Family Law in South-East Victoria

Are you seeking thoughtful, realistic family law advice? If so, Duffy & Simon are here to help. Based in Pakenham, we are a dedicated team of family lawyers who have been servicing the South-East Victoria region for over 40 years. With our professional insight, residents of South-East Victoria have been able to navigate the complex world of family law and achieve equitable outcomes.

There are many reasons why someone might find themselves in need of a family lawyer. A lot of the time, people seek family lawyers in the aftermath of a significant life change, such as the breakdown of a substantial relationship. As a result, many of our clients approach us during a highly emotional and complicated time. At Duffy & Simon, we make sure to treat every family law case with respect, professionalism and sensitivity. We appreciate that family matters are always going to be complex, and cater to these complexities with the utmost understanding.

Our family lawyers are experts in communication, offering straightforward insight that will simplify even the most complicated family law procedures. We also offer realistic and honest advice that acknowledges the complexities of your specific case. Every family law case is unique, and deserves to be properly understood from a close-up professional perspective. With patience and dedication, this is a perspective that the team at Duffy & Simon can provide. What’s more, our lawyers will maintain regular communication with you throughout the entire legal process, keeping you informed and at ease at all times.

The team at Duffy & Simon are also highly skilled advocates. You can rely on us to resolve complex family law disputes with strong, innovative solutions. Through the processes of negotiation, mediation and litigation, we have helped many different kinds of families achieve their goals.

At Duffy & Simon, we offer many services that fall under the umbrella of family law. Figuring out which services suit you best is a great first step towards securing the legal advice you need. For your convenience, we have outlined each of our services below so that you can gain a better understanding of what they entail.

Property settlements become necessary when you need to sever financial ties with your former spouse or de facto partner. Among other things, resolving property matters may involve the preparation of a financial agreement, which will determine how your property and assets are divided. This can get quite complicated, but our family lawyers will guide you through the process and assist in the development of a fair consent order and property settlement.

We can also help you construct a financial agreement at any point during your relationship, and provide advice should your partner or ex-partner draw one up themselves.

In the aftermath of a separation, matters regarding children are usually the priority of the affected parties. We take these matters very seriously at Duffy & Simon, and show great care and sensitivity in the way we approach legal processes involving children. If you need assistance understanding your rights and obligations in regards to child support or parenting arrangements, we know how to help. We can guide you through the development of custody agreements; child support agreements; and variation and dispute assessments. We can also assist with the processes of adoption and evasion from family violence.

Family violence includes any harmful behaviour that is inflicted by one family member onto another for the purposes of controlling, threatening or dominating that family member. Examples of family violence include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, economic abuse, and controlling behaviour. If this is something you and/or your loved ones have experienced, please know that your situation both warrants and deserves legal intervention. Our determined family lawyers can help you obtain intervention orders and further safety measures for the protection of you and/or your children.

After separating from a spouse, it is recommended that you resolve property, parenting and child support matters as soon as possible. It is important to note that you can generally apply for a divorce after a period of 12 months from the day of separation. The knowledgeable lawyers at Duffy & Simon can help you with the preparation and lodging of your divorce application and/or provide expert advice on the entire procedure.

Duffy & Simon are a progressive leader in the legal industry. Our highly-skilled team of lawyers have over 130 years of combined experience in family law, and over 40 years of experience serving South-East Victoria. We are successful because we prioritise the interests of our valued clients, and are absolutely determined to secure just and equitable results. Call (03) 5941 1622 today for more information.