Palm Legal

Palm Legal Holistic Family Lawyers

There is a deadline on sorting out your property, and it is not the one most people are watching.If you were married, yo...
03/09/2026

There is a deadline on sorting out your property, and it is not the one most people are watching.

If you were married, you have twelve months from the date your divorce order takes effect. If you were de facto, you have two years from the date the relationship broke down.

The trap is that divorce and property are two separate things. A divorce order ends the marriage. It does not divide a single dollar. Plenty of people finalise the divorce, feel finished, and let the property clock quietly run out.

Miss it and there are two ways through, neither automatic. You can both consent to the late application, or you ask the court for leave to apply out of time, which needs an affidavit and proof that hardship would be caused if leave were refused.

You also do not have to wait for the divorce. An application for consent orders can be filed any time after you separate.

General information only, not legal advice.

If there is an investment property in your settlement, the tax rules around it are changing.From 1 July 2027, negative g...
01/09/2026

If there is an investment property in your settlement, the tax rules around it are changing.

From 1 July 2027, negative gearing will be limited to new builds, and the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount is being replaced with cost base indexation and a 30 per cent minimum tax rate. Properties already owned on Budget night, 12 May 2026, keep the old treatment.

Here is the catch. Moving a property from two names into one can reset that protection, and that is exactly what a property settlement does. Treasury has drafted a fix for property acquired from a spouse through inheritance or relationship breakdown, but consultation only closed on 21 August and the part dealing with family law rollovers is still to come.

Two assets with the same value are not always worth the same. Ask what tax comes attached before you agree to anything.

General information only, not legal advice.

29/08/2026

Collaborative practice isn’t reserved for people who already agree. In fact, if everyone agreed, they probably wouldn’t need us.

Where collaborative practice can be powerful is in creating structure around conversations that two people may be struggling to have on their own.

But there is an important conversation we need to have alongside that.

What happens when family violence has been part of the relationship? For us, the starting point is always safety.

Not every matter involving family violence will be appropriate for collaborative practice, and we would never suggest otherwise.

But we also don’t believe the existence of conflict means we should automatically stop exploring whether there is a safe, supported alternative to litigation.

That’s where experience matters.

We look at the individual family, the dynamics at play, the risks involved and whether the right professional team and safeguards can create an environment where each person can participate meaningfully.

Collaborative practice isn’t about putting two people in a room and hoping they’ll agree.

It’s about building the right process and the right team around them.

And where it is safe and appropriate, that can make an enormous difference to how someone experiences one of the hardest chapters of their life.

If you’ve assumed collaborative practice isn’t an option because your separation is complicated, talk to us. We’ll help you understand what pathways may be appropriate for you.

26/08/2026

A good settlement isn’t necessarily one where somebody walks away feeling like they “won.”

After years in family law, we’ve learnt that the better question is…

Can you build a life from it?

Does it give you financial stability?

Does it allow you to move forward rather than remain tied to conflict?

And, if you have children together, does it leave enough space for you to continue being parents long after the lawyers are gone?

Because settlement day isn’t the finish line. It’s the beginning of what comes next.

At Palm Legal, that’s the future we contemplate with our clients when we help them make decisions. It’s not just what looks good on paper today, but what life might look like on the other side.

If you’re navigating separation and want advice that considers the bigger picture, we are here for you when you are ready.

20/08/2026

Your lawyer won’t be in your co-parenting relationship forever. And sometimes, that’s an important thing to remember during separation.

We’ve seen communication become so lawyer-led that every disagreement ends with… “My lawyer will respond.”

Sometimes that’s necessary. Particularly where there are safety concerns or high conflict. But where it is safe and appropriate, there comes a point where the legal matter ends… and the parenting continues.

School decisions. Medical appointments. Sports. Birthdays. Teenage years. All the ordinary things that still require two parents to communicate in some form.

So part of moving forward isn’t just getting the parenting arrangements sorted.

It’s working out how you’re going to communicate within those arrangements - whether that’s verbally, in writing or through a parenting app.

The goal isn’t perfect co-parenting. It’s finding a way to communicate that keeps your children at the centre and reduces unnecessary conflict around them.

And sometimes, building those skills is just as important as the agreement itself.

At Palm Legal, we look beyond the immediate legal problem to the family life you’re going to be living long after your matter is finished.

19/08/2026

We’re a tight knit group here at Palm Legal…

13/08/2026

Sometimes being a good family lawyer means knowing when someone else needs to be in the room.

In this matter, bringing in a forensic accountant uncovered an additional $2 million in the asset pool that wasn’t obvious from the disclosure we’d received.

Had the matter settled without that deeper financial investigation, the outcome could have looked very different.

And that’s exactly why we don’t pretend to be experts in everything.

Complex property settlements can involve businesses, trusts, company structures, investments and financial arrangements that require specialist eyes. Our expertise is family law.

When a matter needs more, we build the right team around it.

Good advice isn’t about one person having all the answers, it’s about knowing which questions need to be asked and who you need beside you to answer them.

If your property settlement involves complex financial structures, getting the right advice early can make an enormous difference. Collaborative Practice may be the option for you.

12/08/2026

Here’s something we‘ve learnt from years of working with separating families…

Being unable to communicate well on your own doesn’t automatically mean you’re incapable of reaching an agreement.

Sometimes you just need a better environment in which to have the conversation. We’ve seen people who can barely get through an email exchange without it escalating sit down with the right professionals around them and have conversations they haven’t been able to have in months.

That’s one of the things we value most about collaborative practice.

We’re not expecting two people in conflict to suddenly become excellent communicators because they’ve decided to separate. We create structure around them.

Each person has their own lawyer, and where appropriate, other professionals can be brought into the process to help with the financial, emotional or family issues sitting underneath the legal ones.

The aim is to stop letting the conflict drive every decision. And when we can do that, we can start having much more productive conversations about what life actually looks like from here.

Collaborative practice isn’t reserved for couples who already agree.

Sometimes it’s about helping people who don’t agree find a better way to work through it.

If you’ve assumed collaborative practice wouldn’t work for your separation because things aren’t particularly amicable, it may be worth having a conversation with us before ruling it out.

09/08/2026

When you’ve experienced trauma, even the smallest things can feel overwhelming.

Making decisions.

Telling your story to someone new.

Walking into a law office.

For many people, that first appointment isn’t just about getting legal advice. It’s about finding a space where they feel safe enough to exhale.

That’s why Palm Legal was intentionally designed to feel different. Not because beautiful furniture changes outcomes, but feeling safe changes how people experience the process.

From the moment you walk through our doors, every detail has been considered to create a calm, welcoming environment. Somewhere that feels less like a law office and more like a place where you can simply be.

Being trauma-informed isn’t just about understanding the law. It’s very much about understanding people also.

If you’re looking for a family law team that approaches your journey with compassion, care and understanding every step of the way, we’re here when you’re ready

07/08/2026

Well… there is

For many people, separation is about so much more than legal documents. It’s sleepless nights. Fear of the unknown. Trying to make decisions while carrying heartbreak, anger, grief or guilt.

It’s one of the biggest life transitions you’ll ever experience.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve come to accept that separation has to be a fight. That lawyers should “go into battle.” That the only way through is to prepare for war.

But that isn’t true for every family.

Collaborative practice offers something different.

It brings both people to the table with their own collaboratively trained lawyers, committed to finding solutions rather than creating more conflict.

It doesn’t mean giving up your rights or avoiding difficult conversations.

It means choosing a process built on respect, transparency and problem-solving. And, reaching the other side knowing you handled one of the hardest chapters of your life with dignity.

At Palm Legal, we believe there is another way.

And for the right families, collaborative practice can be exactly that.

If you’re wondering whether collaborative practice is right for your situation, we’d love to have a conversation with you.

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