What is Erina Legal here for?

Our Values

There is a lot of talk about ethics and values in the business media at the moment so I thought I wuld take a moment to mention Erina Legal's values. We are a small business so, naturally, they are all about the customer (hopefully that's you.) Here they are:

• Good advice
  
We want to provide you with the best advice we can. That measn we make sure we know what we are talking about through continually keeping up to date withc changes to the law, reading journals and articlaes and attending training courses. We will also tell you if we don't know something - and then check the facts before we make a commitment we can't keep or set your expectatiosn wrongly.


• Quality results
  
Quality results are about you coming out of our office at the end of your matter satisfied that you received good quality service, both in the legal content and personally from our team. It's about you getting value for money and knowing that we appreciate the fact that you chose us to be your lawyers.


• Trustworthy and professional service
  
When we say we are going to do something we do it. On time and in the manner we have agreed with you. When issues come up we will tell you as soon as possible. We work as artners with you in your matter and respect the decicions you make.


• Personal Integrity
  
The staff you work with at Erina Legal all have a high oevel of personal integrity. We pride ourselevs on being client focused, and wanting to provide not just good, but excellent work in all matters.

Business Law

• Draft and Review Contracts
• Buy and Sell Businesses
• Start New Businesses
• Conflict Management

NSW is said to be the 4th most litigious state in the world. People sue for a number of reasons including failing to deliver on promises, on different interpretations on terms in contracts, and when circumstances change and accidents occur.

Business law is about managing risk and maximising your power at the negotiating table. Erina Legal can help you manage risk by giving you advice on matters you are less experienced at. We can help you avoid problems in the future by making sure contracts and agreements you have with suppliers, customers and employees are clear and comprehensive.

Many of our business law clients come to us when they already have a dispute. Often that dispute is the result of contracts written without consideration of the range of future possibilities. Lawyers are trained to consider all possibilities. +

Come and see us to avoid disputes or deal with them when they occur.

Central Coast Business Expo

Erina Legal will have a stall at the Central Coast Business Expo.

Come and meet Denise King and Sarah Gowing, our lawyers, or Wayne and Craig Brown the business management side of the operation.

• Want to know more about Financial Agreements for partnerships?
  Sarah Gowing will be available to discuss the issue at 11.30am Wednesday 31st August
  
• Want to know more about buying a business?
  Denise will be available to discuss the purchase and sale of businesses, in particular Franchises at 10am on Thursday 1st September.

About Craig Brown

Craig Brown is a director of Erina Legal, and a business consultant.

Craig works with businesses of various types in improving their operations and developing new products. Companies he has worked with include top-tier corporates such as Optus and ANZ, as well as small businesses, franchises and not-for-profit organisations.

Craig grew up on the central coast and has a Bachelor of Business from Newcastle University. He studied several subjects at the Ourimbah campus and was an active member of the campus' student body in the early Nineties. Craig is currently studying for a Masters in Project Management at RMIT.

Craig likes boardgames and boats.

About Wayne Brown

Wayne Brown grew up on the Central Coast and has lived here most of his life. He has had many different jobs over the years before taking on the task of managing Erina Legal. These have included real estate management, property sales, team management for large call centre business as well as many positions in the building industry and even dairy farming. Wayne believes this background has put him in good stead to both understand the needs of our diverse range of clients, and in tackling the multitude of challenges that come with running a small business.

A keen renovator and traveller, most of his spare time though, is spent with his wife that he is very proud of, as she is a talented architect (and helps him in fixing up old houses.)

Wayne sees his customer focus and entrepreneurial ‘can-do’ attitude as a distinct advantage for his objective of making Erina Legal the most successful law firm on the Central Coast.

About Denise King

Denise King is the principal solicitor and a director of Erina Legal.

She became a lawyer after many years experience in administration, teaching, counselling and mediation. Family Law is her expertise, although she also does other legal work such as business law, conveyancing, wills and estates, Financial Agreements. In addition to her law degree, she studied four years of psychology. She is an accredited Family Law Mediator and member of the Law Society Panel of Mediators.

Denise has been involved in various local community organisations over the twenty six years she has lived on the Central Coast, including the the Rotary Club of Erina, the Australian and International Federation of University Women, the Liberal Party of Australia, the Gosford Philharmonia and Christ Church choir, Central Coast Talented Children's Association, the Federation of Australia Writers and is a member of the Law Society of New South Wales.

Denise's main interests have always been her family, music, theatre and writing. She also enjoys eating out with friends and family and spending time with her dog Buddy.

Denise has two sons, Craig and Wayne Brown who also have positions with Erina Legal.

Financial Agreements

Why wait until there’s a problem? Naturally the time most people consult their lawyers is once there is a problem, however at Erina Legal we can help you prevent problems.

Financial agreements are agreements parties make at the beginning of a partnership, often when people first move in together, but also when partners start up business ventures or invest together in an enterprise. They are an agreement about how assets and interests are to be managed if in the future partnerships split up.

With almost 1 in 2 marriages ending in divorce it is sensible and practical to make a financial plan for domestic relationships. Business partnerships also need to consider how they will manage a situation where one or more partners wish to leave the partnership.

The main benefit of addressing this issue early is that it will reduce separation costs – emotional and financial. An additional benefit is that it can reduce the likelihood of separation, as there is more clarity about finances in the partnership – which is one of the main reasons cited for breakdowns of relationships - business and personal.

Financial agreements are critical for small business owners, as certainty around control of assets affects both your personal finances and those of your business - and as a result the business' future viability.

Financial Agreements are quick and easy to arrange. Call us now on 02 4365 6556 to discuss how they can benefit you.

Family Law Review

The government is considerring changes to Family Law.

Some of the proposals under review include greater rights for non-custodial parents. Earlier this month Peter Slipper MP announced a number of recommendations for change with the intention that "there is an opportunity for both parents to continue their involvement as parents following separation."

Areas under review include:

• Changing the term 'joint parent responsibility" to equal shared responsibility" to reflect the new focus on both parents role in caring for the children.
• Providing for an obligation by the judges in childrens' matters to consider the child's best interests and the practicality for the child of spending "equal time" with both parents, rather than just "substantial time"
• The development of accreditation standards for Family Relationship Centres, family dispute practitioners, and contact centres, and
• Allowing a court to award costs against a person if it is satisfied there are reasonable grounds to believe a person has knowingly made a false allegation of violence or abuse.
  

This last point is one of controversy. Shadow Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said she feared the proposal would make matters worse by deterring already vulnerable parents from raising claims of abuse or violence.

Souce www.findlaw.com.au

Pru Crawford joins the team

Pru Crawford (on the right) has joined Erina Legal as our new admin person.

Pru comes with 8 years administration experience in the Multimedia, the building industry and Law. Her customer service skills are an important part of her worklife and that's why we hired her.

Next time you come in say hi to Pru.

Divorce Statistics

Australian Marriage Rates: marriages are declining.


Australian Divorce Rates in '000s. Divorces are up.

Learn more about these statistics at the ABS website Feature Article: Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2003

Vendor duty and your property sale

Vendor duty on contracts for land related property will be abolished from 2 August 2005.

This applies to all contracts entered into (ie exchanged) on or after 2 August 2005. Anti-avoidance provisions will be introduced to prevent persons avoiding vendor duty by cancelling contracts that were exchanged before 2 August 2005. For example, where liable contracts were exchanged before 2 August 2005, the duty will still apply even if these contracts are rescinded and a substitute contract is exchanged on or after 2 August 2005.

Disposal duty (land rich vendor duty) will also cease to apply to a disposal of an interest in a landholder from 2 August 2005.

Selling your home? Come and see us at Erina Legal and get advice on how this will affect you. Call now on 02 4365 6556

Small business mediation pilot programme

Victoria has been selected as the trial location for an Australian Government initiative providing mediation services to small businesses and their employees.

This free service will be offered to parties who are involved in a workplace dispute that would normally be dealt with by AIRC. During the pilot, parties who bring matters to the AIRC will be offered the option of having those matters dealt with through private and external mediation provided by an accredited mediator.

While this pilot programme is being run in Victoria, Erina Legal look on with great interest. We are great advocates of mediation, especially when the parties to a dispute have an interest in working together in the future, or continuing a relationship of some sort into the future. Examples go beyond employers and their workforce, and include suppliers and customers as well as domestic relationships such as families and neighbours.

If you need a mediator contact us at Erina Legal and we'll discuss your options with you.

Looking for a Justice of the Peace?

Wayne Brown (right) at Erina Legal is a registerred JP and is available to witness documents.

Or you can look here to find JP's in other areas.

The functions of a Justice of the Peace under the Justices of the Peace Act 2002 are primarily:

• administering oath declarations or affidavits, and taking statutory declarations and affirmations principally under the Oaths Act 1900;


• witnessing signatures; and


• attesting and certifying documents.

Please call to check Wayne is available on 02 4365 6556.