Family Lawyer
Help people resolve the legal aspects of family relationships – including divorce, property settlements and parenting arrangements.
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Typical salary
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Job opportunities
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Jobs in SEEK right now
Salary
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Typical salary
Job growth
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5-year projection
Job satisfaction
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What's it like to be a Family Lawyer?
Family Lawyers provide professional advice, assistance and support with a wide range of issues including: separation, divorce, child support, adoption and property, and financial settlements. Family Lawyers also advise on alternative dispute resolution options, considerations prior to entering a relationship or prior to separating, and financial agreements such as prenuptials, superannuation splitting and spousal maintenance.
Tasks and duties
- Resolving legal issues for clients.
- Corresponding regularly with clients and other solicitors about legal matters.
- Preparing documents including court applications, contracts and settlement documents.
- Attending court.
- Referring clients to counsellors, psychologists, financial planners and other professionals.
Family law can be a challenging area of the law to work in as it involves counselling clients who are going through difficult life experiences, such as the breakdown of a relationship or defending a child who is a victim of domestic abuse. It can also be rewarding as it provides an opportunity to make a real difference in clients’ lives.
How to become a Family Lawyer
To become a Family Lawyer in Australia you will need to apply to the local Law Society for a Practising Certificate. You’ll then need to complete 18 to 24 months of supervised practice at a law firm. Pathways to becoming a practicing Family Lawyer typically require a combined 5-6 years of education and training.
- Complete a Bachelor of Law (LLB) undergraduate degree or a Juris Doctor (JD) postgraduate degree. Both courses are 3 or 4 years long.
- Complete Practical Legal Training (PLT). This can be completed in less than a year.
- Gain admission from the relevant state or territories Admissions Authority within 5 years of graduation.
- Apply for a Practising Certificate from the local Law Society.
- Complete 18 to 24 months of supervised practice at a law firm. Although it is not compulsory to complete this at a family law firm, it is certainly preferable if family law is your chosen field.
- Once you have become a practising lawyer, you may choose to study a Master of Law (LLM) specialising in family law. Again, this is not compulsory in order to practice as a Family Lawyer.
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Skills and experience employers are looking for
Having the right skills and experience can make you an in-demand applicant. Family Lawyer employers on SEEK are looking for job seekers with expertise in the following areas.
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Latest Family Lawyer reviews
Feb 2024
Experience
5 – 9 years
Organisation size
Small (1-19 employees)
The good things
If you are passionate about assisting people in crisis and at the worst time of their lives, but showing compassion and strength then this is the job you want. I love being a problem solver and an adv...
The challenges
I love everything about my job, the responsibility, the care, the authority, the knowledge
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Source: SEEK role reviews
SEEK has not verified the truth or accuracy of these comments and does not adopt or endorse any of the comments posted on this page.SEEK collects and posts the comments for what they are worth and for information purposes only to assist candidates to find employment through seek.com.au
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