Relationship property refers to any property gained or used during a relationship. You can make agreements dealing with how you want your relationship property to be managed during or after your marriage, civil union or de facto relationship such as in the case of divorce, separation or death. This agreement can be made at any stage of the relationship.
For more information about relationship property please take a look at our Property Law page.
Trusts & Wills
Trusts are a method of handling and protecting your property and any other assets you have. A trust can be set up to benefit your family.
A will is a legal document which gives instructions of how your property will be handled when you die as well as how you want your family to be taken care of. If you die without a will then usually, your property will be given to your surviving spouse and/or to your immediate family members. If you have a specific wish of how your property should be handled, then sorting out your will is important.
Child Custody /Care of Children
During a divorce or separation then the issue of who get child custody is an important matter to deal with.
There are generally three options here: either the parents can make an agreement on their own to determine custody (having the arrangement in writing would be beneficial); or sorting out an arrangement with lawyers (we can help negotiate and document the terms of the agreement); or go to the Family Court for a Parenting Order.
Adoption or Guardianship
Depending on your situation, our team at Surani Associates can advise you wither adoption or guardianship will work best for you.
Adption is the legal substitution of a child existing biological parents. With adoption, there are a lot of legal formalities to go through and this can be a long and sometimes complicated process. Every adoption needs to be approved and is overseen by Child, Youth and Family.
Domestic Violence/Family Harm
The unfortunate reality is that approximate 1 in 4 women will experience some form of domestic harm/family violence in their lifetime. Surani Associates understands that family harm can be difficult and terrifying to deal with. So, we aim to share this stress and discomfort with you by giving you the best possible support as well as the best possible legal advice to help you through this difficult time.
Family violence/includes emotional abuse, financial abuse as well as physical violence (this includes strangulation and various forms of assault) and sexual violence. Sexual violence can include stalking and harassment as well as various other forms of sexual harm. Many forms of sexual violence are a crime, such as: sexual violation, sexual connection with consent induced by certain threats, indecent act/assaults, sexual connections with minors, rape.
Family violence is never acceptable, and we can refer to you support services if you require extra emotional assistance.
