It is helpful, but not compulsory, to bring important documents to your first appointment, such as:

- Photo ID.

- Details of your finances if your case is about property, or you are applying for Legal Aid.  This might mean;

• Your current home loan balance,
• Details of any credit cards or loans,
• Details of any cash in the bank or other assets such as shares or Kiwisaver (internet banking screenshots are fine).
• Copies of any current Court Orders in place for your children, or mediation agreements, if you have them.
• Details about your income, such as payslips (several of them if your pay varies).

If you are talking to the other parent privately, or going through the Family Dispute Resolution mediation process to create your first co-parenting plan - we recommend that you check out the Parenting Plan workbook below.

There are many issues to think about beyond the week to week routines, including: long weekends, school holidays, family birthdays, Mothers/Fathers day, other special occasions, extended/overseas trips, communication between yourself and the other parent, safe changeovers and phone/video contact with your child while they are in the other parent's care.

What is needed will be unique to the family: some parents are able to 'go with the flow', while other parents benefit from fairly rigorous advance planning.

It is crucial that you go into this process understanding the difference between having care/contact, and being a guardian. Talk to us if you are unsure!

Absolutely.  We regularly act for clients in rural areas who cannot come into the office - and right across New Zealand. (Often our pricing beats that of large centres!) 

We will make a plan that works for you.

Yes - however, we need to consider the likely total cost of your case, and the timeframe for repayment, when agreeing to a regular amount with you.

The Family Legal Advice Service is a limited, no-cost advice service for parenting and guardianship issues.  It is part of a broader range of funded services including mediation ('Family Dispute Resolution') and the Parenting through Separation information programme offered by the Ministry of Justice.

The Family Legal Advice service can be accessed by eligible participants every 12 months.  In short, it can offer you a free appointment with us to chat about parenting issues.

The funding eligibility for FLAS does not consider a person's assets or the income of their partner so is available to a wider range of people than Legal Aid, however income criteria is similar to Legal Aid (see the next question).

There are also asset criteria, and "special circumstances", however the base income criteria is as follows:

(a)

for a single applicant with no dependent children,— $28,984 per year

(b)

for a single applicant with 1 dependent child, or an applicant with a spouse or partner and no dependent children,— $45,900 per year.

(c)

for a single applicant with 2 dependent children, or an applicant with a spouse or partner and 1 dependent child, — $66,005 per year.

(d)

for a single applicant with 3 dependent children, or an applicant with a spouse or partner and 2 dependent children,— $75,006 per year.

(e)

for a single applicant with 4 dependent children, or an applicant with a spouse or partner and 3 dependent children,— $83,816 per year.

(f)

for a single applicant with 5 dependent children, or an applicant with a spouse or partner and 4 dependent children,— $93,696 per year.

Please note that Legal Aid can be repayable.