dignity.edr | dignity.legal

CONGRATS MEGAN - Our wonderful lawyer Megan Kelly, has been with Dignity EDR for one year already! Thank you Megan for all your efforts, and looking forward to more years to come. #dignityedr #dignitylegal #effectivedisputeresolution #workanniversary

CELEBRATING THREE YEARS - We started 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮.𝙚𝙙𝙧 & 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮.𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙡 in July 2021 to re-think the experience for people who are in dispute or conflict and especially for separating couples and families. We are here to help those who want dignified family law resolutions without court involvement at the beginning, during or end of their relationships. We have found that almost all people who are in dispute want assistance that listens to them, gives them an opportunity to say what is important for them and their family, and to be expertly guided along the way. So many things have evolved for us at Dignity over the past 3 years and we are continuing to focus on the evolving divisions of Dignity: • Dignity.EDR • Dignity Legal To our team, our clients and all those with whom we work, 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 for your support. We look forward to continuing to provide our effective dispute resolution services to help people and families into the next 3 and more years. #dignityedr #dignitylegal #effectivedisputeresolution #threeyears #businessanniversary #thankyouforyoursupport

Most of the Dignity.EDR team enjoyed a delightful dinner this week to celebrate the third year of our legal practice. We would like to publicly thank all members of our team for their tireless work, and we look forward to our next year! We also farewell Holly today, thank her for your contributions to our firm and wish her all the best for her future endeavours. #dignityedr #dignitylegal #effectivedisputeresolution #team #thankyou #farewellholly

Our Leon Berger presented his paper 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘳: 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 & 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 via webinar yesterday. Contact us if you would like to receive a copy of the paper. TEN The Education Network #dignityedr #dignitylegal #effectivedisputeresolution #tved #tenconf #familylawconference #lawyers #cpd

WE ARE HIRING: We are looking for another person to join our team! If you are an experienced Family Lawyer, who is: • looking for a change from a traditional law firm • wish you could scrap timesheets • wanting to be part of a collaborative team with Accredited Specialist principals • looking for flexible work arrangements? Then we have a position to suit you! For more information about the position and to apply, check out our ad: https://lnkd.in/eUbEBMh7 #dignityedr #dignitylegal #hiring #job #lawyer #familylaw #team

Our very own Barry Berger is undertaking "Bridget's Ride" in Northern Italy running alongside the Giro d'Italia, riding with Bridget during this ride to support her and ALL women who are dealing with breast cancer, and raising very important funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For those that would like to show their support from home, here is the link to the dedicated BCNA fundraising page: https://lnkd.in/gNSG5hWD #dignityedr #dignitylegal #effectivedisputeresolution #charityride #breastcancerawareness #breastcancersupport #bcna #bridgetsride

Following on from our previous post on Binding Financial Agreements, this will explain the different types of BFAs and their purpose. The Family Law Act provides for couples to enter into a BFA at various stages of their relationship: - 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟵𝟬𝗕: Commonly known as a ‘pre-nup’, this is used for parties prior to their intended marriage - 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟵𝟬𝗖: For parties who are married (essentially, during the marriage), usually setting out how their assets would be divided in the event of a separation, or for parties who have already separated but not divorced to formalise their property settlement agreement - 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟵𝟬𝗗 This provides for the parties to formalise their property settlement agreement after divorce. The equivalent de facto provisions can be found in 𝘀𝟵𝟬𝗨𝗕 (before cohabitating), 𝘀𝟵𝟬𝗨𝗖 (during the relationship) and 𝘀𝟵𝟬𝗨𝗗 (after separation) of the Family Law Act. For those parties who have separated and/or divorced, a BFA is one of only two ways to document a 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 and 𝘦𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 agreement. We see many scenarios which result in couples entering into a BFA, for example: • It is their second marriage/relationship and they want certainty of a property settlement if the relationship ends • They want certain assets or interests (such as family money) to be excluded in the event of a split • They have specific ideas about how particular assets or interests should be considered • A tailor-made arrangement suits their lifestyle or future plans • Succession issues are to be dealt with • Business interests which are also entwined with other people. Careful and wise advice needs to be sought and given in these situations, especially as each party must have their own lawyer during the process to provide mandatory advice about the advantages and disadvantages of the entering into the Agreements, as well as the effect on their rights under the law. If you or someone you know might benefit from a BFA, book a free 15-minute consultation with us here: https://lnkd.in/g58r5btm #dignitylegal #dignityedr #effectivedisputeresolution #familylaw #separation #divorce #financialagreement

After separation, there are only two ways in which parties can document their agreed property settlement which will be both binding and enforceable upon both of them - either by way of Consent Orders (see our post from last week), or by way of a Binding Financial Agreement (“BFA”). A BFA is a comprehensive contract between parties which essentially states that the parties are ‘contracting out’ of the Family Law Act and have arrived at a private agreement as to the division of their property. There are very strict legal requirements for a BFA to be prepared in accordance with the Family Law Act, including that both parties must be legally represented and obtain specific advice about the agreement in relation to the advantages and disadvantages of them entering into the agreement, and the effects that doing so will have on their respective rights. BFAs are not only a useful tool to document a property settlement after separation, they can also be entered into: • during a relationship (de facto or marriage) to document the parties agreement as to the division of their property in the event that the separate in future; or • prior to cohabitation and/or marriage for the same purpose (colloquially knows as a ‘pre-nup’). Keep an eye on our upcoming posts on the different types of BFAs or if you would like to discuss your particular circumstances, you can book at free 15-minute consultation here: https://lnkd.in/g58r5btm #dignityedr #dignitylegal #effectivedisputeresolution #familylaw #separation #prenup #financialagreement #bfa

CONSENT ORDERS are a written agreement where both parties agree on a property and/or parenting outcome and ask the court to formalise that outcome as Court Orders.   Consent Orders can be made in relation to parenting arrangements and/or property/financial settlement, and the Court will assess the Orders in light of the requirements of the 4-step process (see our post on 9 April 2024 for more information) as defined in the Family Law Act.   Completion of the necessary Application and accompanying documents can be tedious and time consuming, so it is best to consult a family law expert for assistance. Once the documents are finalised, they are then submitted to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia for consideration and sealing. This is an administrative process and no attendance at Court is required. Only after the Orders are made is the agreement binding and enforceable. The only other way to document your settlement agreement by consent is to enter into a Binding Financial Agreement. Make sure you stay across our social media pages and look out for our upcoming post on BFA’s.    #dignityedr #dignitylegal #effectivedisputeresolution #consentorders #familylaw

CONGRATS HOLLY - Our wonderful Associate Lawyer Holly Hynninen, has been with Dignity EDR for two years! Thank you Holly for all your efforts, and looking forward to more years to come. #dignityedr #dignitylegal #effectivedisputeresolution #workanniversary