Welcome to our Sydney Mills Oakley Family Law Newsletter for October 2025.
On Friday, 17 October 2025, the Mills Oakley Family Law Sydney Team hosted our fellow Mills Oakley Family Law teams from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth for an action-packed strategy day.
It was a great day spent together as a national practice group, where we shared our learnings from collective experiences, built deeper relationships, and explored ways in which we can grow and shape our collective practices
On Friday, 17 October 2025, the Mills Oakley Family Law Sydney Team hosted our fellow Mills Oakley Family Law teams from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth for an action-packed strategy day.
It was a great day spent together as a national practice group, where we shared our learnings from collective experiences, built deeper relationships, and explored ways in which we can grow and shape our collective practices.
On Friday, 7 November 2025, the Toongabbie Legal Centre will be conducting a one-day CLE, hosted at the Mills Oakley Sydney offices and chaired by our Partner, Carly Mirza-Price.
Carly will be joined by expert presenters including Sheridan Emerson, Paul Doolan, Jeff Marhinin, Tijana Petkovic and our Senior Associate, Antonia Marran. Antonia will be presenting alongside Dr Rachael Murrihy from The Kidman Centre, where they will discuss the SuperParent Powers program – a free online initiative designed for parents of children aged 10 to 15.
What you’ll learn:
This event is not to be missed!
General: $400
TLC Volunteers & CLC Staff: $150
Register now at https://shorturl.at/oVmVS
In family law, trust structures that might offer strong protection in commercial settings are not immune from scrutiny in Australia. Courts are willing to look beyond formal ownership to ensure fair property division.
Partner, Susan Warda and Lawyer, Ella Richardson from the Mills Oakley Family Law Sydney Team were invited to co-author the 2025 Law Over Borders ‘Australian chapter’ of the second edition of the Family Asset Protection Comparative Law Guide, published by the Global Legal Post.
The guide provides an overview of the operation and treatment of trusts (both inside and outside of Australia) under Australian family law, as well as the financial disclosure obligations of parties to a property settlement, the enforceability of court orders and consequences for non-compliance, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements (otherwise known as ‘Binding Financial Agreements’ in Australia). The guide also explores the extent to which the media can report on family law cases.
Download the full guide here: https://lnkd.in/gPNq5P7u
We are excited to announce our Senior Associate, Maggie Faddoul, will be launching an exciting new article series, Navigating the Break, which will explore key issues that arise in family law and offer clear, practical guidance to help parties move forward with confidence.
Over the course of several months, every couple of weeks, Maggie will unpack topics such as:
Maggie will also collaborate with colleagues and other professionals in the field including mediators, psychotherapists, former clients, criminal lawyers, corporate, banking and finance lawyers and employment lawyers, moving beyond conventional family law advice and combining insights from different areas of law to support parties.
Whether at the start of the process, adjusting to new arrangements or wanting to explore the area of family law, this series is designed to provide clarity and support every step of the way.
Stay tuned for the first article in the series coming soon.
On 21 October 2025 the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) launched the Court’s Children’s Charter and the Kids’ Corner designed to support children whose parents are separating and are involved in Family Law proceedings. Our Special Counsel, Tracey Middleton, has prepared the below brief overview as to the new resource.
This is a brilliant initiative of the FCFCOA which is specifically for children. It has significant information about what happens when families ask the Court to help make decisions about the kids.
There are two animated, age-appropriate videos, which set out what happens when a family needs help from the Court to make decisions. A family expert also explains what a meeting with them is like, and that they write a report that helps parents and the Court to understand what is happening with the kids.
The site also has questions, kids’ stories, explanations as to the words the child might hear and explores the common feelings that kids will have.
A child under 12 years can contact the Kids Helpline and if the child/ren are over 12 years they can contact Headspace online and phone support.
We are happy to share that on 10 October 2025 our paralegal Elana, graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Australian Catholic University.
Elana has been apart of Mills Oakley since 12 July 2022. We are incredibly proud to celebrate this milestone as she continues her journey in completing her Practical Legal Training.
Next stop admission!
We work hard to ensure the best possible outcomes for our clients, and we value the feedback we receive every day. Here’s a snapshot of what some of our clients said this month:
“Thank you Antonia and Susan for all your help and expertise. Feeling very lucky to be represented by you. Externally grateful.” [to Partner, Susan Warda and Senior Associate, Antonia Marran]
“Hi Carly, so good to have good people around me and help me navigate this difficult stage with your wisdom and experience. It is much appreciated.” [to Partner, Carly Mirza-Price]
“Dear Jenna, I want to express my heartfelt thanks for all your hard work and support over the past two years during my property settlement. Your dedication has truly been remarkable. I felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety about the Final Hearing, and once again, you were right there beside me, providing reassurance. From the bottom of my heart, I want to express my deepest gratitude for everything you have done. I am extremely happy with the positive result and outcome.” [to Senior Associate, Jenna Georgopoulos]
Referrals are important to us. If you know someone who would benefit from a confidential conversation with a family lawyer, please pass on our details and we will do our very best to look after them.
If you would like further information or have any queries regarding other matters, please do not hesitate to contact:
