family law information nights

Family Law information night

Information nights are provided at various times throughout the year at the Community Centre on Karalta Road, Erina, NSW.

Call us to find out when our next information night is to be held and to book you seat on 02 4365 6556 or contact us via email at our web enquiries form

Mediation and Family Law

In December the Federal government closed the tender application process for the new Family Relationship Centres around Australia. While no centres were announced for the Central Coast the initiative shows the clear direction of the government and Family Law Court are taking - away from the adversarial litigation process towards alternative dispute resolution processes such as mediation.

Divorce rates continue to rise and the cost of separation continues to be very high for both parents and children, both in terms of the process of separation and in terms of the often dramatic change to everyone's lifestyle when income and assets are split up.

At this time people need support, not more conflict, and mediation is one of the ways of approaching the difficult challenges of separation and family conflict in a supportive rather than aggressive way.

Denise King, principle solicitor and mediator at Erina Legal is one of the Central Coast's strongest advocates of mediation as a way of building more positive solutions for families in dispute; not just once the separation has occurred but before people commit to ending their relationship.

Denise has spoken and run workshops on mediation to a number of Central Coast community groups, at the University of New England and at Stanford University in the US for a conference run by the International Federation of University Women. Denise is on the NSW Law Society's panel of Mediators and has been a member of LEADR, Australia's leading alternative dispute resolution organisation, for several years.

• Family Relationship Centres
• Contact Erina Legal

Family Law Seminar - Wednesday 22 Feb

Denise King and the Team at Erina Legal have taken time out of what is traditionally the busiest time of year for divorce, separation and family law matter to help those that need some direction and understanding of what to do in this testing time.

We are holding a series of free seminars to give guidance to those who may be going through a separation or divorce and want to know more about where they stand. The first seminar is scheduled to take place at 6:30 Wednesday 22nd February 06 at the Erina Community Trust Hall on Karalta Rd Erina. Bookings are essential.

A range of issues will be addressed in the seminar from property settlements, timing, costs as well as children and separation.

For further information or to book a space call Erina Legal on 02 4365 6556.

Family Law @ Erina Legal - The right choice

Erina Legal is different from other law firms in a number of ways. We invite you to come and meet with our staff and make your own mind up.

Our business is mostly family law and so we have regular and up to date knowledge of family law processes and issues. Additionally we are a very people focused business. These days everyone understands the importance of customer service, but in our case the staff really do care about you and your results.

Another aspect to our business is that we look at alternatives to the lengthy and sometimes costly court processes. When appropriate we show you ways of dealing with the problem that may help avoid the costs and timeframes that come with court disputes. Examples include negotiating your dispute to a conclusion, and mediating problems.

Conveyancing

LJ Hooker's property value website My House Value has some articles to assist you in the process of buying and selling homes. One article promotes the use of legal representatives in assessing your rights and responsibilities to do with the sale or purchase of homes.

Another is to get legal advice to ensure you understand the issues and consequences of the transaction. Real estate agents may give plenty of advice during your dealings with them but they are not permitted to give legal advice (unless they are also registered and qualified lawyers.)

So, read all your documents carefully, make notes about the things you don't understand and take your list of questions to your solicitor. Your solicitor will also read the contract and highlight any unusual items and risks that appear in the contract. They will also check with various government bodies about future development and zoning plans and let you know about things not in the contract.

Of course your preferred law firm for conveyancing is Erina Legal. Our rates are competitive and we offer a quality service. Our team includes Wayne Brown, a former real estate agent (and manager) as well as our team of lawyers.

What will it cost? We charge $850 for a sale, and $1200 for a purchase for normal residential conveyances.

There are additional costs (disbursements) which are the fees involved with the transfer of land, certain searches for information from local and other government bodies, and so forth.

We can discuss these on a case by case basis as the nature of the purchase will drive what activities are required. If you are selling, or thinking of selling you can call us now to prepare your contract (real estate agents will require a contract prior to listing the house for sale.)

If you are buying you should contact us prior to signing the contract so we can advise you of the processes in detail and any major risks based on the contents of and attachments to the contract.
Or you can call now and get some general advise regarding conveyancing. Our number is 02 4365 6556 or click here and send an email to us via the contact us form.

Get your affairs in order - starting with your will

It's the new year and things are probably starting to settle down after the Christmas and New Years festive seasons. I hope you are still getting out to the beach regularly.

With the new year settling in you are probably starting to think about how to get started on all the ideas and plans you had for 2006. Was getting your affairs in order in your list of things to do? If so we can help you with your legal documents and plans. I'll take wills as my example today.

New wills should be made whenever there is a change to your circumstances, assets or beneficiaries.

Have things changed since you last had your will written up? Have you ever had a will written by your family solicitor?

The number of disputes over wills has increased in the last decade and continues to do so. Luckily most are settled out of court (and we can assist you here also - usually through mediation,) however, there are still lengthy and expensive processes that are followed when managing legal disputes. Planning to avoid them is a great way of kicking of those 'getting my affairs in order' new year commitments.

If you die without a will the State government will determine who the beneficiaries are and what they should take depending on the circumstances at your death.It is in your interest to make a Will naming who you wish to be beneficiaries and also to provide replacement beneficiaries in case those named by you should not survive you. We urge you not to leave it to the court to decide for you.

Disputes over wills costs more, take longer and create a lot of stress for those you leave behind. This may sound alarmist but when you consider the costs of going to court to dispute wills against the cost of having a professional (i.e. a lawyer) help you write up your will the cost seems a sensible investment.

You can call us during business hours if you want to discuss your options on 02 4365 6556.