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Procopio Legal We provide practical, straightforward legal advice across commercial, property, family, and wills & estates law.

We take the time to understand your circumstances and provide advice you can trust.

People ask what it costs before they ask their actual legal question, so here is what the first appointment involves.It ...
30/09/2026

People ask what it costs before they ask their actual legal question, so here is what the first appointment involves.

It is an hour. You complete a short intake form beforehand, so the appointment is spent on your matter rather than on collecting basic background information. You should leave knowing roughly where you stand, what your main risks are, and what to do next.

Nothing is filed and nothing is served because you booked an appointment.

Bring the questions you think are stupid, because those are usually the ones that matter.

Start here: https://lawfirms.navio.com.au/251468884167875

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice.

For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

Most people believe there is a simple rule about spending three or four nights a week together. There is no such rule.Th...
28/09/2026

Most people believe there is a simple rule about spending three or four nights a week together. There is no such rule.

The test sits in the Interpretation Act 1984 (WA), and it looks at the relationship as a whole: how long you were together, whether you lived together, your financial arrangements, whether you have children, and how you presented yourselves publicly.

How financially intertwined you were can matter, but it is only one part of the picture. Keeping your finances separate does not of itself mean you were not de facto, just as a joint bank account does not prove that you were.

The two-year rule is a separate question. You can be in a de facto relationship for less than two years, but the Family Court generally will not make property adjustment orders unless the relationship lasted at least two years, subject to limited exceptions.

In some cases, deciding whether a relationship was de facto can be about as clear as judging ice skating.

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

Many people wait until divorce to deal with the money. There is usually no reason to.Separation is a fact. A property se...
25/09/2026

Many people wait until divorce to deal with the money. There is usually no reason to.

Separation is a fact. A property settlement is the money. A divorce ends the marriage and divides nothing. You do not need to be divorced to sort out the money.

Each one has its own clock. A divorce generally needs 12 months of separation. Married couples generally have 12 months after a divorce becomes final to start property proceedings if that becomes necessary. De facto couples in WA generally have two years from separation, and that is the clock which catches people, because it starts at separation when nobody is thinking about deadlines.

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

The most common thing people say in a first appointment is that they do not know where to start. Here is the usual seque...
23/09/2026

The most common thing people say in a first appointment is that they do not know where to start. Here is the usual sequence.

Separation happens, and it is a date rather than a form. Then the immediate practicalities: safety first, then bank accounts, passwords, important documents and your will. Both sides put their full financial position on the table, including assets, debts, income and superannuation. If there are children and you cannot agree, family dispute resolution generally comes before court. The property settlement is negotiated, then the agreement is made binding. Divorce generally comes later, and it only ends the marriage.

That is the usual order rather than the only one.

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

The first appointment goes further when you arrive with the paperwork, and gathering it is something you can do this wee...
21/09/2026

The first appointment goes further when you arrive with the paperwork, and gathering it is something you can do this week.

Bring the date you separated, or your best estimate if the date is unclear. Bring recent payslips and your last two tax returns, bank statements including any joint accounts, and superannuation statements for both of you if you have them. Add mortgage or loan statements and any credit card balances, plus a rough list of what you own and what you owe. Bring details of any agreement you have already made, even if it was only verbal.
One more thing, which is not paperwork. Stop posting about your separation on social media, and do not conduct the dispute there.

The intake form does most of this for you before you walk in: https://lawfirms.navio.com.au/251468884167875

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

This belief keeps people living in homes they should not be living in, and it is wrong. Moving out does not, by itself, ...
18/09/2026

This belief keeps people living in homes they should not be living in, and it is wrong. Moving out does not, by itself, mean that you give up your interest in the property or your right to seek a property settlement.

A property settlement looks at the assets and liabilities, each person's contributions, and their current and future circumstances. Where you slept last night is not the test.

Moving out may affect other practical things, including arrangements for children and who pays what in the meantime, so it is worth advice before you go.

If safety is a concern, do not remain in an unsafe situation because of something you have read online.

In an emergency call 000. For support, 1800RESPECT is available on 1800 737 732, the Women's Domestic Violence Helpline on 1800 007 339, and the Men's Domestic Violence Helpline on 1800 000 599.

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

This is the question people are often too angry or too embarrassed to ask, so here is the answer plainly. Australia has ...
16/09/2026

This is the question people are often too angry or too embarrassed to ask, so here is the answer plainly. Australia has a no-fault divorce system, which means who ended the relationship, and why, is generally not what decides the money.

Conduct can become relevant. That includes where family violence has affected a person's contributions or their future circumstances, or where someone has intentionally or recklessly run down the assets available to divide.

It is one of the hardest parts of the process to accept, and it surprises almost everyone.

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

People often describe a property settlement as a lottery, decided by whoever happens to be sitting on the bench that day...
14/09/2026

People often describe a property settlement as a lottery, decided by whoever happens to be sitting on the bench that day. It is a more structured process than that, and it is simpler than many people expect.

It starts with what is there: the assets and liabilities of both of you, including superannuation, regardless of whose name they are in. Then what each of you put in, for example money, work, raising children and running the home. Then your current and future circumstances, which covers age, health, income and earning capacity, care of children and other relevant circumstances. Finally, whether the result is fair in the circumstances.

A framework is not a formula, so outcomes still differ. They differ more because of evidence than because of luck.

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

The most common reason people skip a written agreement isn't cost, and it isn't laziness.It's that asking for one feels ...
02/09/2026

The most common reason people skip a written agreement isn't cost, and it isn't laziness.

It's that asking for one feels awkward. Like you're signalling that you don't quite trust the person across the table. So the terms stay in a conversation, everyone stays comfortable, and the risk goes unspoken.
But think about what you're actually choosing. To protect a moment of comfort now, you're leaving the arrangement exposed to every way memory and circumstance can drift later.

The awkward five-minute conversation, “shall we just put this in writing?” is the cheapest insurance in business. The people who've been through a handshake dispute never find it awkward again.

If asking feels uncomfortable, that's usually a sign the deal matters enough to write down.

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

“We don't need lawyers; we trust each other.” No sentence has cost our clients more. And almost every time, trust was ne...
27/08/2026

“We don't need lawyers; we trust each other.”

No sentence has cost our clients more. And almost every time, trust was never the problem.

Two honest people shake hands on a deal. Both walk away certain they understand it. A year later, they remember two different agreements, and neither of them is lying.

That's not a trust failure. It's a memory failure. And a handshake has no defence against it.

Writing it down isn't a sign you distrust the other person. It's how two people who trust each other avoid a dispute neither of them wanted.

This is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

Address

Level 8, Ashton Chambers, 189 Street Georges Terrac
Perth, WA
6000

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+61405311786

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