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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
As most of you know, I heavily advocate for families who are experiencing separation and divorce to do everything they can to stay away from the Family Court process. After 14 years working in the family law system, I have experienced firsthand the difficulties faced by families who find themselves before the Courts. The Court […]
This week I am privileged to share a guest post from family lawyer and friend, Hayley Atkinson, on Surrogacy. It is a topic gaining so much attention here in Australia and perhaps as a result the positive side of this miracle gift is being overlooked. _______________________________________ The last few weeks there has been so much […]
In writing my book this year I have had the privilege of interviewing families about their own experience of divorce and what is has meant for them. Earlier this year I spoke with Nicole of her experience of her parents’ divorce when she was a child. Nicole then sent me the comments below which I […]
After a week of fine tuning my book and finally pressing send on the email to my editor “Splitsville- How to separate, stay out of Court and stay friends”- is almost here so I decided I might share with you an extract- _____________________________________________________________________________ From Chapter 2 – WHERE DO I BEGIN? – THE BIG DECISION TO SEPARATE […]
This week I have been asked on a few occasions why I decided on “The Happy Family Lawyer”. It is a funny question as at the time I am not sure I was all that ‘Happy’ and I think I chose the word to remind myself every day of the importance of being just that- […]
What would you do with $100,000? Did you know that the financial outlay for your family to begin and finish a case before the Family Courts here in Australia, will be more than $100,000. This is almost a conservative estimate- I have no doubt that many families have spent many more thousands over the years […]
This week I had cause to remind myself just how grateful I am for the life I have been lucky enough to enjoy. The challenges that people face and overcome never cease to amaze me. After a long discussion this week I was reminded that you can find positives in even the most challenging of […]
Almost all of us have had our hearts broken at some stage in our lives. For me, it first happened when I was 16 years of age. I still remember those feelings so well- waking up each morning, those first few seconds when my world seemed okay, before that moment where everything seemed to stop. […]
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 […]
‘Conscious Uncoupling’, a phrase that now seems so common and yet is so new to the dialogue of divorce thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin who announced their decision to “consciously uncouple” on the 25th March 2014. Since then I’ve read with interest the varied commentary on their decision and this supposedly new concept […]
It seems everywhere these days you are reading “the top ten tips” or “the seven simple ways” to achieve something- it is all the rage. When it comes to information about divorce I have recently read a lot of what not to do- lists of where people have gone wrong- so I thought I might […]
All is not fair in love and divorce. This morning while trying to drag myself from bed with my almost two year old jumping on my head I managed to hear a headline on TV- “A law firm with a difference- they only represent men. It is the only way that men can get a […]
When life gives you lemons make margaritas. The last few weeks I have been finishing off the manuscript for my book and in the process I have been seeking input from friends, clients and colleagues, who all have had some experience with divorce. It has been so interesting reading what everyone has to say. There […]
I had the privilege on Friday evening of attending a Professional Dinner where my colleagues were recognised for their efforts as legal practitioners. These sorts of dinners are always an interesting affair. Of course you are seated at a table of strangers and before you know it you find yourself in that age old conversation […]
Amongst other things I am a Family Lawyer- a divorce lawyer who day in day out works with families to try and assist them through the legal issues that surround a marriage breakdown. Often this will involve advising on and negotiating the future living arrangements for young children- children that I will rarely meet and […]
It is a beautiful rainy Saturday here in Brisbane and I am tucked in my office writing a book pitch! Yep that damn book that seems to be filling my mind, all day, every day. None the less it has been a beautiful couple of hours as I trawl through the random collection of titles […]
Happiness is…. Well I think it is something different for each of us. For me it is the simplest of things. Taking my daughter each morning to the coffee shop where she clambers on a stool to climb up on a table and grab a sachet of sugar. She will say ‘just one’ as she […]
I had the privilege of meeting with a new client this afternoon. I have heard the first appointment between client and lawyer described as a bit like a ‘first date’- full of anticipation and nerves and with a mutual hope of a long lasting and successful relationship. Sometimes these appointments are easy and other times ‘hard’. Today, […]
