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Jones Mitchell Family Lawyers

Tips for New Family Lawyers

In late 2018, Jones Mitchell family lawyer Ruiqi Bai presented to a group of young law students at Bond University on the Gold Coast.
Ruiqi was admitted in June 2018, and has worked with Jones Mitchell since October the previous year – giving her plenty of time to learn the basics of firm law and identify the things to look out for as a young family lawyer in Queensland.
Her opening advice? Once you’re admitted, ditch your ego and be like a child keen to learn. No one expects you to know everything, but they do expect you to speak up if you’re unsure or need help.
Question yourself
When it comes to drafting – a huge part of life as a lawyer – she recommends asking yourself three things:

Are you really using the right legal words? Read everyone else’s documents to get a feel for the words they use and compare to yours.
Do you know what the document is intended to do? Research as much as you can before starting, and check along the way to make sure you’re not leaving anything out.
Have you used the correct tone? Check with your mentor – they will be able to tell you what impact the subtle differences in phrasing can have.

Take note
Much of a young lawyer’s life, when not drafting formal advice, is taking notes of client consultations and internal conversations. Ruiqi’s advice is simple:

take a pen and paper with you everywhere anytime
Write down every single word your boss/mentor/client says
Always document the date, time, location and participants in your notes

It’s a marathon, not a sprint
It can be intimidating starting at a firm, with lots of new faces, power dynamics, processes and systems.  Ruiqi recommends keeping focused on steady growth, learning and evolving your legal skills gradually.
You should:

Remember many small steps are easier than a few big steps
Be patient
Avoid rushing

Check before you hit ‘Send’
Lawyers give advice, and that advice has consequences. As a young lawyer fresh out of university, it’s common for lawyers to be instructed to communicate with any number of involved parties. Ruiqi’s suggestion is that you always get permission to send an email, call someone, take a meeting etc.
A life in law is a life of learning
The biggest thing? Remember that you are still learning.  So long as you’re obviously putting in the work and doing your best, your colleagues and superiors will be understanding and supportive. They’ve been there before and they know the learning curve is big and intimidating.
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The Court’s approach to protecting children from an unacceptable risk of harm

When The Family Court (or the Federal Circuit Court) of Australia is presented with a case where allegations of unacceptable risk of harm to a child have been made, their role is to ensure the best interests of children are met – and in doing so the Court needs to balance the need to protect […]

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Deadline looms for Christmas holiday parenting orders

Applications close 4pm this Friday 9 November, 2018, family lawyer warns. Gold Coast, Queensland:  Separated and divorced parents intending to talk to, see or travel with their children over the holidays have until 4pm this Friday to lodge their Application with the Family Court of Australia, a Gold Coast lawyer has warned. Jones Mitchell Family […]

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The Christmas ‘survival guide’ for separated parents (2018 edition)

The stresses of Christmas – buying gifts, planning Christmas lunch, finding places for relatives to stay.  These are things that despite the best laid plans, are hard to get right. For separated parents, the advent of Christmas decorations appearing for the first time can lead to its own peculiar set of anxieties. These parents carry […]

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The best Parenting Plans for children

A Parenting Plan is a formal document that sets out, amongst other things, the parent’s agreement in relation to the care arrangements for their children following separation. Parenting Plans can include a number of matters relating to the children, including, but not limited to, the time that the children will spend with each parent, communication […]

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What the proposed restructure really means for the Family Court

On 30 May 2018 the Federal Government announced that the Federal Circuit Court of Australia and the Family Court of Australia would merge to become the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (“FCFCA”). To a non-lawyer the change may seem subtle, but the legal fraternity is anticipating that the overhaul could have dramatic effects. […]

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Divorce and separation: What happens to the family home?

It’s often the most significant asset anyone is likely to accrue in a lifetime but what happens to the family home during and after divorce and separation? Not surprisingly, family lawyers are frequently asked to advise on concerns separated couples have about the family home, and ownership of it, in the event of separation. There are […]

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Jones Mitchell promotes two family lawyers to Associate

We are pleased to announce that Belinda Chitts (left) and Olivia Jennar-Bryant (right) have been promoted to the level of Associate. These two lawyers have been key to our firm’s sustained growth in recent years, first working with Warwick Jones (who recently received the Award of Distinguished Service from the Gold Coast District Law Association) before going on to apply that […]

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Mediation, Separation, Divorce and Family Law

Introduction to Mediation Divorce is a time of change for families.  Plans for the children, division of property and financial arrangements all need to be worked out.  Divorce is also a time of great emotional upheaval.  These changes and emotions can result in conflicts between family members.  How these conflicts are resolved can influence a […]

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