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Sarah Bevan Family Lawyers

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Sarah Bevan Family Lawyers

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Accredited Specialist and Mediation experts. At Sarah Bevan Family Lawyers, we practise in only one area of law – family law.

Leading family lawyers in Sydney with the experience, the skill and dedication to help you with your family law matters - specialising in Fertility Law, Surrogacy, International Law, Divorce & Separation. We do not try to be all things to all people, we know what we can do and we aim for excellence in doing so. Our staff are all dedicated to providing you with the service you need at what is possibly a stressful time in your life. You will get the personalised friendly service that only a small specialist firm can offer. We know that everybody has different needs, issues and approaches, and we never assume to know what you want. Sometimes you may simply need to know your options, other times you may need assistance with negotiations aimed at resolving your matter, and other times you may need a lawyer who is able to vigorously stand up for you in court. Our range of skills, experience and backgrounds means that we can meet your expectations. Our emphasis is on providing you with advice you can understand in a straight forward, down-to-earth manner. We will keep you informed every step of your matter so that you are able to make informed decisions. We can help you with:
• Property Settlement
• Spousal maintenance
• Divorce
• Living arrangements for, or "custody" of, your children
• Contact arrangements or "access" to your children
• Child abduction, including overseas abductions
• Child support
• Pre-nuptial or relationship agreements

21/08/2026

What can we do to make sure we are both fully recognised as parents?

That was the question that came up most when Sarah Bevan joined Rainbow Families last week for their webinar, "Legally Family: Understanding Parentage for LGBTQ+ Families", hosted by Ashley Scott.

It is worth setting out the answer properly, because a lot of people assume the birth certificate settles it, and it does not always.

A birth certificate is a record. Legal parentage is a status. Most of the time they line up. Where they come apart, it tends to be in the situations our community is most likely to be in: a known donor, a child born overseas, a family formed before the law caught up, or a move between states.

Sarah's answer was this. It depends on your circumstances. Sometimes there is a clear path to obtaining legal parentage. Sometimes, as the law currently stands, legal parentage is not available to both parents, and the hope is that the law continues to develop and change.

But where legal parentage is not possible, that is not the end of it. It may still be possible to obtain parental responsibility orders, so that you both hold the full rights and responsibilities of a parent, without necessarily having legal parentage.

That distinction matters. The assumption we meet most often is that if the obvious route is closed, there is nothing to be done. That is usually not the case.

Thank you to Rainbow Families and to Ashley Scott for having us. Rainbow Families have written the topic up here: https://www.rainbowfamilies.com.au/_understanding_legal_parentage_what_every_lgbtq_family_should_know

To be plain about what we do, because people often ask before they ask anything else: we act for LGBTQ+ parents and intended parents on parentage, donor and co-parenting agreements, surrogacy in Australia and overseas, birth registration, parental responsibility orders, and parenting arrangements after separation. However your family came together, it is very unlikely to be the first time we have seen it.

Sarah Bevan is an Accredited Family Law Specialist and President of Surrogacy Australia.

Call 1300 007 235 or email [email protected]

This post is general information and is not legal advice on any individual's situation.

20/08/2026

Donor agreements protect everyone involved. Get one before conception.

Whether you are using a known s***m donor or egg donor, a properly drafted agreement sets clear expectations about legal parentage, financial obligations, and contact arrangements.

Without an agreement, donors might be found to be legal parents with all the rights and responsibilities that entails. Intended parents can also face unexpected claims.

A donor agreement drafted by a specialist family lawyer gives everyone certainty and protection.

Call 1300 007 235 or visit sbfamilylawyers.com.au

https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/s***m-donor-agreements/

18/08/2026

What is sole parental responsibility or decision making and when will a court grant it?

Sole parental responsibility or decision making is not the same as full custody. It gives one parent the right to make major long-term decisions about a child, including issues such as education, health, religion, and name without the other parent's consent.

The Court does not grant it lightly. You need to demonstrate that it is in the child's best interests, usually where communication has broken down or there are safety concerns.

If you are considering an application, specialist legal advice is essential.

Call 1300 007 235 or visit sbfamilylawyers.com.au

https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/sole-parental-responsibility/

13/08/2026

Can you use recordings as evidence in family law proceedings?

The answer depends on how the recording was made, what state you are in, and whether you had the other person's consent.

In NSW, it is legal to record a private conversation you are a party to. But secretly recording someone else's conversation is a criminal offence. Even lawful recordings may not be admitted if the Court considers them unfairly prejudicial.

Before you hit record, get legal advice on what is admissible and what could backfire.

Call 1300 007 235 or visit sbfamilylawyers.com.au

https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/audio-video-evidence-separation/

11/08/2026

Breaching a parenting order is serious. Know the consequences.

Contravening a parenting order without a reasonable excuse can result in fines, community service, variation of orders, make-up time, or even imprisonment in serious cases.

The Court takes compliance seriously. If your former partner is breaching orders, or if you are unsure whether your actions constitute a breach, you need legal advice.

Call 1300 007 235 or visit sbfamilylawyers.com.au

https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/breaching-parenting-orders-family-lawyers/

10/08/2026

US surrogacy: urgent information for intended parents

On Friday afternoon our time, the White House issued two executive orders that seriously affect Australians engaged in surrogacy arrangements in the United States.

Between them, the orders touch two things that matter enormously: the ability of intended parents to travel to the US, and the ability of babies born there to obtain US citizenship.

Agency guidance is still to come and the position is not settled. But if you have an arrangement underway, this is not something to wait out.

Sarah Bevan is holding a free half hour briefing at 7pm AEST this Tuesday 11 August. Sarah is an Accredited Family Law Specialist and President of Surrogacy Australia.

The briefing is open to anyone with a US surrogacy arrangement underway. You do not need to be a client of ours to attend.

To get the link, email our Office Manager Tiffany Payne at [email protected]

If you are already engaged in a surrogacy arrangement in the United States, please get in contact with us without delay. Call 1300 007 235 or email [email protected]

This post is general information about a change in United States policy and is not legal advice on any individual's situation.

06/08/2026

Can same-sex parents be named on a birth certificate via surrogacy?

Yes. Sarah Bevan has helped same-sex couples secure parentage orders and be named on their child's birth certificate through surrogacy in NSW and throughout Australia.

From surrogacy arrangements and donor agreements to parenting orders and property settlements, our firm has been at the forefront of LGBTQ+ family law in Australia.

Every family deserves the same legal protections. We are here to make that happen.

Call 1300 007 235 or visit sbfamilylawyers.com.au

https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/lgbti-family-law-family-lawyers-sydney/

04/08/2026

Mediation before court. It is generally required, and here is why that is a good thing.

Before filing parenting proceedings, you are required to obtain a Section 60I certificate from a registered family dispute resolution practitioner. This means attempting mediation first.

Mediation can resolve disputes faster, with less cost, and with far less emotional toll than going to court. Many families reach agreement without ever stepping foot in a courtroom.

There are limited exceptions for urgency and family violence situations.

Call 1300 007 235 or visit sbfamilylawyers.com.au

https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/mediation-family-law-section-60i-certificates/

31/07/2026

Surrogacy & Donor Conception National Conference, Sydney 2026

Last weekend our team joined intended parents, surrogates, donors, clinicians and counsellors at the Growing Families Surrogacy & Donor Conception National Conference at the Sydney Masonic Centre.

Sarah Bevan presented via audio-visual link on Australian surrogacy law and parentage orders, including the questions that come up in almost every first consultation: who is a legal parent after a surrogacy arrangement, how domestic and international pathways differ, and what residency and citizenship mean for a child born overseas.

Dayla Oraha, Sophie Abbott and Tiffany Payne represented the firm on Saturday and Sunday. The best part of a weekend like this is the conversations off the stage: connecting with other specialists in the field, finally putting faces to the names we have been emailing for years, and sitting down with attendees to talk through where they are in their own journey.

Thank you to Growing Families for bringing the sector together, and to everyone who stopped by our stand for a chat.

If you are considering surrogacy or donor conception and want to understand the legal side before you start, we are always happy to talk it through.

Read more about the conference and Sarah's session: https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/surrogacy-donor-conception-conference/

Phone 1300 007 235 | [email protected]

Growing Families

30/07/2026

Coercive control is now a criminal offence in NSW. Here is what that means for family law.

The law recognises that domestic violence goes beyond physical harm. Patterns of controlling, intimidating, or manipulative behaviour are now taken seriously as a standalone criminal offence.

In family law proceedings, evidence of coercive control can significantly impact parenting orders and property settlements. The Court considers the safety of children and the affected party as paramount.

If you are experiencing coercive control, legal support is available.

https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/what-is-coercive-control-in-family-law/

Call 1300 007 235 or visit sbfamilylawyers.com.au

Address

Suite 402, 3 Hosking Place
Sydney, NSW
2000

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+61296331088

Website

https://sbfamilylawyers.com.au/

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