Our services
Leading family court lawyers, Melbourne
Our accredited lawyers can represent you during court proceedings or brief an experienced barrister to advocate for you in complex matters.
Specialist family law firm
We have 40+ years of experience dealing with family law matters.
Client focused
Get the help, guidance, and legal support you need to move forward.
Commendable service
We’re ranked in the top five family law firms in Melbourne.
Open and upfront
We will clearly outline expectations and a quote for legal fees following your initial consultation.
Choosing the right representation to advocate on your behalf
At Carew Counsel, all of our lawyers are experienced and competent advocates who regularly represent clients in various jurisdictions, including the Family Court of Australia, the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, and the Supreme Court of Victoria. We also advocate for clients at mediation or court-ordered conciliation conferences.
In most cases, lawyers will also appear at hearings, however, for final hearings and complex interim matters, it’s our policy to brief an experienced barrister to advocate your matter. We take great care in recommending the appropriate barrister and endeavour to brief those with specialised knowledge in the intricate areas of the law relevant to your matter.
Our awards and memberships
Supporting you through the court process
Attending court for your family law matter can be a daunting and emotional experience for all parties. Our family law services ensure you receive the right representation for your matter, with your appointed lawyer supporting you through the process to help put you at ease.
Divorce hearings
Our divorce lawyers can represent you in court, presenting your case, and advocating for your interests. They’re experienced in court procedures and can navigate the legal system on your behalf.
Interim hearings
Interim hearings address temporary issues before the final resolution of a case. Our Melbourne family lawyers can represent you during the interim hearing, presenting your case to the judge, arguing legal points, and advocating for orders that align with your interests.
Final hearings
A final hearing is the last stage in the legal process where the court makes decisions on the substantive issues in dispute. Alongside a barrister, our family lawyers will provide ongoing legal advice, address your concerns, answer questions, and guide you on the best course of action.
Make an enquiry
Get started by discussing your circumstances with a family law expert.
When to consult a lawyer for court representation
On some occasions, it just isn’t possible to come to a mutual agreement on your family matter, whether that’s divorce, financial settlements, child support, spousal maintenance, or property settlement. If disputes still can’t be resolved after mediation, the next stage is to attend court and present your case to a judge.
Whether you’ve represented yourself up until now or want to appoint different family lawyers, our team can help guide you through the process in the lead-up to court, during the hearing, and after the decision has been made. We’ll listen to your case, offer legal advice, and do everything we can to help you reach your desired outcome.
Benefits of engaging a family court lawyer in Melbourne
Attending court can be emotionally, physically, and psychologically taxing, which is why we recommend appointing an experienced family lawyer to represent and advocate for you. As a specialist family law firm, our family lawyers can:
- Offer valuable legal expertise, with a deep understanding of relevant statutes, case law, and legal processes
- Provide personalised family law advice based on your specific situation
- Provide an objective perspective to help navigate the legal process more effectively
- Develop a legal strategy tailored to your case
- Prepare and organise the necessary legal documents required for court proceedings
- Represent you, ensuring your case is presented professionally in court
Our solution-focused process
Client testimonials
Hear from our satisfied clients across Victoria.
"I highly recommend Carew Counsel Solicitors for anyone seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable solicitor for family law matters. Madison Ogilvie excelled in her communication, ensuring I was kept informed every step of the way. Although it got stressful, Madison's professionalism was top-notch."
"In what was a difficult time to go through, I'm thankful that I had the team at Carew in my corner. I received sound advice all the way through the process and felt proud of the dignified way that my case was being responded to. I would certainly recommend Madison and the team at Carew for their professionalism, experience, integrity and dedicated service."
"10 Stars! Very happy & relieved that I chose Alex Carew & Carew Counsel for a family member in an extremely concerning & complicated Family Court/child protection matter. Highly professional, ethical, respectful, knowledeable, hard working, strategic, collaborative, communicative, caring, compassionate & child & family welfare focused. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us protect our little child."
"I would like to thank and acknowledge all the team at Carew Counsel Solicitors for representing me in my recent financial settlement matter. I highly recommend that you engage Carew Counsel Solicitors to represent you in your family law matter."
Why choose Carew Counsel
Client satisfaction
We go the extra mile to support you through the court process and do what we can to help you reach your goal.
Court representation expertise
Our Melbourne family lawyers are accredited family law experts very familiar with court proceedings.
Open communication
We provide honest, upfront and detailed advice so you have clear expectations around potential outcomes.
Fee transparency
After your consultation, we’ll give you a cost estimate, whether that be negotiation and consent orders or a final hearing.
Meet your trusted Melbourne family lawyers
FAQs
Learn more about legal representation and the court process with our FAQs.
There are two courts that deal with family law matters: The Family Court of Australia and The Federal Circuit Court of Australia, both located at 305 William Street Melbourne. Most divorce hearings will take place in the Federal Circuit Court.
When you arrive at the court, check the daily lists of cases and locate the court where your case will be heard. You’ll need to arrive before your matter starts to tell the court officer at the front of the room your name and whether you are the applicant or respondent.
The process varies depending on the type of case you are involved in.
For divorce hearings, the registrar will hear all represented parties first before proceeding through the list of unrepresented people. They will review the documents you have filed and if you have children, they may ask you some short questions.
If you have an interim hearing on children or property matters then it will likely be in a list with 10 or more family law matters on the day. The judge will often want you and the other party to stand matters down to see if you can resolve some or all of the family law issues on the day. If matters can’t be resolved, then the judge can make orders to progress the case (such as ordering valuations or family reports).
For final hearings, the judge will still want to know if you need time to negotiate or whether you are ready to proceed and get the case started.
In Australia, you have several options for representation in court, depending on the type of case and your personal circumstances.
The most common way to be represented in court is by hiring a family lawyer who has legal expertise and experience in family law matters. They can be essential in more complex cases, such as civil litigation.
If you cannot afford to hire a private lawyer, you may be eligible for legal aid, which provides government-funded legal assistance to individuals with limited financial means.
You also have the right to represent yourself in court, which many people choose in simple cases, such as small claims or minor traffic matters. However, self-representation may not be advisable in complex legal matters.