When it comes to divorce it is the emotional roller coaster that is the hardest part to both experience and manage. One moment you will feel ‘I’ve got this’ only to feel like you are upside down and have no idea where to turn a few moments later. Divorce is a process of change. You […]
Falling in love is fun, exciting and romantic. It is all the things we dream of and romance novels are made of. And of course then there is falling out of love- it is, as we know, just the opposite. The end of a significant relationship will bring with it fear, grief and sadness and […]
These past few years I have spent many hours reading, learning and researching happiness. At first this was to better understand my own wellbeing but later all that work led to me writing the book ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’. Unhappiness in my profession is rife. The incidence of mental health problems within the legal profession is […]
It was 1997 when I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. That was almost 20 years ago now. Just saying that makes me realise that was a really long time ago! In 1997 I was living in sunny Brisbane, in a share house in Annerley and studying to be an Interior Designer. Not a […]
I love a guest blogger and this week my fellow Family Lawyer, Fiona Caulley is sharing her learning on Mindfulness and its application to our daily practice of law. I had the pleasure of hearing Fiona present on this topic last weekend at a conference we were both involved in. I loved it! So much […]
Oh St Valentine! Once a year you appear to remind us of all the beauty that love brings. Which is fine when you are in those early loved up stages of a relationship, when every day feels like Valentine’s Day. But if you are in the thick of managing the great ups and downs of […]
The first time I heard the term ‘divorce coach’ I am pretty sure I may have rolled my eyes! But that was a while ago, before I met one and before I had any understanding of what a Divorce Coach really is. It makes sense if you think about it- someone who understands what it […]
Dear Senator Brandis, I don’t know you, and I doubt very much that you know me. I don’t really follow your politics either- probably because I am blessed to live in this Country of ours where I don’t always agree with the decisions that are made, but I trust in the democratic process we have in place. […]
‘Leadership’. It is a word that is thrown around workplaces all the time but sometimes with so little thought. I am a leader and there are many days when I wish I could sneak into my office, hide behind my desk and leave all that leadership business to someone else! Because being a leader […]
I don’t know about you but it’s Christmas party season for me. This means lots of professional events and lots of fun and catch-ups, but it also tends to mean lots of conversations with people that I don’t know so well. And at each one of these events lately, the conversation seems to go like […]
Parenting is one of life’s joys, but at the same time is one of life’s challenges. Parenting during separation and divorce is perhaps more of a ‘challenge’ than a ‘joy’. The breakdown of any significant relationship is one of the most difficult grief events many of us will ever experience. It is therefore no wonder […]
I expect many of you, like me, have struggled to accept the news that has been all around us these past days. Here in Queensland this week we have seen another two women and a child killed by men who supposedly cared deeply for them. And then when we look back to the beginning of this […]
You know I love a good ‘guest post’ and this week’s is one of my favourites. The Author, Geoff, got in touch with me a few weeks ago in amongst the debate over the notion of ‘being friends’ after divorce. Now I don’t want to reignite the debate (it was a strong one!) and please […]
This past week I have been enjoying a long awaited family holiday. Oliver, London and I have made our way (along with Ollie’s mum) to Queenstown, New Zealand. It has been beautiful. We have been skiing the slopes, sitting in front of log fires, enjoying lovely dinners out and all that fun holiday stuff. But […]
The desire for one parent to move after separation can raise so many questions and sometimes even more hurdles so that it may seem out of reach but remember, there is always more than one way to skin a cat.
Whether it was watching my parents, learning myself or helping people every day for the past 15 years fall ‘out of love’ I have come to learn a few things about relationships as a divorce lawyer so this week I thought I would share my 3 biggest learnings.
Before you get too excited this week’s post is not about dating! A dear friend who just happens to be a successful writer and business owner has been putting pen to paper (or perhaps more correctly fingers to the keyboard!) and writing a series of articles for my collection. So, let me introduce you to my friend Liz who has made me really proud over the past months as she has been living the rollercoasters of divorce with style and pride (and many a tear along the way!)
The feelings experienced during divorce could be compared to riding a rickety old roller coaster- you jump on board (sometimes unwillingly) and feel your life passing by at high speed- up, down and around again. Some days you feel like you are hanging upside down watching the world go past below, while other days it […]
This week’s post is kindly written by a former client and now dear friend who I have the pleasure of meeting a few times a year to share stories, check in and hear where life is taking her! And last week we spoke ‘Dating’! So what is it like when you start dating again after divorce? Well after a great lunch chat I asked my beautiful friend to share her story with all of you as it reminded me of those silver linings that can come after divorce.
As written for and published in I AM WOMAN Magazine 27 November 2014 L.O.V.E- love! A word that brings with it so many wonderful feelings, memories and dreams. And yet a word that can also create so much pain. Falling in love is beautiful, magical and for some, like a fairy tale. It is the […]
Divorce is bad enough without then having to explain to those you love and even those you barely know just what you are going through. Often the most challenging conversation to be had is with your children. So here are 5 things to keep in mind when you are telling your kids, about your separation.
Parenting is full of joys and challenges. Sometimes there is more joy than challenge and then there are those days when there seem to be only challenges to face with little joy. This is the case whether you are parenting together or apart. For parents who find themselves navigating the end of their relationship there can be some […]
Music has such a powerful effect on memory. A song comes on and immediately you can be transported back to another time in your life and it is like it is happening all over again. It is therefore no surprise that music can often be our best friend when it comes to healing a broken heart. I have […]
Almost this time last year Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin hit the front pages of the news with their wacky idea that they were ‘consciously uncoupling’. They were not ‘getting a divorce’ instead they had made a conscious decision to bring their marriage to an end in a positive way. In fact they had untangled their […]
Last week I read a beautiful article titled ’10 Unexpected silver linings of Divorce’ by Carolyn Martin, a mother who has herself experienced divorce. It is a beautiful piece. One line in particular really had me thinking. Carolyn was talking about the reality of being a separated parent and she said- ‘I am their mother […]
I have a belief that life is a journey. That each of us is living in our own ‘choose your own adventure novel’ and that the decisions we make lead us on new adventures. Just like a novel, we never really know what the ending will be and so it is the path, or the […]
We are living in an environment of significant change in terms of how we, as lawyers, do business. If we don’t start to acknowledge and adapt to change, there is every chance that our roles, as we know them today, will become redundant. Despite the shifts that are occurring in our industry, there are some […]
Today, exactly 6 years ago, I was dancing around a small town hall, with my closest friends and family, celebrating my marriage. It was a remarkable day (save for the rain and yes, I know that is meant to be a sign of good luck) and a day I will always look back on and […]
This week I have an admission to make. I have an addiction. Every Wednesday and Thursday evening for the past 10 or so weeks I have rushed home and taken up a seat to avidly watch 30 or so girls have their hearts unceremoniously broken on the national TV show, ‘The Bachelor’. And it turns out […]
Clarissa Rayward, The Happy Family Lawyer, is a Specialist Family Lawyer based in Brisbane, Australia. Clarissa is the Director of boutique Family Law Firm, Brisbane Family Law Centre (BFLC). Brisbane Family Law Centre is a multidisciplinary legal practice offering a holistic service to clients experiencing divorce and separation. An onsite team of specialist family lawyers are […]
