• You may apply for a divorce 1 year after separation.

• No. It is a myth that you need to engage a lawyer for divorce, financial separation and parenting matters, in Australia.
• Some people can achieve an outcome with their partner without having to each engage a lawyer. Div-ide can help guide you to reach agreements with your partner and focus on moving on.

• When you require specific legal advice.
• After you have been to a mediator and been unsuccessful in reaching an outcome in property and/or parenting matters.
• If you wish your financial settlement to be documented in a binding financial agreement.
• If violence/abuse is an issue or possible issue.
• If there is a child custody dispute which cannot be resolved.

• A lawyer can only act for one party. So if one party wants to engage a lawyer, inevitably the other party ends up engaging a lawyer as well.
• The costs for lawyers vary dramatically, but figures quoted in the media sit around $60,000 for each party. Costs can range from $10,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars for each party.

• What is your hourly rate?
• Will you charge me to meet with you so I can make an initial assessment as to whether or not I want to engage you to assist with my financial settlement and/or parenting orders?
• How long do you think this will take?
• How much do you think this will cost?
• What is your specialty: financial, parenting or both?

If they cannot give you straight answers to these questions, then you may want to look elsewhere for a family lawyer or decide if you even need one.

Remember if you need a lawyer, your partner will usually need one as well, and they should be asking the same questions to protect your combined wealth.

• Each party will be required to personally guarantee their legal fees and each party is responsible for payment of their own legal fees, which may come out of your combined assets.
• Each party is reducing their assets by paying legal fees so the result is that the combined net assets to be allocated between the parties are reduced by the total legal fees that are paid by both parties.
• A lawyer can only act for one party. Therefore, one lawyer usually means two lawyers, one for each party.
• You may have a great, honest and ethical lawyer. But unless your partner hires a lawyer with a similar approach, the process may drag on and cost more.
• While a family lawyer can provide you with legal advice, the vast majority of their time will be spent requesting and collating information from you and your ex-partner, and corresponding between the various parties.
• You will be doing a lot of the work, as only you/your ex will have access to the information required to complete the financial settlement and parenting orders – eg
  • Bank statements
  • Superannuation statements
  • Mortgage statements
  • Credit card statements
  • Insurance policy information
  • Information relating to motor vehicles and other assets

• Beware of legal words and terminology from lawyers or on their website. It can be misleading and confusing so people think the process is so difficult that they must need a lawyer and they will be disadvantaged if they don’t engage one.

• They ‘promise’ clients an outcome which they cannot achieve nor guarantee – and whilst they will try, you will definitely pay for their time and effort.
• Like all lawyers, all correspondence is via letter, taking time and costing money.
• Lawyers may respond only in part to a letter from the other party’s lawyers, prompting more correspondence and cost.
• Lawyers may misrepresent communication between the parties to give the impression of continued angst between the parties.
• Lawyers may play on an individual’s fears, insecurities and lack of knowledge and provide false hope, at an extremely stressful time for you.
• How you do you know if you have a good or bad family lawyer? Even if you find a good/honest/ethical family lawyer, what if your ex-partner finds a bad one?

• Either party can terminate their legal representation at any time.
• Both parties would need to terminate their legal representation in order to go through the Divide process.
• Alternatively, Divide can be engaged to provide the required financial information to both lawyers to reduce costs.

• There are many variables that will affect the cost of your separation.
• Typical costs for Divide clients range between $5,000 and $9,000 (inclusive of our time, solicitor’s time to draft the documents and court lodgement costs) with the average being about $5,500, that is $2,750 for each party.
• Court lodgement costs are the same regardless of who lodges them.
• The more you do, the less it will cost you both.
• The longer it takes, the more it will cost you both.

• If you have been through the Div-ide process, we will have:
• • • If you cannot reach agreement our recommended next step would be to engage a Mediator and or lawyers, depending on the unresolved issues.
    • The information compiled and considered through the Div-ide process will be critical information for the Mediator or lawyers, together with your instructions regarding what has been agreed and where you are stuck. This process will cost less than if you each engaged lawyers from the outset, as it is costly for two lawyers to collate and interpret financial information.
      • Identified the assets and liabilities in the net asset pool to be divided.
      • Outlined the contributions of each of the parties – financial and non financial.
      • Considered/documented agreements as to how you have agreed to care for the children of the relationship.
      • Assessed/outlined the future needs and earning capacity of each of the parties.
      • If the only issue remaining that the couple cannot agree on is the percentage split, the mediator/lawyers/court will have access to the information collated by Div-ide.

• To be able to apply for a Divorce in Australia, at the date of filing at least one spouse must be:
  • An Australian citizen
  • Reside in Australia or
  • Resident in Australia for 12 months

• We have successfully completed settlements and assisted couples to lodge the required documents with the the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia in as little as a few days.
• The timing of the process is completely dependent on both parties’ ability to engage with us, provide information, and reach agreement.

• Of course. We are able to work with any family law professionals and mediators.
• The information collated through the Div-ide process will be critical information for your lawyers and will cost less to collate than if they were doing this work.
• We do not act for only one party, we provide support to both parties to allow them to reach an agreement. We can work with each party’s lawyers if that is the option you choose.

• Once you have agreed, the agreement is formalised by applying to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia for consent orders or entering into a financial agreement.
• If you agree on parenting arrangements, you can formalise your agreement by applying to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia for parenting orders.

• They are reviewed by a Registrar to ensure they are just and equitable.
• The Registrar will either approve the Consent Orders or ask for further information.

• The orders need to be implemented – and then the assets transferred in accordance with the orders.
• Should you need to, Divide can recommend professionals to assist you with:
  • Completing conveyancing for property sale/transfer
  • Reviewing Superannuation and Life Insurance Beneficiaries
  • Amending your Will
  • Consider/revoking Power of Attorney
  • Financial planning and investment advice