Most people experiencing divorce say they ‘just want it to be over’. What they are really saying is that they want the feelings and emotions to have passed. So if you are thinking of divorce here are 10 things you will need to get you through and out the other side in one piece
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 […]
My dear friend Liz is back with another instalment in her life (post divorce) and this time she is hitting us with her recent dalliance with ‘online dating’ after divorce! I will be upfront with you- I was dating before the days of the ‘online’ world really taking over and I found it hard enough then! The thought of now having […]
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 […]
Divorce is one of the most significant grief events many of us will ever suffer. Is it any wonder then, that during divorce, good people suddenly seem to be mad? As a Divorce Lawyer I have seen it all. People who in any other situation are entirely ‘normal’ all of a sudden turn into crazy […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
This week something quite fascinating arrived at my office. Something that really made me stop and think for just a few moments. It wasn’t a fancy gift or grand delivery- it was a simple ‘Thank You’ card. I appreciate that a thank you card sounds very simple, even perhaps uninteresting. The difference this time was […]
Over the past two weeks I have found myself talking about yellow cars over and over. As a family lawyer I do not profess to be an expert in motor vehicles but I can assure you my “yellow car theory” seems to have a lot of application in the mine field that is post separation […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
