• Family Law

    7 Reasons Why Family Lawyers Should Embrace Social Media Marketing

    7 Reasons Why Family Lawyers Should Embrace Social Media Marketing

    Family lawyers might not be the first profession you would associate with having a presence on social media. After all, many people think of social media as a place where you talk with friends, post wacky videos, and tell jokes, which all seem a million miles away from the severe world of family lawyers helping clients daily with matters that significantly affect the lives of those clients.

    Nevertheless, whilst we would never expect family law to be the basis for comedy videos and memes, social media does have a role to play for those family lawyers who wish to promote their law practice and seek new clients. Given that, unless any law practice, whether it deals with family law, criminal law, or commercial law, adds new clients, it is a law practice heading south and will soon risk being unviable.

    As for family lawyers using social media to augment their business and attract those all-important new clients, it is essential to understand what social media can achieve for companies, including those within the family law sector. To ensure this is the case, we have outlined seven reasons family lawyers should embrace social media below. We hope this helps steer you as to why your next step should be to start a social media campaign.

    You Reach Large Audiences

    One of the biggest reasons to use social media is that it is where your future potential clients are. For example, a quarter of all adults regularly use LinkedIn; for Instagram, it rises to a third; on Facebook, you will find almost three-quarters of local adults. If you are not on these social media platforms and others, you are avoiding your prospects, not finding them.

    You Can Connect Directly With Your Audience

    With social media, you can build up a following of those who have shown interest in the subject matter you are posting content about. As such, you can connect more directly with that following than you ever can with traditional advertising channels to the extent that it can often feel like conversing with them.

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  • The Whys, When, And How Of Family Court Consent Orders
    Family Law

    The Whys, When, And How Of Family Court Consent Orders

    The vast majority of family law cases relating to divorces and the subsequent need for property settlements and decisions about any children of the marriage are settled amicably. This means that the couple in question, often with the support of their respective family lawyers, have been able to agree on how property and assets will be apportioned, plus child support and visitation if they are parents.

    Once this point has been reached, to formalize the divorce an application needs to be made to the Family Court for a Family Court Consent Order. Without exception, a couple dealing with their divorce in this manner and amicably moving towards a consent order, rather than going to war against their spouse to try and achieve a ‘winner takes all’ scenario, will see several advantages.

  • What-Does-Best-Interests-Of-The-Child-Actually-Mean-In-Family-Law
    Family Law

    What Does Best Interests Of The Child Actually Mean In Family Law?

    If you are a parent of children and you have had to consult with your family lawyer with regards to a divorce, one of the concepts that they may have mentioned to you in your meetings is ‘the best interests of the child’. The best interests of the child is a principle which underpins almost every decision, ruling, and order that comes from the Family Court relating to children, especially when their parents are divorcing.

    The main legislation that brought the best interests of the child to the legal table as it were, is the Family Law Act of 1975. This act changed many of the fundamental principles relating to families, divorce, and the welfare of children. For example, whereas it was previously assumed the mother would have sole custody of any children, that was changed so that both parents now have joint parental responsibility.

    The Family Law Act also made it clear that when any decisions were being made that impacted the child of any marriage, for example with regards to visitation, that the main consideration should not be what is best for each parent, but what was best for the child. This meant a scenario where one parent was refusing to let the other visit the children or one was refusing to visit their children, were deemed not acceptable.

  • Shared Versus Sole Parental Responsibility
    Family Law

    Shared Versus Sole Parental Responsibility

    When the parents of children divorce one of the crucial decisions that must take priority is determining parental responsibility. This is a matter that your family lawyers will advise you on and take the appropriate steps to represent you.

    One aspect of this that many clients are surprised to hear when their family lawyer tells them is that, in Australia, the law does not usually allow for the responsibility for children to be left in the hands of just one of the parents. What the Family Law Act of 1975 does spell out, is that unless there are any justifiable reasons why it should not be the case, joint parental responsibility is normally applied.

    Now, it is important to point out that joint parental responsibility does not mean that divorced parents have to live together. Heaven forbid that the courts should order that. In practical terms, therefore, it means that the child will live primarily with one of their parents, but the parent they live with does not have the sole responsibility, nor the right, to make all the important decisions regarding that child’s life and upbringing.

    The sorts of decisions relating to the child that parental responsibility is most likely to be applicable to are the following:

  • gender pay gap
    Employment Law

    What Should I Do If I’m Paid Less Than Male Co-Workers?

    Although things have progressed a lot over the past decades, gender equality is still a major issue across the world – even in advanced countries like Australia. If you feel you’ve been the victim of any form of gender discrimination in the workplace, we’d recommend speaking with an employment lawyer to determine the best course of action.

    In this article, we’ve covered one of the major gender inequality issues – the gender pay gap. The simple truth is that it’s illegal for a female employee to be paid less than their male counterparts for the same work. However, it’s not always that simple.

    So, what can you do if you feel like you’re a victim of this?

    1. Ensure Your Assumptions Are Correct

    For starters, you should speak with your co-workers to determine whether or not you’re truly a victim of gender inequality in the workplace. Unfortunately, this can be difficult due to the stigma associated with money and the unwillingness of people to discuss what they earn.

    In this situation, though, you will find that most of your co-workers will be understanding of your situation. The best approach is usually to be open about your concerns and ask your colleagues if they’re willing to share their payment information to help you out.

    1. Figure Out Whether Laws Are Actually Being Broken

    Now, the simple truth is that being paid less for the same work is against the law. It doesn’t matter whether the employer is actually paying you less because you’re a woman, or for some other reason – if you’re doing the same work, you should be paid the same.

  • Child Support
    Family Law

    How Much Child Support Will I Have To Pay?

    If you and your partner have children and decide to separate or divorce, one of you may be liable to pay child support. The level of child support you have to pay will depend on a wide range of factors, including your and your partner’s income and financial situation.

    Since child support matters can be complex, they are sometimes taken to a family court. If this happens to you, you should consider employing family lawyers to make sure that the court’s decision is fair and impartial.

    How Is The Amount Of Child Support I Have To Pay Determined?

    There are a number of different ways to decide how much child support has to be paid for your children. These include:

    Informal arrangements – If the parents split on good terms, they may be able to come to an informal arrangement that they are both happy with. This is probably the easiest way to do things, as it results in a friendly relationship and reduces the costs associated with third parties.

    Formal arrangements – Similar to informal arrangements, both parents can agree on formal child support arrangements if they want to.

    Department of Human Services child support assessment – The department of human services will determine how much you or your partner should pay in child support according to a complex formula. This will take into account your income, the costs of raising your children and how long the children spend in each parents care.

  • Child Custody
    Family Law

    What Age Can A Child Decide To Live With The Other Parent?

    Although no couple ever enters into a relationship with plans to separate in the future, the reality is that separation and divorce are becoming increasingly common in the modern world. One of the most common issues that family lawyers, have to deal with is who takes custody of children following a separation.

    Unfortunately, child custody issues are often complicated, and they can result in long, drawn out legal battles. Even if one parent is awarded custody and the other visiting rights, there might come a point in the future where a child decides that they actually want to live with the other parent.

    With this in mind, it’s important to think about the question of how old a child needs to be before the can choose to live with the other parent.

    When Can Children Decide Definitively Who To Live With?

    Ultimately, a child’s wishes are taken into account in Australian courts and custody disputes, regardless of their age. However, how much weight these wishes are given depends on their maturity and their age, among other factors.

    The sad reality is that Australian children can’t make definitive decisions about who to live with on their own until they reach adulthood – that is, until they turn 18 years old. There may become a point where they decide to take matters into their own hands before then, but legally, they are bound by their parent’s wishes until they turn 18.

  • LinkedIn for lawyer
    Law Firm Marketing

    5 Tips For Getting The Most Out of LinkedIn as a lawyer

    LinkedIn is arguably the most important social media platform for lawyers. It allows them to connect with business people from around the world, which means that they can both advertise their services and reach out to potential clients with ease.

    However, it’s not always easy to use LinkedIn effectively, especially if you don’t have a lot of social media marketing experience. If you want to get the most out of LinkedIn for either yourself or your law firm, then you need to carefully optimise your profile and streamline your approach. Consider the following tips to help you on your way:

    1. Make sure that you’ve got a strong, accurate profile

    The key to becoming successful on LinkedIn is making sure that your profile is accurate, detailed, and full of information about you and your services. As a lawyer, you should list things like:

    • Your professional experience, including any high profile cases that you’ve successfully taken on.
    • You education, including any post graduate studies that you’ve done that have allowed you to specialise.
    • A small amount about your personal life to allow potential clients to connect with you on a personal level, even if they’re not really interested in your personal life at all.
    1. Make sure that you actively reach out to people

    Now, it’s important that you don’t fall into the trap of waiting for people who want a lawyer to reach out to you via your LinkedIn profile. If people comment on, like or share your posts, then consider sending them a short message introducing yourself.

  • VRO
    Criminal Law

    Does A VRO Go On Your Record?

    If you are the victim of domestic or family violence, you may have considered taking out a violence restraining order (VRO) against the aggressor. However, many people hesitate because of the perceived consequences to the person that they take the VRO out against, mistakenly believing that it will give them a criminal record.

    VROs are becoming increasingly common in Australia, where they are often dealt with by criminal lawyers or criminal law experts. However, it’s important to understand that being served with a VRO is not the same as being charged with a crime, and that a VRO itself doesn’t have significant penalties.

    What Exactly Is A VRO?

    Ultimately, a Violence Restraining Order is a court given order that prevents someone from making contact with another person or group of people. In many cases, VROs are imposed against perpetrators of domestic or family violence, and they are designed to protect vulnerable or potentially weak individuals.

    VROs usually prevent the recipient from coming into contact with certain people (except under special conditions) or from entering certain areas. For example, if you are served with a restraining order, you may not be allowed to come within 100 meters of a person, and you may not be able to enter the streets immediately surrounding their home.

  • Small Business Tax Concessions
    Business Advice

    Small Business Tax Concessions And How To Claim Them

    Australian tax laws can appear extremely complicated. However, they actually aren’t. Sure, there are a lot of them, but once you find the ones which apply to you and your business, you shouldn’t have any trouble following them. If you are struggling with your tax, then consider seeking advice about the following concessions from your accountants.

    Although most Australian businesses don’t do anything wrong on their tax return, according to accountants, in the government’s eyes at least – it is common to forget about or ignore tax concessions that they otherwise could have claimed. If you undertake any of the following activities, or if the following apply to your business, you may be able to claim more tax back at the end of the year:

    Travel expenses

    If you or your employees travel for work, you may be able to claim the cost of your travel, your accommodation costs and the cost of your meals on your tax return. Note that you can only claim costs like these if the trip is solely for business, and that you can’t claim everyday transport to and from work.

    Sportsperson, entertainers and special professionals concessions

    If you fall into the above category, and you earn a variable income, then you may be eligible for income averaging. This allows you to pay less tax in years where you earn a higher than usual income. People like artists, composers, inventors, authors or athletes can be eligible for this sort of concession.

  • Law Firms On-Page SEO
    Law Firm Marketing

    Optimising Your Law Firms On-Page SEO For The Best Results

    Search engine optimisation, or SEO, can be split into two broad groups – on page SEO and off page SEO. Off page SEO refers to things like link building and business directory listing, while on page SEO refers to everything that takes place within the confines of your website.

    Although both on and off page SEO are extremely important for law firms looking to increase their organic search engine ranking, this article will focus solely on on page techniques, tips and tricks. Some of these include:

    Understand that Google understands synonyms

    Search engines are becoming smarter and smarter every single year. In the past, you had to fill your website with exact match keywords if you wanted to appear in the search engine results pages. Fortunately, this is changing.

    Search engines now have the ability to understand synonyms and similar words. For example, a search for computers will turn up pages about PCs, laptops and a wide range of other computer related websites. Although these are all about computers, they won’t necessarily contain the word ‘computer’ in their title or meta description. The most important thing is that your information reads accurately and naturally.