Sunshine Coast
Family lawyers help with separation, divorce, parenting arrangements and dividing property. Most matters settle through negotiation or mediation, with court as the last step.
82 firms
Gympie, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Power & Cartwright Solicitors provides legal services in Gympie, QLD. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Wills & Estates and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Trianon Law provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Criminal Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Noosaville, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Cooroy Legal Centre provides legal services in Noosaville, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Parenting & Child Custody.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Catton & Tondelstrand Lawyers provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and De Facto Relationships.
Nambour, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Go To Court Lawyers Woolloongabba provides legal services in Nambour, QLD. Listed practice areas include Drink & Drug Driving, Wills & Estates and Immigration & Visas.
Noosa Heads, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Cartwrights Lawyers provides legal services in Noosa Heads, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Wills & Estates.
Noosaville, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Candice Bell provides legal services in Noosaville, QLD. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Family Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Cooroy, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Cooroy Legal Centre provides legal services in Cooroy, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Parenting & Child Custody.
Eumundi, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Andrew Wallace Legal (AW Legal) provides legal services in Eumundi, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
JHK Legal Sunshine Coast provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Debt Recovery and Banking & Finance.
Gympie, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Jeffery Cuddihy & Joyce provides legal services in Gympie, QLD. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Bail Applications.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Sykes Pearson Miller provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Sykes Pearson Miller provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Wellners Lawyers provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Wills & Estates.
Mooloolaba, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Clear Path Family Law Sunshine Coast provides legal services in Mooloolaba, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Noosa Heads, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Rigby Cooke Lawyers provides legal services in Noosa Heads, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Family Law.
Noosaville, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Sykes Pearson Miller provides legal services in Noosaville, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Noosa Heads, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Sykes Pearson Miller provides conveyancing services in Noosa Heads, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Buderim, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Bridges Family Law Specialists provides legal services in Buderim, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
Noosa Heads, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Laguna Family Law provides legal services in Noosa Heads, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Wills & Estates.
Gympie, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Smith Criminal Law Sunshine Coast provides legal services in Gympie, QLD. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Traffic Offences and Drug Offences.
Nambour, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Andrew Douglas Solicitors provides legal services in Nambour, QLD. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Parenting & Child Custody.
NSW · Sunshine Coast
Andrew Wallace Legal (AW Legal) provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
Maroochydore, QLD · Sunshine Coast
Bell Miller Solicitors Maroochydore provides legal services in Maroochydore, QLD. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Family Law.
Family law in Australia is mostly federal. Parenting and property matters run under the Family Law Act and are heard in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, or the Family Court of Western Australia in WA. A good family lawyer will explain your likely outcome early, push for a negotiated agreement where it's safe to do so, and prepare you properly if a court hearing is needed. Where there is family violence, they can also help you get protection orders from your state's local or magistrates court.
Family breakdown is one of the most common reasons Australians need a lawyer, and decisions made early affect children and finances for years.
Family law is one of the few areas run federally, under the Family Law Act 1975, with separate protection order schemes in each state and a separate Family Court in Western Australia.
Understand the next step
Family matters often involve several decisions at once: living arrangements, children, immediate expenses, property and formally ending a marriage. A useful first consultation separates those issues and identifies what needs attention now. Tell the lawyer about safety concerns and existing orders before arranging discussions involving another person.
Maroochydore, Caloundra, Noosa and Nambour are grouped within the Sunshine Coast. Clients comparing firms should identify whether the work involves a personal matter, business interest or property held through an entity.
For family & relationships, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant QLD experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Sunshine Coast. 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.
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
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.
For parenting disputes, you usually need a certificate from a family dispute resolution practitioner before filing in court, unless an exception applies such as family violence or urgency.