Here we will answer the most common questions we get about when a forensic accountant may be required: What is forensic accounting? What does a forensic accountant do in divorce (or de facto) property settlement? Who pays for a forensic accountant in divorce or financial settlement matters? What is Forensic Accounting?  Forensic accounting is the process of investigating financial records and analysing transactions to verify or uncover a true and accurate financial picture. At the start of any property settlement process, full and frank disclosure of all financial information bet ..read more

Last year Tony, Fiona Caulley and Olivia Phillips and the rest of our team, along with colleagues and friends celebrated 10 years since Phillips Family Law opened its doors for the first time. That evening, Tony reflected on the journey so far, including his years as a lawyer and Managing Director of Murdoch Lawyers in both Toowoomba and Brisbane before opening Phillips Family Law. Others also shared their stories and insights into their experiences of working alongside Tony as well as those on the opposing side of matters. Tony at Murdoch Lawyers 2006 When speaking of Tony, his colleag ..read more

If you or your ex (or both of you) have decided that you do not want to involve lawyers in the processes in your separation or divorce, it is likely due to one or more of these reasons: You wish to save on legal costs You’ve heard from others about their negative experiences; and/or You wish to avoid ending up in Court. While the decision to involve a family lawyer is always yours, it is important to be aware of what can go wrong if you are making decisions about your finances and the division of property without the advice of a family lawyer. Before we continue, it is important to kn ..read more

Below we answer the questions, ‘What is Financial Disclosure?’ and Can I refuse financial disclosure?’. We will also unpack the documents that you or your former partner may need to produce in this process. What is Financial Disclosure? To begin with, both you and your former spouse or partner will be required to provide to each other, copies of all information and documents that are relevant to your financial separation (known in family law as a property settlement). A document is considered ‘relevant’ if it: Verifies the nature and extent of the assets, liabilities and financial resour ..read more

Olivia will work closely with Directors, Fiona Caulley and Tony Phillips in the strategic development of the firm and our exceptionally talented team of professionals. Olivia’s successes include being highly regarded by her peers, as a family lawyer who takes great pride in assisting her clients through their relationship breakdown, whilst having a pivotal role in providing leadership and mentoring of the PFL professional team. Olivia’s approach in providing clear and strategic advice to her clients over a broad range of complex family law issues has been recognised in the Doyle’s Gu ..read more

The Doyles Guide to the Australian Legal Profession is compiled following online peer review based surveys as well as telephone and face to face interviews with clients and solicitors, barristers, mediators and other practitioners working in family law. In addition to this wonderful recognition for the entire team, a number of our team were individually named as leading family lawyers in Brisbane, across a number of areas. Tony Phillips, Managing Director is recognised as: Preeminent – Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers – Brisbane, 2024 Preeminent – Leading Family Lawyers (High-Va ..read more

When experiencing separation or divorce, regardless of whether you are the instigator, on the receiving end or you have both decided to separate, there are some key resources we share with clients that can be helpful to access before and after a separation.  These separation and divorce resources for parents often provide valuable advice, insights and mechanisms to help you or those you love, understand and cope with different stages of the separation and divorce process. They fall into four categories: Resources to understand and navigate the process ahead Resources for supporting child ..read more

This week, the Doyles Guide announced the leading family lawyers and family law firms from across Australia. Tony Phillips and Fiona Caulley have both been recognised again this year, as well our team. Since 2015, Phillips Family Law has been named as a leading family law firm in Australia.    Tony Phillips | Preeminent Family and Divorce Lawyer - Australia, 2024     Fiona Caulley | Recommended Family and Divorce Lawyer - Australia, 2024   Congratulations to our lawyers and our support team, for this recognition as a leading Australian family law firm.  ..read more

There is no doubt that much, if not all of your important private, confidential and sensitive data, including financial data is stored within your personal devices. Even if your separation is entirely amicable, it is important for everyone to read the recommended tips in the separation checklist we have created.  This separation checklist has been compiled because we have seen far too many people finding themselves impacted by issues that were entirely avoidable. Below, we share our recommendations to help you protect your private and sensitive information. We’ve also created this into a ..read more

If you have been in either a de facto relationship or a marriage that has ended, unless you have a Prenup or Binding Financial Agreement in place, you will be required to go through the financial/property settlement process. As part of the process you will be required to compile a list of all of your property and assets, which includes superannuation. Given that superannuation is often an asset of considerable value, you will likely want to understand:  If your superannuation will need to be split; How it could be split given that it is typically inaccessible until retirement age; and Ot ..read more