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Family Violence

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Family violence is conduct by a person that causes another to fear for their personal well being or safety. It can be actual or merely threatened. It can be to a person or property, or their family.

Moreover it covers a wide range of controlling behaviours. Most commonly these behaviours are of a physical, sexual, and/or psychological nature, and typically involve fear, harm, intimidation and emotional deprivation.
 
Family violence may include verbal abuse, threats, harassment, intimidation and controlling behaviours, such as limiting access to friends, relatives, finances etc. Family violence can arise in the form of violence between adult partners, abuse or neglect of children by an adult, violence by a child against their parent or violence between siblings. Family violence affects children whether it is directed at the children or directed at other members of their family and witnessed by the children.
 
There is a myriad of legal protection on offer to victims of family violence, including:
  • Apprehended Violence Orders and Apprehended (Domestic) Violence Orders
  • Exclusive residence orders or injunctive orders preventing contact between parties
  • Supervised time with children by independent parties or by a contact centre
  • Shuttle mediations to enable parties to mediate without coming face to face
  • Deployment of security officers to be present at Family Court attendances
The Court is obliged to protect children from the consequences of family violence and must ensure when making orders concerning children that they have regard to any family violence order made and do not expose a person to an unacceptable risk of family violence.
 
The Court may make family violence orders which allow parties to come into contact with each other only for:
  • Transfer of a child spending time with a parent or other person as provided by the Family Law Act, or
  • Enabling parties to attend family counselling, dispute resolution, consultant meeting or other court events during family law proceedings.
We can assist you to ensure that any issues of family violence in your circumstances are adequately addressed and where necessary brought to the attention of the Court. In many cases family violence can have significant consequences upon the outcome of parenting matters. In some cases family violence can result in payment of compensation to victims through the Family Court in property matters or result in one party receiving a larger share of assets as a consequence of their contributions being made more arduous as a result of the violence.
 
In most cases where family violence is or has been present, an inequality of bargaining power between disputing parties can result. Legal representation can assist to remove this inequality and enable a settlement to be reached through negotiation.
 
Call one of our Family Lawyers for free initial telephone advice on your circumstances on 95258688.

Key People

sutherland shire lawyer greg dicksonGreg Dickson 

primary area of practice is litigation. In 1993, he became one of the first solicitors in New South Wales to achieve Accreditation as a Specialist in Family Law and Property Relationships Act Law. Greg is the head of our Family Law Division but also practices extensively in commercial and general litigation ...read more

sutherland shire lawyer kevin dwyerKevin Dwyer 

can advise you upon and conduct all Family Law and De Facto Relationship matters in the Family Courts at Sydney, Wollongong and Parramatta. Kevin can also assist you in Criminal Law and appear in Local Courts all over New South Wales in AVO and criminal proceedings as well as ...read more

Amanda DoringAmanda Doring 

is a Family Law Accredited Specialist with extensive experience drafting binding financial agreements and conducting urgent applications in the Family Court and Federal Magistrate’s Court as well as De Facto proceedings in the Supreme, District and Local Courts ...read more

Lisa O'Leary 

operates predominantly in the area of Family Law and De Facto Relationship dispute resolution in the Family Court, the Federal Magistrates Court, the Local and Supreme Court or by alternative dispute resolution procedures ...read more 

Nicola Morgan 

Nicola joined Warren McKeon Dickson in January 2009 as the recipient of the Warren McKeon Dickson Work Integrated Learning Scholarship offered in conjunction with the University of Wollongong.  ...read more 

 

 

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