Our family lawyers help Brighton clients separate with clarity, including property settlements involving investment properties, super, businesses and family trusts. Start with a free discovery call.
Separation is hard enough when the finances are simple. When the pool includes a family home with decades of growth, an investment property, super, or a business or family trust, it can feel overwhelming. Our Brighton family lawyers explain what you’re entitled to and guide you through each stage, from financial disclosure and valuations to a fair, legally binding division of assets.
You don’t need to travel to see us. Most of our new clients choose to meet online, and you’re always welcome at our Carnegie office if you’d prefer to sit down face to face.
Many Brighton separations come after long relationships, where the family home has grown significantly in value and sits alongside investment property, super and sometimes a business, family trust or self-managed super fund. With Brighton’s median house price at $3,355,000 in the December 2025 quarter, the home alone can make for a substantial asset pool.
The harder questions are usually about everything else: what each structure is really worth, who controls and benefits from a trust, and whether the disclosure tells the full story. Property is divided under section 79 of the Family Law Act 1975, which changed in June 2025, so current advice matters. We help you organise valuations, press for the disclosure you’re entitled to and understand what you can realistically keep, usually long before court is ever considered.
If you are travelling to us from Brighton by car, it is 7.8 km, out along North Road through Brighton East and into Koornang Road. Allow 15 to 20 minutes. Bus 626 runs from Middle Brighton Station through McKinnon and Carnegie on to Chadstone, with no change. There is no direct train, since Brighton sits on the Sandringham line and Carnegie on the Cranbourne and Pakenham line, so the bus is the simpler trip.
There is street parking available outside our office on Koornang Road.
A Brighton property matter is ordinarily filed in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Melbourne registry, at the Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne VIC 3001. Filing is electronic through the Commonwealth Courts Portal, so it does not mean a trip into the city.
Most matters never reach court. Negotiation or consent orders resolve most family law matters, and can be filed online in most cases. Filing to start court proceedings is only a step taken when an agreement has stalled. We also certify documents and provide a JP free on Thursdays, limited hours, though we cannot advise on a document we certify.
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Practical, clear advice across all areas of family law, from first questions to final resolution.
Dividing the asset pool fairly, including investment properties, businesses, trusts and self-managed super, with a legally binding outcome.
Splitting super between you and your former partner, including SMSFs, valuations and the paperwork trustees require.
Guidance on applying for divorce, the timing, and how it affects your deadline for a property settlement.
Formalising parenting and property agreements so they’re binding, and updating orders if circumstances change.
Advice on financial support after separation, whether you need it or have been asked to pay it.
Property and maintenance rights for de facto couples, including whether your relationship qualifies and the time limits that apply.
Our people
Our team has 40+ years combined family law experience. You speak to senior lawyers from your very first call, and will be matched with the person on our team who has the strongest skills for your matter.
Why choose us
We’re not transactional lawyers. We aim to be another branch of your support network.
Family law is all we do, so complex property settlements get the attention they deserve.
Clear advice, honest costs and no surprises, from your very first call.
59 Koornang Road, with parking at Carnegie Central, plus video appointments whenever a trip doesn't suit.
We aim to get you out of the legal system as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.
Getting started
Three simple steps to getting experienced family lawyers on your side.
01
Book your free discovery call
Tell us about your situation and we’ll match you with the right senior lawyer. No obligation, no jargon.
02
Your first consultation
Meet online or at our Carnegie office to work through where you stand, what’s in the asset pool and which disclosure and valuations you’ll need.
03
Resolution & moving forward
We negotiate towards a fair outcome and formalise it, so you can move ahead with clarity and confidence.
You don’t have to work through separation alone. Our family lawyers help Brighton clients understand their position and reach fair, binding property and parenting arrangements.
Yes. If you were married, you have 12 months from the date your divorce takes effect to apply for property orders. De facto couples have two years from separation. A court can extend these deadlines in limited circumstances only and under strict rules and criteria, so it’s worth getting advice early.
Property is generally valued at the time of the agreement or hearing, not the date you separated. Brighton is a moving market, and a gap of 18 months can shift the figure in either direction. Get a current valuation before you agree to anything, and be ready to update it if your matter runs longer.
Usually not. The business is valued and counted in the asset pool, and often one of you keeps it while the other receives a larger share of property, super or cash. The real questions are what it’s worth and whether a buyout can be funded. Read more about businesses and divorce.
It depends on control. If one of you can effectively direct the trustee and benefit from the assets, the trust assets are commonly treated as property of the parties and included in the pool. If control genuinely sits elsewhere, the trust may instead be treated as a financial resource. The trust deed matters, and so does the history of distributions.
It’s counted and can be split under the Family Law Act. An SMSF adds work to a settlement, because the fund and the assets inside it are valued separately, and one of you will usually need to exit as a trustee. If the fund holds property, the timing needs careful planning.
Most family law matters never reach court. They’re usually resolved through negotiation and formalised with consent orders, which can generally be filed online. If proceedings are needed, a Brighton matter would ordinarily be filed with the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Melbourne registry. Filing is electronic through the Commonwealth Courts Portal, so starting a matter doesn’t mean a trip into the city.
Our office at 59 Koornang Road, Carnegie, is about 7.8 km from Brighton, or 15 to 20 minutes by car via North Road. Bus 626 runs direct from Middle Brighton Station to Carnegie. There’s parking at Carnegie Central, entered from Arrawatta Street, and time-limited parking on Koornang Road. If the trip doesn’t suit, we can meet online instead.
Serving Melbourne
Based in Carnegie. We see clients in person or online, whichever suits you.
