conveyancing and Notary Public & JP Services.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Australian Law Group provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Personal Injury, Property & Conveyancing and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Townsville City, QLD · Townsville & North Queensland
BJH LAW PTY LTD provides legal services in Townsville City, QLD. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Surfers Paradise, QLD · Gold Coast
BJH LAW PTY LTD provides legal services in Surfers Paradise, QLD. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Haymarket, NSW · Sydney CBD
Buttar, Caldwell & Co. provides legal services in Haymarket, NSW. Listed practice areas include Contract Law, Personal Injury and Business & Commercial Law.
Deakin, ACT · Canberra
Campbell & Co. Lawyers provides legal services in Deakin, ACT. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Family Law and Probate & Estate Administration.
Sydney, NSW · Sydney CBD
CANARY LEGAL provides legal services in Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Family Law and Property & Conveyancing.
Buderim, QLD · Sunshine Coast
ConroyLaw provides legal services in Buderim, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Domestic Violence & AVOs and Wills & Estates.
Petrie, QLD · Brisbane North & Moreton Bay
Cudmore Legal Family Lawyers Brisbane Co provides legal services in Petrie, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Property & Conveyancing.
Surry Hills, NSW · Sydney CBD
Cunningham Legal provides legal services in Surry Hills, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Bunbury, WA · South West
DK Family Legal provides legal services in Bunbury, WA. Listed practice areas include Family Law.
Bendigo, VIC · Bendigo & Loddon
Ellinghaus Weill provides conveyancing services in Bendigo, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Wills & Estates.
Bella Vista, NSW · Hills District
Guardian Solicitors & Conveyancers provides legal services in Bella Vista, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Debt Recovery.
Traralgon, VIC · Gippsland
Henry Street Law provides legal services in Traralgon, VIC. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Family Law and Property & Conveyancing.
Launceston, TAS · Launceston & North
Jason Parker Legal provides legal services in Launceston, TAS. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Wills & Estates.
Parramatta, NSW · Western Sydney
JB Solicitors provides legal services in Parramatta, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Employment Law and Wills & Estates.
Melbourne, VIC · Melbourne CBD
Justice Family Lawyers provides legal services in Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
Darwin City, NT · Darwin & Palmerston
K E Roussos and Associates Barristers and Solicitors provides legal services in Darwin City, NT. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Wills & Estates and Traffic Offences.
Glen Waverley, VIC · Eastern Melbourne
Kohli & Co Lawyers provides legal services in Glen Waverley, VIC. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Wills & Estates and Traffic Offences.
NSW · Newcastle & Hunter
LMC Lawyers provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Property & Conveyancing.
Penrith, NSW · Western Sydney
Mannion Lawyers provides legal services in Penrith, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and International Family Law & Hague Abduction.
Batemans Bay, NSW · South Coast
Mannion Lawyers provides legal services in Batemans Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and International Family Law & Hague Abduction.
Rosebud, VIC · Mornington Peninsula
Moreheads Lawyers provides legal services in Rosebud, VIC. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Property & Conveyancing.
Understand the next step
Start by separating immediate arrangements from longer-term decisions. A family-law consultation can identify whether parenting, finances, divorce or personal safety requires a separate step, and who should advise on each.
A general family-law engagement should specify which issues it covers rather than promising to resolve every consequence of separation.
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
Consent orders are an agreement about parenting or property that the court makes into formal, enforceable orders without a hearing. Both parties must agree and sign.
Most family matters are resolved without a trial. Court becomes necessary when negotiation fails, when there is urgency, or when safety is at risk.
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.
