Respect Legal

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Respect Legal Compassionate and Collaborative Family Law Firm
The goal - achieving kind and respectful divorce

Keeping the home might feel reassuring now. But will its costs leave you stressed out in 5years time? When you’re separa...
14/10/2026

Keeping the home might feel reassuring now. But will its costs leave you stressed out in 5years time?

When you’re separating, it’s understandable to focus on getting everything sorted as quickly as possible, and over with. You deserve guidance that considers what life looks like afterwards, too. Before agreeing to your financial settlement, consider:

• How much money will I actually be able to access?
• What will the assets I keep cost to maintain?
• How could debt, tax and selling costs affect their value?
• What needs to happen to untangle joint loans and guarantees?
• Will this still work if my income or plans change?

You don’t need to be a finance expert. You’re allowed to ask questions until the answers make sense.

OUR LATEST BLOG explores 5 financial settlement strategies with your future in mind.

Read it via the link in our bio, or book a free, confidential 15-minute phone call with Respect Legal to discuss how we can help.

When your head’s spinning, a calm voice means everything.⁠⁠The ins and outs of separation and divorce can feel like anot...
12/10/2026

When your head’s spinning, a calm voice means everything.⁠
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The ins and outs of separation and divorce can feel like another world. We know Family Law back to front, but we never forget how unfamiliar it might feel to you. There is so much to think about, and to consider - and we make sure you feel understood & empowered as much as possible.⁠
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We can’t control every legal outcome but we CAN bring clear advice, compassion and care to every step along the way.⁠
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This verified Google Review comes from a real client we supported through one of the hardest chapters of their life. Knowing they felt seen, heard and cared for means everything to us 🤍⁠
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"I want Mei as my Lawyer" 🤩 We hear that a lot. And we get it.... She’s fierce, protective and ridiculously disciplined ...
08/10/2026

"I want Mei as my Lawyer" 🤩 We hear that a lot. And we get it.... She’s fierce, protective and ridiculously disciplined - a mentor we look up to and a leader we’re lucky to learn from.

Mei Ngo is a Principal Lawyer who’s practised exclusively in family law since admission. She brings years of experience to complex parenting disputes, high-value property settlements and urgent applications, with such beautiful care for the people involved.

Mei sets the bar high, and makes us all better for it. 🤍

We hear this sentence constantly, and every time we do, it's worth pausing on.Superannuation counts as an asset in famil...
05/10/2026

We hear this sentence constantly, and every time we do, it's worth pausing on.

Superannuation counts as an asset in family law, even though you can't touch it yet. It gets valued and factored into the overall property pool alongside everything else. A lot of people quietly assume it's off the table because it's locked away for now. It isn't.

But the number one thing we hear, especially from the partner who stepped back from the work place to raise the children is, is: "I'm not touching their super, that's theirs."

Here's the thing. While your partner was advancing their career, going for promotions, building their income, growing their own super year after year, someone was making that possible. You were home with the kids. You were managing the household, the school runs, the sick days, the version of family life that let your partner's career keep moving forward without interruption. That wasn't nothing. That was work, and it came at a direct cost to your own earning potential and your own super balance, even if no one ever called it that at the time.

This is exactly why super is included in a property settlement in the first place. Not to take something that isn't yours, but to recognise a contribution that was very real, even though it never showed up as a number on a payslip. If you stepped back so your partner could step forward, the law sees that. We'd like you to see it too.

If this sounds familiar, let's talk. Book a free 15-minute chat and we'll walk you through what's actually fair for your situation.

Yes, but it's not always a quick fix, and there's a reason for that. The law makes it deliberately harder to change a fi...
01/10/2026

Yes, but it's not always a quick fix, and there's a reason for that. The law makes it deliberately harder to change a final parenting order, because children need stability, and courts don't want an arrangement reopened every time something feels a bit frustrating.

To change a final order, you generally need to demonstrate a significant change in circumstances since the order was made, this is the actual legal test the court applies. That might look like a parent wanting to relocate, new safety concerns coming to light, a child's needs changing meaningfully as they grow, or a parent's capacity to care for them changing in a real way.

If you and your ex both agree the current arrangement isn't working, that part becomes much simpler. You can vary the orders by consent, no need to satisfy the court of anything, as long as you're both aligned on the new arrangement and it's documented properly.

It gets harder when only one of you wants the change. That's when you need to be able to establish that a significant change in circumstances has genuinely occurred, and that the current orders no longer serve your child's best interests, not just that you'd prefer something different. Every family's situation is different here, so it's worth getting advice specific to yours before assuming either that nothing can change, or that a minor frustration will meet that threshold on its own. Reach out for a free 15-minute call, we're happy to talk through where things actually stand for you.

Two homes can absolutely work for a neurodivergent child. It just doesn't have to look equal on a calendar to be right.S...
28/09/2026

Two homes can absolutely work for a neurodivergent child. It just doesn't have to look equal on a calendar to be right.

So many separation conversations start with the maths: equal nights, equal weekends, exact 50/50. But your child isn't a sum to be divided evenly, they're a whole nervous system with their own routines, regulation needs and ways of coping.

In this blog, we walk through what a genuinely child-led parenting arrangement can look like, from handovers and transitions, to keeping therapies and school support consistent across two homes, to knowing when an arrangement needs to change as your child grows.

If you're separating and trying to figure out what will actually work for your child, not just what looks fair on paper, this one's for you.

Head to the link in our bio to read the full guide (and grab our free Across Two Homes checklist while you're there).

The best lawyers don't start with answers. They start with understanding.Meet our Family Lawyer, Corina.Corina believes ...
23/09/2026

The best lawyers don't start with answers. They start with understanding.

Meet our Family Lawyer, Corina.

Corina believes that before you can give great legal advice, you need to take the time to truly listen.

She has a remarkable ability to make people feel heard, understood and genuinely supported, creating a sense of calm at a time when many people feel anything but.

Having built her career in specialist family law, Corina brings both experience and genuine compassion to every client relationship. She believes every family's story deserves to be understood, and every client deserves advice that's tailored to their unique circumstances.

We're so grateful to have Corina as part of the Respect Legal team. 🤍

ICYMI: There’s a better way to do family law.For us, good family law isn’t about winning at all costs... It’s about help...
19/09/2026

ICYMI: There’s a better way to do family law.

For us, good family law isn’t about winning at all costs... It’s about helping people through one of the hardest chapters of their lives with less conflict, more care and a clear way forward.

We don't celebrate billable hours at this law firm; we celebrate settlement outside of court. Yep - we are lawyers who believe that minimial litigation is the way to help help families breakup, without hitting breaking point.

Strong advice. Smart strategy. Human beings on both sides of the table.

That’s what putting humanity back into family law looks like to us.

One look at our waiting room tells you a lot about the kind of law firm we are! This photo is of our front foyer and wai...
14/09/2026

One look at our waiting room tells you a lot about the kind of law firm we are! This photo is of our front foyer and waiting space at the Respect Legal family law firm offices 📍258 Centre Road, Bentleigh.

Warmth, colour, greenery, soft cushions, beautiful wallart and a space designed to help you feel a little more at ease from the moment you arrive.

No cold waiting room. No intimidating law firm energy. No awkward silence. No tension in the air. No feeling like you have to brace yourself before you walk in.

🌷Because when you’re already carrying a lot, the place you come to for help shouldn’t add to it.

Welcome to Respect Legal.

It always warms our hearts to receive glowing reviews from our clients.Something we pride ourselves on is making sure yo...
09/09/2026

It always warms our hearts to receive glowing reviews from our clients.

Something we pride ourselves on is making sure you never feel like just another client, or a number. That means genuine communication, always getting back to you, showing up with real care for your matter, and helping guide you toward healing through what can be an incredibly challenging chapter.

Address

258 Centre Road
Bentleigh, VIC

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+611300697377

Website

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