Family Lawyer Sydney
Securing your assets, protecting your children, and guiding your family toward a certain future.
Experienced & Trusted Family Lawyer in Sydney
Family law disputes change your financial security and your children's future for years to come. The team at CIA Lawyers gives you the clear strategy and legal expertise you need to protect your rights and secure a stable outcome.
Our lawyers have deep courtroom experience and focus entirely on getting you the best possible result. We cut out the confusing legal jargon, give you straight answers, and handle all the hard legal work so you can move forward with certainty.
What People Say After Working With Our Family Lawyers
Our Strategic Family Law Services in Sydney
We deliver clear strategy and decisive action for every family law matter in NSW. Here is how we help you move forward.
Property Settlement
When you separate, your shared financial life must be legally divided. This process involves identifying, valuing, and splitting everything you own and owe to ensure you walk away with a secure financial future.
Our Sydney family lawyers review your complete financial situation, calculate a fair division, and aim to settle property through smart negotiation to save you time and money. If the other side refuses to be reasonable, we are fully prepared to fight for your rights in court.
What gets divided: The family home, savings, superannuation, investments, and all joint or individual debts.
New 2025 legal rules: Major changes to Australian family law took effect on 10 June 2025, changing how courts decide property splits. We ensure your case is handled under these current rules.
Strict time limits: Married couples have 12 months from the date of their divorce, and de facto couples have two years from the date of separation to finalize their property orders.
Child Custody and Parenting Arrangements
When children are involved, the stakes are at their highest. Australian law focuses entirely on what is best for the child, usually expecting both parents to remain a meaningful part of their life. We help you navigate these emotional decisions with clear, practical advice to keep your child’s life stable.
We handle everything from simple parenting plans and legally binding consent orders to high-conflict custody battles and relocation disputes. Whether you can agree through negotiation or need us to fight for parenting orders in court, we protect your rights and your children’s future.
De Facto Relationship Separation
In New South Wales, de facto couples have the same legal rights as married couples when it comes to property settlement and parenting matters. But many people do not know this.
To make a property claim as a de facto partner, your relationship generally needs to have lasted at least two years, or you need to have a child together, or you made substantial contributions to property.
The rules here can be complex. We help you work out where you stand before you make any moves.
Child Support
Child support is separate from day-to-day parenting arrangements. While the government usually calculates payments using a standard formula based on income and care percentages, this basic calculation does not always reflect your family’s true financial reality.
Our Sydney lawyers step in when child support gets complex. We help you if a parent’s income is hidden, if you need to formalize a private payment agreement, or if you need to legally challenge an unfair government assessment.
Divorce and Separation
When a marriage ends, there is a legal process to follow. A divorce order in Australia can only be applied for after you have been separated for at least 12 months.
The divorce itself ends the marriage. But it is separate from dividing your property and sorting out arrangements for your children. These are dealt with as different legal matters.
Our expert divorce lawyer help you understand what to do first and in what order. Many people in Sydney do not realise that strict time limits apply. Married couples have one year from the date the divorce is finalised to apply for a property or maintenance order. Missing this deadline can mean losing your rights.
Domestic Violence and Family Violence Orders
If you are in a situation involving family violence, your safety comes first.
In New South Wales, an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) can protect you and your children. We help you apply for protection orders and also help people who have been served with an order they believe is unfair.
Family violence can also affect property settlement and parenting matters. Courts take family violence very seriously when making decisions about children. We make sure this is properly addressed in your case.
Spousal Maintenance
After separation, one partner may have the right to receive financial support from the other. This is called spousal maintenance.
It applies when one person cannot support themselves adequately, and the other has the capacity to pay. It is different from child support.
We advise you on whether you are entitled to maintenance, or whether you may be liable to pay it.
Binding Financial Agreements (BFAs)
A Binding Financial Agreement, commonly known as a prenuptial agreement, is a legal contract that details how your assets will be divided if a relationship ends. You can create these agreements before, during, or after a relationship to safeguard inheritances, businesses, or assets you already own.
For the agreement to stand up in court, it must meet strict legal rules, and both people must get advice from separate lawyers. Our Sydney team regularly drafts and reviews these contracts to ensure your financial future is fully protected.
Facing a family law issue and need answers fast?
Some things can't wait, intervention orders, urgent custody disputes. Call us and we'll get you in fast, so you're not sitting on a problem that's getting worse by the day.
Meet Our Team
Practice Director
Ishraque Ahmad
Paralegal
Simran Ghimire
Knowledge Manager
Yuri Kazak
Legal Associate
Claudia
Legal Associate
Sumaia Islam
Lawyer
Jonathan Greete
Sales & Marketing Associate
Thunh Mai Le
Sales & Marketing Manager
Eduardo Mora
Operational Manager
Safat Ul Azam
Why Sydney Families Choose CIA Lawyers
There are a lot of family law firms in Sydney. Here is what makes CIA Lawyers different.
Your matter is backed by premier advocates admitted to the High Courts of Australia and New Zealand. With the combined experience of qualified solicitors and barristers on your side, we personally handle your case from the initial strategy all the way to final courtroom representation.
We skip the confusing legal jargon. Our team explains your situation in plain English so you can make confident decisions about your future.
We build a strong, thorough case from the very start. By gathering all the facts early, we ensure you enter negotiations from a position of absolute certainty and strength.
You work with the same family lawyer from start to finish. We never pass your file around the office, ensuring you always have direct access to someone who knows your case inside out.
How We Work With You
Step 1 - Personalised Consultation
Book a time with our Sydney family law team. You tell us what is happening. We ask the right questions and explain your legal position honestly.
Step 2 - Clear Plan
We give you a clear picture of your options, the likely process, and the costs involved. No pressure. You decide how to proceed.
Step 3 - We Handle It
Once you are ready to move forward, we manage everything. We communicate with the other side, prepare all documents, and keep you updated throughout.
What Sets us Apart
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Family law costs depend entirely on how complex your case is and whether you can reach an agreement without going to court. We provide a clear cost estimate at your first consultation and offer flexible payment options to avoid any surprises.
There is no automatic 50/50 split. Courts look at the full financial picture, including what each person contributed financially and as a parent or homemaker, and what each person's future needs are. Since June 2025, the law was updated to change how courts assess property cases. Getting advice based on the current rules is important. We give you a realistic assessment of what a fair outcome looks like in your specific situation.
Australian family law does not use the term "custody," focusing instead on parenting arrangements that protect the best interests of the child. We help you negotiate practical schedules for living arrangements and decision-making, or apply for formal court orders if you cannot agree.
No, most matters are resolved through negotiation or mediation without a courtroom hearing. Court is a last resort, used only if you cannot reach an agreement or if there are urgent safety concerns.
Other Areas We Serve in Sydney
Separation and family law matters do not get easier by waiting.
The sooner you get proper legal advice, the better your position will be.
CIA Lawyers is here to help. We give you honest advice, handle the hard work, and make sure your rights and your family's future are protected.
Seamless Courtroom Representation
Most firms prepare your paperwork but charge you thousands extra to hire an outside barrister for court. We do things differently. Our team includes both in-house solicitors and barristers, meaning the exact same lawyers who know your story are the ones standing up for you before the judge. This all-in-one approach keeps your strategy seamless and saves you from paying double-handling legal fees.