Background
A divorced father sought legal advice after long-standing contact arrangements continued to be changed by his ex-wife, restricting his ability to see his children.
Our involvement
Our client came to us seeking legal advice on how to prevent his ex-wife disregarding their informal but long-standing parent-child contact arrangements. He also requested our assistance in implementing a formal agreement going forward.
We began by initiating legal correspondence to encourage his ex-wife to adhere to the current contact arrangements and ensure their established routine remained stable, for the benefit of our client and his children. After his ex-wife continued to limit his access, we had no choice but to seek formal care arrangements. Taking the view that it was in the children’s best interests to have an ongoing, meaningful relationship with their father, we sought a court order to ensure his ex-wife’s cooperation.
Utilising our advocacy expertise, we represented our client in court – building on our knowledge of his case to provide him with greater consistency.
The outcome
Through the court, we achieved a child arrangement order for our client that was in keeping with his original pattern of contact, but now enforced by the court record. This put our client in a stronger position and outlined clear contact arrangements for future adherence.
Throughout the case, we provided clear, practical and cost-effective advice, and managed our client’s expectations through our expert knowledge of case law. Drawing on our experience, we were able to negotiate the complex emotional positions of both parents, while achieving our client’s objectives in line with his children’s best interests.