I know it can be daunting meeting with a family lawyer.  

So, what happens when you meet with me?

Please telephone or email me to make an appointment to meet with me if you wish to discuss appointing me as your divorce lawyer for other family matters.

I have a meeting room in Central Dunedin or can offer Zoom appointments if you need flexibility.

Most first appointments last for half to one hour. Everything you tell me remains confidential. During this time you can tell me why you need a family lawyer, which may be for relationship property, care of children matters, family violence, separation, divorce or any other family law matter. I will ask you questions to get more details that I might need to effectively be your family advocate, and together we will formulate a plan for how best to deal with the family law issue you have. In all our discussions you can rely on honest and responsible advice including whether or not it is in your interests to go to Family Court or not. Feel free to bring a support person with you if you would like.

It is best if children are not present during our meetings, so please make alternative arrangements for their care if at all possible.

Please ensure you have all the documents relating to the issue you are seeing me about. This could include previous Court orders, agreements, letters, statements, bills, notes and diaries.

I will need to get contact details for you and the other party involved in the dispute. It would be helpful if you could bring the other party’s contact details with you. If you have children, I will need their full names and birth dates. If your issue relates to relationship property, I will need to know the values of all your assets and liabilities.

I will talk to you about fees and payment, including my requirement for a retainer to be paid. As a guide, I usually record time at $300 per hour plus GST.

I do offer fixed fees for some matters, including a fixed fee for an initial, one-off consultation for the discounted rate of $299 incl GST.

Please note that time spent on your file is only one of the things I take into account when setting my fee.  

Immediately after our first appointment I will provide you with my letter of engagement and standard terms of engagement which set out in full the terms you agree to if you choose to retain me as your family lawyer.

I have limited availability for legal aid clients. If I have agreed that I can represent you on legal aid, I can help you to fill in the application form. Please click here for more information about making a legal aid application. You will need to pay the $50 user charge at or before your first appointment.