Family Litigation Support

Collaborative Practice is an approach to settling family law disputes without going to court. While it doesn’t suit everyone, it does have significant benefits for those who are able to use it. These include minimising conflict as well as maintaining a high level of dignity, respect, and privacy. You can learn more about collaborative practice here.

Our family law team is actively involved in the Collaborative Practice process with several of our experts trained as Collaborative Professionals. Our Forensic Services Director, John Thynne, is also actively involved in delivering Collaborative Training Courses and has acted as the treasurer of the Queensland Association of Collaborative Practitioners (QACP) since 2010.

We believe that preparation, active communication, and education are key to any collaborative matter. We bring significant valuation, accounting and business experience to the table and we can assist at all stages of the process from business/entity valuations and establishing the net matrimonial pool of assets through to option generation, evaluation and problem solving.

Our family law accountants also have access to the wider expertise of our firm including experts in financial advisory (collaboratively trained), taxation, superannuation, solvency, and accounting to draw upon as may be required in a matter.

Comprehending complex business structures and understanding “where the money has gone” is difficult at the best of times. Add to that the emotional stress experienced with family litigation matters, and it becomes critical that you have the support of an experienced professional to help guide you through the process.

Through thorough investigation, our team of experts can assist you with:

• Interpreting business structures
• Tracing the movement of funds through those structures
• Identifying undisclosed assets and liabilities
• Explaining the outcome of our investigations as simply as possible
• If necessary, appearing in Court

The role of a Financial Neutral or Financial Mediator is to educate (where required) the parties in relation to financial matters, and to assist in resolving the financial matters between the parties.

Education is a key step in the process because we believe that unless the parties understand the financial issues and the quantification, you are unable to make effective decisions.

As part of our role as Financial Neutral in collaborative matters, our experts rely on extensive professional training, experience, and communication skills (both written and verbal) to assist the you in resolving your financial issues.

Our team assists in quantifying and dividing the net matrimonial pool of assets. This means that we work with both the instructing solicitor as well as both parties to determine the value of all assets, and then assist in negotiating how the assets will be split between both parties.

The construction of the pool of assets may include:

• Business and entity valuations
• Determination of party interests including loan accounts
• Consideration of taxation consequences
• Consideration of property v financial resources
• Consideration of financing collateral (where possible)
• Taxation and realisation costs

Our team of experts will consider every option and provide differing pathways for the division of the matrimonial pool, assisting in negotiating a resolution that all parties agree on.

We work with you to provide valuations that are tailored to your individual requirements, supplying well-defined and reliable valuations that clearly explain our conclusions.

Our team is also well placed to assist clients in making smart and informed business and litigation decisions and formulate strategies for the future.

Our services include:

• Valuations for assisting you in the settlement of matrimonial property matters
• Valuations for family business matters, including shareholder disputes
• Valuations for estate and succession disputes