Delaney Lawyers

about us

what we know
and you need to know
and how we can help.

Family Law

The area of Family Law encompasses marital relationships, same sex relationships, de facto relationships, disputes about the care, welfare and development of children, disputes about financial settlement and disputes about ongoing financial support for both spouses and children. As such, it is an area fraught with difficulty, and at times uncertainty. We at Delaney Lawyers believe we are well qualified and certainly experienced enough to provide you with appropriate guidance through what can often be confronting and difficult times.

Financial Settlements

Ideally all financial matters in issue between you and your former spouse should be the subject of agreement. If you and your former spouse are able to resolve matters on an amicable basis, you can structure any such settlement in the most cost effective and constructive manner suitable to your own needs and wishes. In the event a settlement cannot be negotiated, then it will be necessary to seek relief in either the Federal Circuit Court or the Family Court of Australia. We will be able to guide you through this process with a view to obtaining the best possible outcome for you.

Parenting and Children’s Issues

In relation to any Orders dealing with children, the Court's concern is to ensure that the welfare of the children is the paramount consideration. Accordingly, there is no preference for mothers (or fathers, for that matter) and the children have a right to an appropriate relationship with both of their parents (as well as extended family members). We will be able to guide you through the pre-Court process including Mediation, but we can also help you through Court processes with a view to achieving the best possible results for your children and you

Mediation

Other than in cases of urgency, the Courts require you and your former spouse to undertake Mediation prior to instituting any proceedings with respect to parenting issues. The requirement for Mediation is also set aside in circumstances involving family violence. Mediation must be conducted through one of the accredited Mediation services. Organisations such as Relationships Australia, Centre Care, Anglicare, UniFam and various family relationships centers, as well as many private practitioners specialising in the area, offer these services.

Probate and Estates

Making a Will to safeguard your family assets after death is an important exercise, particularly to ensure that your grieving loved ones are not burdened with difficulties arising out of the administration of your estate in the absence of a Will. Obtaining a grant of probate is the first step in the process of administering and proving a Will of a deceased person.

Conveyancing

We offer legal representation for both Vendors and Purchasers in respect of the transfer of property. For sellers, we draft and prepare Contracts for Sale of Land, negotiate terms of the Contract with potential purchasers, witness the execution and exchange of Contracts, liaise with loan providers to discharge mortgages, confirm adjustment figures provided by the Purchaser’s solicitor and attend settlement to complete the sale. For Buyers, we provide advice on the Contract of Sale of Land, obtain and review property Reports, liaise with mortgage providers who are financing the purchase, calculate adjustment figures and attend settlement to complete the purchase. We offer a friendly and efficient service, and are competitively priced.

General Practice

The main focus of Delaney Lawyers are the areas of Family Law, Estate and Probate. We also have an active Conveyancing practice headed by Partner Rachael Abbott and our licensed Conveyancer, Jennifer Rees (see Conveyancing this page). Given our years of practice, Delaney Lawyers is well aware of the pitfalls of practicing in areas in which we are not familiar and in respect of which we recognise there are other far more qualified solicitors who can assist you to achieve your goals.

Published Papers

Over many years Graeme Hearl and Michael Delaney have participated as presenters at numerous CLE Conferences and published many papers in doing so. These have included papers presented for Television Education Network, The College of Law, University of NSW and other providers of continuing legal education.

philosophy

what we do
how we do it
and who we get to help.

Delaney Lawyers is a boutique law firm based in Sydney CBD practising solely in the areas of Family Law, Domestic Relationships and the Successions Act. The firm offers a combined 100 years of legal experience in our areas of practice.

The philosophy of the partners is to provide high quality legal service to their clients to minimise both financial and emotional costs.

Family and Domestic Law involves a wide range of diverse issues including international child abduction, paternity disputes, child support, domestic violence, residence and contact issues, tax, CGT, stamp duty, property settlement, corporate structures, trusts, asset redistribution and a host of related problems. The field of practice demands lawyers who are both experienced and sensitive to the needs of their clients. We believe Delaney Lawyers has achieve the balance and, coupled with a high level of specialisation in the area, is also to produce just and equitable results without undue acrimony.

Our client base is built entirely around referral from current and former clients, members of the judiciary, fellow members of the legal profession and accountants.

Given our experience within the area of Family Law, Delaney Lawyers enjoys a strong working relationship with many other Family Law practices, both in New South Wales and interstate.

Apart from the strong links we have with other members of the legal profession, Delaney Lawyers also has well established links with various firms of accountants specialising in the area of Family Law, real estate valuers and other experts practising within the jurisdiction. Importantly for the clients, Delaney Lawyers has a strong professional relationship with leading Counsel practising in the jurisdiction established during many years of cooperative and reputable practice.

The primary focus of Delaney Lawyers is the efficient and amicable resolution of matters in dispute, whether they relate to parenting orders, financial settlement or child support.

In keeping with the Family Court’s focus on early resolution, Delaney Lawyers endeavour to achieve negotiated settlements (based on proper disclosure) in all matters. Sometimes, however, that cannot be achieved (or can only be achieved through litigation). Whether before or during the course of litigation, we have developed a commitment to negotiate either directly with out opponents or through mediation.

If required, however, we are more than prepared for the rigours of contested litigation from the Local Court through to High Court appeals when necessary.

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our people

our costs

How we charge

Our retainer agreement is expressed in plain English with our charges clearly stated. As a general rule we bill each matter on a fortnightly basis so that clients can budget appropriately. Initial consultations with the firm are not free for a simple reason:

just as you value your time and money, so do we.

We are confident of the value of our advice and do not discount the value of our work.

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You can provide the required information in your own time and at a place where you feel comfortable.

We understand it’s hard taking those first steps, do it at home or with your family and let us help with the rest!

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contact

our location

Suite 1.01, Level 1, 117 York Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000

PO Box A308 Sydney NSW 1235

Ph: +61 2 9230 1500

Fax: +61 2 9264 8022

Email: mail@delaneylawyers.com.au

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