Divorce Café

If you have ever wished there were a better way of resolving relationship property issues than lawyers' letters and Court room battles this episode is for you. A structured, people-focussed approach to divorce, Collaborative Process redesigns divorce negotiations with no scary letters, no threats of litigation and no option to head off to Court (at least not with the same lawyers). If you thought you were already a collaborative lawyer, listen up because this US import may have so...

What happens when you break up when you are also in business together? Can you keep running it together? What can go wrong? Does it ever go right? If you have been watching Ted Lasso, you will be familiar with the character Rebecca who in the divorce takes over her husband’s beloved football team - “the only thing he ever loved”- and sets about trying to destroy it. In the same way that custody battles can be devastating, a contest over an enterprise you have built from scr...

When is it safe to put your house in a trust? That's a question that went all the way to the Supreme Court this year... and spoiler alert, the answer is that the only way to put the family home out of reach of your beloved is to be upfront about it (and contract out). What was the crux of the case? What have we learned about section 44? And what should lawyers be advising their clients? Find out what it's like to take a case to the Supreme Court, why you'd clone a hard...

What happens when a couple separate while living overseas, and only one wants to return home? If you no longer agree on where to live...what happens to the children? We were lucky enough to speak with Alex Ashmore one of Auckland’s leading experts on Hague Convention cases - fresh from the biennial Hague Convention Convention. Listen for a master class on the how to (and how not to) of Hague Convention work, what you need to know if you are a parent wanting to relocate overseas, ...

Highly successful mediator and ex Family Court Judge Tony Lendrum gives his top tips for a successful mediation, explains why mediation can save you money, and shares his insights from years of successful mediations. If you are going to mediate, or are thinking about whether you should, listen to this. Watch the episode here. Read the article here. More information about Tony. Taina Henderson - Henderson Reeves (hendersonreeveslawyers.co.nz) Shelley Funnell - Henderson Reeves (hende...

In this episode we talk to our hero Vivienne Crawshaw (King's Counsel) about her epic battle in the case of McQueen v Penn - at the time the highest maintenance award ever made in New Zealand - a game changer amongst other things because it made legal fees a legitimate part of a spousal maintenance claim. Vivienne gives a master class in spousal maintenance, why court room etiquette matters, and what it takes to be a great lawyer. Divorce Cafe aims to demystify, detangle and (hopefully) det...