What to expect at your initial consultation with Men’s Legal Service

Men’s Legal Service believes that the greatest gap in access to justice for men is a lack of viable legal representation in the conduct of legal matters. 

We are equipped to assist men affordably for as long as the family law process is needed to finalise your family law situation, whether settling agreed matters to seeing you through to trial if court action is required.  Our initial consultations are designed to provide personalised legal advice that stands alone, as well as provide a first step to plan and build off further actions that may be required. 

At your initial consultation, you can speak with one of our lawyers to receive experienced, tailored legal advice about your situation. Consultations further advise on what you can expect going forward, what we can do to assist you and how to get the best outcome possible.  If we can assist you then you can engage us, but there is no obligation to do so.

Initial consultations usually last about 1 hour and are currently charged.  Funding has been sought to enable these to occur without charge in the future as no government funding is currently received by the organisation, which operates sustainably on fees charged and private support.

In these appointments, our family lawyers often provide counsel to clients.  The more information we can receive prior to the meeting, the more time we can spend discussing solutions and the more tailored our advice to you will be.  We recommend completing and returning the “Client Intake Form” prior to the appointment, together with any current orders you may already have.  This will maximise you return on your invested time and fee.

Appointments can occur in person at our offices in Brisbane and Sydney or via phone, Zoom, Teams or web conference.

Depending on your matter, our lawyers will first attain specific details from you about your matter. This includes party names, contact details, upcoming court dates, court orders, queries regarding alternate dispute resolution, the relationship history, information about children, parenting arrangements, the relevant assets and liabilities, and any other applicable information.

Upon receiving the intake information, our lawyers can clarify your queries, direct you on your possible next steps and clearly advise you on the merits of or legislative requirements in your case.

In particular, our solicitors provide advice against the backdrop of relevant legislation, largely referencing the Family Law Act 1975 and the Family Law Regulations 1984 and strategic opportunities that may be available to you.

Consultations also help establish if your concerns are in the scope of family law, how best to alleviate your concerns using legal avenues. This may involve recommendations on how best to resolve your matter outside of court and accordingly, referrals to alternate dispute resolution paths.

Should you wish to come onboard with us after your consultation, we will provide you with an initial letter, containing a detailed cost agreement specific to your circumstances and a client agreement.

Our initial letter will provide a summary of advice, a brief background of your matter, and a corresponding fee estimate to assist you in making a decision moving forward.

Legal professional privilege applies to the meeting and is confidential.  We recommend that you attend the meeting on your own.

Should you have any further queries regarding what to expect at your initial consultation, please contact our office at (07) 3439 8874 or via email at admin@menslegalservice.org.au and one of our team will be happy to respond to your queries.