Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more common in everyday life, including legal matters. While AI tools can provide general guidance, using them as a party in a family law case in Western Australia can lead to serious risks and unintended consequences.

The approximate time from the initiation of proceedings in the Family Court of Western Australia to the date of final judgment is currently between 3.5 and 4 years.

When determining how assets and liabilities should be divided upon separation, one of the steps the Family Court will take is to assess the contributions each party has made throughout the relationship.

How is property acquired after separation treated? As with many issues in family law, it depends on the circumstances.

A party in a family law dispute may make an offer to another party to settle all or part of a case at any time before the Court makes an order disposing of the case. This may occur before, or in the absence of, formal court proceedings between the parties.

To obtain spousal maintenance in Perth / Western Australia, we look to Section 72 of the Family Law Act 1975 (section 205ZC of the Family Court Act 1997 for de facto couples).

When faced with a topic we are unfamiliar with or that we find daunting, more than ever before, we have tendency to go online and “do our own research”, arm ourselves with knowledge and draw our own conclusions before making a decision that is right for us.

Demographically, Australia is experiencing significant intergenerational wealth transfers and will continue to do so for some time. 

When dealing with family conflict, the law always encourages parties to resolve their disputes without having to resort to litigation, and there are a number of dispute resolution mechanisms available. The affected parties have the option to engage with a process of their own choosing or alternatively, can seek the assistance of the court who may refer the parties to family counselling, family dispute resolution, or other alternative family services as outlined in the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) (the FLA).

Under Australian law, a reason is not required to be given for an application for divorce. However, there must still be proof of the marriage’s ‘irretrievable breakdown’ in order for a divorce to be granted by the courts. Section 48 of the Family Law Act (the FLA) dictates that the court will only make an order for divorce if the parties have shown that there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage by separating from one another for at least one year (note this does not require living separately). Other elements also must be proven to show an ‘irretrievable breakdown’ to allow the court to grant the parties a divorce.