Our expertise
Our expertise
We are experienced in all areas of family law including:
Children and young people
- Care and contact arrangements for children, including cases involving safety issues and parental alienation
- Guardianship rights and disputes, including about relocation within New Zealand and overseas
- International child abduction (Hague Convention)
- Adoption and surrogacy
- Paternity
- Care and protection (Oranga Tamariki)
- Rights of grandparents and other relatives
- Youth justice
Family and personal safety
- Protection from family violence, including applying for protection, occupation and furniture orders
- Defending and discharge of protection, occupation and furniture orders
- Care of children and other matters involving family violence
Relationship and separate property
- Contracting out agreements (prenup)
- Rights and division of property on separation, including:
– classification of property as separate or relationship
– rights where property is owned by a trust, a company, overseas or separate property
– valuation issues
– settlement agreements
– challenges to contracting out and settlement agreements
- Relationship property rights on the death of a partner/spouse
- Relationship property implications of trust and succession planning
- Dissolution of marriage (divorce)
Trusts
- Rights to property owned by trusts, including:
– under the terms of the trust deed
– under statute
– equitable claims (eg constructive trust, resulting trust, Quistclose trust)
- Appointment and removal of trustees
- Relationship property matters involving trusts
Financial support and obligations
- Spousal maintenance
- Economic disparity compensation
- Child support
Deceased estates
Claims against a deceased person’s estate, including:
- challenges to the validity of a will (undue influence, lack of capacity)
- family protection claims (lack of recognition)
- testamentary promise claims (breach of promise)
- relationship property claims by the surviving partner/spouse
We are experienced in all areas of family law including:
Children and young people
- Care and contact arrangements for children, including cases involving safety issues and parental alienation
- Guardianship rights and disputes, including about relocation within New Zealand and overseas
- International child abduction (Hague Convention)
- Adoption and surrogacy
- Paternity
- Care and protection (Oranga Tamariki)
- Rights of grandparents and other relatives
- Youth justice
Family and personal safety
- Protection from family violence, including applying for protection, occupation and furniture orders
- Defending and discharge of protection, occupation and furniture orders
- Care of children and other matters involving family violence
Relationship and separate property
- Contracting out agreements (‘prenuptial agreements’)
- Rights and division of property on separation, including:
– classification of property as separate or relationship
– rights where property is owned by a trust, a company, overseas or separate property
– valuation issues
– settlement agreements
– challenges to contracting out and settlement agreements
- Relationship property rights on the death of a partner/spouse
- Relationship property implications of trust and succession planning
- Dissolution of marriage (divorce)
Trusts
- Rights to property owned by trusts, including:
– under the terms of the trust deed
– under statute
– equitable claims (eg constructive trust, resulting trust, Quistclose trust)
- Appointment and removal of trustees
- Relationship property matters involving trusts
Financial support and obligations
- Spousal maintenance
- Economic disparity compensation
- Child support
Deceased estates
Claims against a deceased person’s estate, including:
- challenges to the validity of a will (undue influence, lack of capacity)
- family protection claims (lack of recognition)
- testamentary promise claims (breach of promise)
- relationship property claims by the surviving partner/spouse