Family Lawyers Burnie

At Whitelaw Legal Group, our expert family lawyers in Tasmania are here to support you through challenging times.

How We Can Help You

Our family lawyers provide tailored solutions to resolve your disputes efficiently and with minimal stress. We guide you through every step, ensuring a fair and cost-effective resolution. We offer:

  • Comprehensive Case Assessment – We triage your case – we explore all relevant interests and issues, identify obstacles, and present a total blueprint to achieve property settlement in the shortest possible time and at the lowest possible cost to you.
  • Maximum Cooperation – Our experience helps us extract maximum cooperation from the other party and their lawyer, reducing your legal costs significantly.
  • Effective Negotiation – We employ our negotiation skills to get you results as good as or better than if you spent years in court.
  • Mediation Services – If both parties are open to mediation, we provide expert mediation services to resolve disputes before considering court action.
  • Court Action When Necessary – Initiate court action on your behalf at any time we believe this is justified and in your best interests.
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Resolving Property Disputes Without Court

Under the Family Law Act, there are ways to resolve and settle property disputes out of court using binding financial agreements. However, in more complex cases, we will encourage the parties to agree on a set of final consent orders and then apply to the Court to review and approve them as orders of the court.

Securing a Just and Equitable Property Settlement

Divorce and de facto relationship breakups are common and emotionally charged. Early access to competent, balanced advice is crucial and can significantly impact outcomes. We caution against rushing into aggressive legal battles, which can be costly, time-consuming, and stressful. Instead, we focus on finding the best path forward for you.

The Importance of Avoiding Court

Family courts are often overwhelmed, leading to substantial delays in resolving cases. By focusing on negotiation, mediation, and other out-of-court resolutions, we help you avoid the time, expense, and stress of litigation. Most experienced judges and lawyers recommend going to court as a last resort, and we fully support this approach.

Beware of Lawyers Who Push for Court

On 14th of December 2017, the following headline appeared in the Australian newspaper “Judge slams obscene legal fees”. A family court judge criticised some lawyers for charging exorbitant fees and pursuing a “win at all costs” approach. This destructive mindset often harms the emotional, social, and financial well-being of families. At Whitelaw Legal Group, we are committed to a different approach—one that prioritises resolution and collaboration over costly court battles.

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What Should A Family Lawyer Do in These Challenging Disputes?

  • Identify the key issues.
  • Work to get agreement on the facts relevant to each issue
  • Understand the law that applies.
  • Apply the law to the agreed facts.
  • Be willing to compromise where necessary.
  • Explore options that will meet and satisfy the needs of each party.
  • Where there is disagreement on some important issue – try conciliation and/or mediation to overcome the roadblock.
  • If that doesn’t work, consider two further options – using a judge mediator and/or agree to appoint an experienced arbitrator.

Our Approach to Family Law Disputes - The WLG 8-Step System`

Our method involves an 8-step system with a timeline of 6-8 weeks and average cost of $2,500 – 5,000.

  1. Diagnosis – Evaluating the dispute and deciding if it is suitable for our non-litigious service.
  2. Triage – Evaluating the needs of the dispute in terms of best methods, strategies, choice of dispute manager/resolver, cost efficiency, timeline, special needs, etc.
  3. Prognosis – Providing our prognosis to the client(s).
  4. Blueprint – Writing up a dispute management blueprint.
  5. Agreement – Preparing a dispute management agreement based on the blueprint.
  6. Contain and Deescalate – Taking immediate preemptive steps to contain, de-escalate and stabilise the dispute.
  7. Manage – Managing the dispute in accordance with the blueprint and dispute resolution agreement.
  8. Resolve – Facilitating early dispute resolution without litigation and at a fraction of the cost of litigation.

Avoid Stress and High Legal Costs

There is no need for family law disputes to be stressful or expensive. With the right approach, most issues can be resolved without significant legal costs. Trust Whitelaw Legal Group, your reputable family lawyer in Burnie, to guide you through this process and help you avoid common pitfalls.

Contact Us Today

Call us on 03 6251 1730 or email admin@wlgroup.com.au to make an appointment. We offer an initial consultation at no cost to you, where we will:


  • Meet with you
  • Discuss your case
  • Listen to your concerns
  • Answer your questions
  • Develop a roadmap to resolve your dispute

It’s that simple. Let us help you navigate your family law issues with confidence and ease.

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