Chelsea holds a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from Curtin University and also has completed a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice with the College of Law. Chelsea enjoys practising in all areas of family law, having a particular interest in financial matters. Chelsea works with our co-director Craig Taylor, assisting him with complex

The Family Court may make what is known as ‘decree for the nullity of a marriage’ if it deems the marriage void. A ‘decree of nullity of marriage’ can be instituted by either party to the marriage or jointly by both parties. A marriage may be nullified for any of the following reasons: – Either

Michael comes from a military background and brings with him a wealth of life experience. Michael was admitted into practice in 2022 and holds a Bachelor of Laws and has completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Practical Legal Training with the College of Law. During his time working in the area of family law, Michael has

You have 21 days from the date of being served with the interim Family Violence Restraining Order (“FVRO”) to file an objection to the interim order being made final. You should return the objection to the Court that issued the interim FVRO to file your objection. This can be done in person or electronically. You

We would like to congratulate our Lucy Thomas, who is a Legal Aid WA private practitioner panel member, for winning the 2023 Attorney General’s Community Service Law Award. “I feel greatly honoured and humbled in receiving this award in the knowledge that there are so many hard-working and highly capable lawyers undertaking Legal Aid Family Law work, which

Mediation is a relatively informal process by which parties with the guidance of an independent mediator, try to settle their dispute without the need for litigation. The mediator will help you identify the relevant issues, obstacles to settlement and develop options for resolution. Mediation allows you to focus on outcomes based upon what is important

Craig is an accredited Family Law Specialist and a co-director at Paterson & Dowding, having joined the firm in 2006. Prior to joining Paterson & Dowding, Craig managed his own law firm and was previously a founding partner in a personal injury, family law and insurance firm for over 10 years. Craig deals solely with

A reminder that the filing deadline for applications seeking parenting orders during the Christmas school holiday period is 4pm on Friday, 10 November 2023. Please note that applications should be filed as soon as possible to ensure a listing date before Christmas as this date is not necessarily guaranteed.

The Court has introduced a new fast track pathway for designated financial applications. If the property matter involves a total net asset pool (excluding superannuation) of $500,000 or less, and there are no entities that might require expert valuation reports and no issues of complexity or parenting orders, the case is likely to be classified

Lucy is an accredited Family Law Specialist and a co-director at Paterson & Dowding, having joined the firm in 1990. Lucy has a particular interest in parenting issues. She is passionate about minimising the fallout of relationship breakdowns for families, both financially and emotionally, and promoting child focused decisions and behaviours. In addition to private