With just under 2 months until we deck the halls with holly and wait for the big guy in the red suit to squeeze down the chimney, now is the time to consider the arrangements for your children over the Christmas period.
The festive season is a time to be spent with family, no matter the circumstances or dynamics, you need to put your family first and more often than not that means compromise.
At Leach Legal, we know that sometimes compromise is not an option or is completely unachievable – in these instances, if you and your former partner cannot agree on arrangements for this Christmas, you may apply to the Family Court for orders instead.
Nobody wants to split hairs about how to set aside quality time for the holidays or how to make sure everyone gets their fair share of family time. With that in mind, it’s best to think about these decisions and discussions with enough time to consider submitting your application to the Family Court.
There are strict guidelines about the time frames in which you need to make your application. Take this into consideration before the silly season sneaks up on us!
All applications in relation to Christmas must be filed in the Family Court by 4.00pm on Friday, 9 November 2018.
Even if you do file your application before 9 November 2018, there is no guarantee that your application will be listed or determined prior to Christmas due to the great demand on the Court’s resources. Essentially, the longer you wait to file, the greater the chance that you will be allocated to a date in the New Year and not have the benefit of any binding orders during the Christmas period including for Christmas Day.
If you are currently experiencing difficulties reaching an agreement in relation to Christmas time, or if you anticipate that you will experience any difficulties, please telephone us as soon as possible to discuss your options with one of our Family Lawyers.
