I read a line of Liane Moriarity’s book – 9 Perfect Strangers – and something resonated with me – “each obligation on its own seemed laughably easy. It was the sheer volume that threatened to bury her”. That statement just sums up nicely the mental load that is being a working parent to three young children, a business owner, a boss and a masters student. It’s not all the small tasks, it’s the culmination of

One of the more common enquiries received at Coastal Lawyers is about children’s views. Parents often want to know, how children’s views taken into account in a family law matter and another common question is how old does a child have to be before their views are taken into account? We explore the views of the children in family law matters below. Best Interests of the Child is always the starting point. In a family

Parenting Arrangements – What Are My Options? Navigating the break down of a relationship or a marriage is stressful. But like anything, when you add kids into the mix it can become even more complicated. You might have heard that there are a few different kinds of parenting arrangements that can be put in place after the breakdown of a relationship.  You might have had well meaning advice from others who have walked the path

Here are our top 6 frequently asked questions (FAQs) at Coastal Lawyers. Well the first is ‘where do you find all our memes?” but that’s another post. 😉⠀But the ones related to the work we do as lawyers are by far the following: What areas of law do you do? ⠀ We represent clients in all aspects of criminal law, traffic law and family law. ⠀ Do you do Legal Aid work? Yes. We are

FINES There’s a (New) Fine Line for Those Doing it Tough need a central coast traffic lawyer? There is a (new) fine line for those doing it tough On 1 July 2020, NSW rolled out a new policy enabling persons supported by social security and experiencing financial hardship to have their fines halved. Am I eligible?Anyone who receives a Centrelink payment is eligible to be assessed and in case you’re wondering, yep – this includes

Ending a relationship, whether that be a separation or a divorce, can be a pretty rough time – personally and financially. “I get by with a little help from my friends – Relationships Australia”  Not sure what to do or what to expect when going through a separation? Make sure you check out Relationships Australia. Oh, and don’t forget to check out our blog post on The D Word….. Divorce too! So who are Relationship’s

The very recent High Court case of Clayton v Bant [2020] HCA 44 has confirmed that Australian Courts have the powerto hear a claim in certain circumstances where there has been a foreign divorce. This big development has changed the landscape of family law in Australia. Why you ask?Well, the law has this tricky rule which stops a court from hearing a matter which has already been dealt with by a court (not including appeals).  The decision in Clayton v Bant is an exception to this

The new year is the perfect time to set all sorts of goals including financial goals.     So if you have recently separated or are just looking for a way to watch your spending or save for that special occasion (maybe we can all travel again soon), then we are absolutely loving and highly recommend the Money Brilliant App.     What it is and how much does it cost?     The Money

Whatever your views on swearing, and lets face it society has come a long way. The law still considers that swearing in certain circumstances is a criminal offence. What is the Offence? Offensive language is prohibited in or near a public place or school under Section 4A of the Summary Offences Act NSW 1988. What is the Penalty? The maximum penalty for offensive language is a $660 fine (6 penalty units) or a community correction

We saw this fantastic image on Facebook and we just love it! As a former prosecutor and police officer now with 3 little ones, body safety is HUGE on our house. We have regularly discussed whether it is the vicarious trauma from cases which we have been involved with but in reality it is just teaching your children that it’s okay to be empowered when it comes to their own bodies. It is their body

Strategic Imbalance ✌️ ☮️ I was listening to a podcast last night about ‘strategic imbalance’ and let me tell you. I am all about it! There is so much focus in our modern world (particularly on mums) to have “balance”. I mean of course we have to balance work, home, kids, social life, exercise, eating right and doing all of the things and make sure that every area of life is in perfect flow at

“Friendly” and “Caring”. Two traits I pride myself on as a human being and as a lawyer. When you come to see a lawyer, whether it is for a criminal law or a family law matter, you have to discuss really personal things. I get to know my clients life story, relationship history and personal details about their life and finances. The lawyer/client relationship is one built on trust. Trust can only be established when