Blog
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Watts McCray continue to attract quality lawyers
During the months of April and May 2013, Watts McCray continued its on-going growth as Australia’s leading family law firm, employing two new highly qualified solicitors. Fadiya Ali, a former solicitor at M & K Lawyers joined Watts McCray’s city office on 15 April 2013. Fadiya is a vibrant, hardworking addition to the team, and we look forward to Fadiya assisting our clients to progress their family law matters. In addition to Fadiya, the Sydney office will welcome Elizabeth (Libby) Bedford into the ranks on 3 June 2013. Libby is a former director of KDB Holmes and is highly regarded [...]
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Watts McCray partners meet with LawAsia President
Three of our partners, Justin Dowd, Jackie Vincent and Collette McFawn recently met with LawAsia President Ms Malathi Das of Singapore, who had travelled to Australia to attend the Inaugural Sitting of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia on 1 May 2013. Ms Das later joined the partners for lunch and a more informal discussion about legal issues of mutual interest. Watts McCray has long been a supporter of the work of LawAsia, particularly in respect of Children’s Rights in the region. LawAsia as an international organisation of lawyers’ associations, lawyers, judges, legal academics, and others, focused on the interests [...]
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More Watts McCray Kernans Family Law Seminars
We promised you there’d be more, and we have delivered. Watts McCray Kernans will hold 3 more family law seminars on the following dates: Thursday 16 May 2013 -12:30pm- 1:30pm Thursday 23 May 2013 -12:30pm- 1:30pm Thursday 30 May 2013 – 12:30pm- 1:30pm Kate O’Grady, our resident Accredited Specialist – Family Law, will present the FREE seminars on these dates. The seminars will cover the following topics: Marriage/De Facto separation Divorce Parenting arrangements Child Support Property settlement Spousal maintenance Other important issues to consider when separating RSVPs for these events are essential. Please contact Claire Laurent at our Central Coast [...]
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Stepchildren and inheritance – what you need to know
Author: Watts McCray Comments: 0
In Australia, the family is shifting from a nuclear family to a blended family from different backgrounds and cultures. Between adoption, separations, and a divorce rate of one in three marriages, inevitably many Australian families are made up of biological children, stepchildren, and adopted children. Under current legislation within most states in Australia, stepchildren are not treated the same as biological children when it comes to wills, inheritance, and claiming from the estate of a deceased parent – and this can leave a tricky grey area when it comes to family law and, in particular, inheritance law. Stepchild vs. biological [...]
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Patrick Parkinson on Dispute Resolution in Australia
Professor Patrick Parkinson’s article about the process of dispute resolution in Australia explains the recent procedural revolutions regarding child custody laws that Australia has ever seen: “This article explains these changes by first describing the division of legislative responsibility in parenting matters, and the language used in Australia in place of “custody”. It then explores the procedure for resolving parenting disputes. The changes include new laws dealing with parenting after separation, and new processes for resolving family disputes, in particular, the development of Family Relationship Centres.” If you would like to read more about this article, please follow the link to [...]
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Professor Patrick Parkinson – ‘When is Parenthood Dissoluble?’
Professor Parkinson’s article ‘When is Parenthood Dissoluble?’ examines the notion that: “following the breakdown of a marriage, the court simply allocated the children to one parent or the other has given way to an emphasis on the importance of having both parents involved in children’s lives following separation. This typically involves joint parental responsibility even if the parents never married, and, where geographical proximity allows, some level of shared parenting. Whereas once family law was premised on the indissolubility of marriage, now a defining feature of family law in western societies is the notion that parenthood is indissoluble.” Parkinson writes: [...]
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Watts McCray Erina staff members attend Erina Chamber of Commerce Luncheon
On Thursday the 21st of February, Peter Kernan and Chelsea Winter of Watts McCray’s Erina office attended the Erina Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, held at the Impact Centre, Erina. Special guests, Dani and Nath from SEA FM, also attended. Allan Mason was the guest speaker and provided an economic and business outlook for 2013 from an accountants perspective. The event was a success and provided a great opportunity to meet with other local businesses.
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Welcome to Watts McCray Chelsea Winter!
Recently Watts McCray’s Erina office on the Central Coast of NSW welcomed a new member into the midst of their commercial law practice area. Chelsea grew up in Melbourne and graduated from her combined degree from Monash University and was awarded First Class Honours in law. Her graduate year was spent at a large commercial firm in Melbourne where she worked predominately in banking, finance and property matters. During her practice as a lawyer, Chelsea has gained experience in a variety of areas of law including family law, wills and estates, workers’ compensation, personal injury and motor accident claims. We [...]
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Divorce in the movies: five lessons to learn from Hollywood
Author: Watts McCray Comments: 1
“That was a great movie, but what’s the moral of the story?” Hollywood is filled with lessons for spectators of all ages to learn. From tales of heroism and good triumphing over evil to humanist stories about the human spirit, the silver screen is both an advisor and a listener – filled with messages to convey and experiences to share. Whether you or someone you know is going through separation or divorce, it can be difficult to go at it alone. A great film can be a shoulder to lean on or a mentor with wisdom to bestow – here [...]
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Peter Kernan attend the Central Coast Law Society Annual Dinner Dance.
On Thursday the 20th of December Peter Kernan of Watts McCray’s Erina office attended the annual dinner for the Central Coast Law Society which, this year, was held at the Reef Restaurant located in The Haven, Terrigal. The function was also attended by Federal Magistrate Matthew Myers. Peter found that the event was enjoyed by all who attended and provided a great opportunity to mix with other local practitioners in a relaxed atmosphere.