Baily Family Law

Nation-leading laws mandating the electronic monitoring of repeat and high-risk family violence offenders have been introduced into State Parliament today. The Family Violence Legislation Reform Bill 2024 compels courts and the Prisoners Review Board to impose electronic monitoring on family violence perpetrators under any community supervision order imposed at bail, sentencing, parole and post-sentence.

The Bill also amends the Restraining Orders Act to better recognise the patterned nature and cumulative effect of coercive control behaviours in the definition of family violence.

Finally, the Bill enshrines in legislation the directions given by a Community Corrections Officer, as part of electronic monitoring, to ensure that a person who fails to comply with a CCO’s directions can be immediately arrested by police without a warrant.

Premier Roger Cook estimates that these new laws will apply to around 550 perpetrators every year.

We recently welcomed two new staff members to Baily Family Law. Rachel joins us as a Paralegal and Megan is our new Legal Assistant. We are so glad to have them on the team! 🤗

Baily Family Law will be closing at 5:00pm on Thursday, 28th March and will reopen at 8:30am on Tuesday, 2nd April.

On behalf of our staff, we wish everyone a very happy Easter break! 🐰🐣🍫

Happy Chinese New Year!
 
Chinese New Year 2024 is a Year of the Dragon. Starting from February 10th and ending with the Lantern Festival on February 24th, Chinese New Year heralds fresh starts and the renewal of prosperity, happiness, and health!

Men’s behaviour change programs are an important intervention in breaking the cycle of abuse. These programs provide assistance and counselling services to men who use coercive, controlling, and abusive behaviour in their intimate and family relationships, and work directly with perpetrators to address the underlying attitudes, values, and beliefs that can lead to violence.

Since 2017, the Cook Government has invested more than $300 million to address family and domestic violence. As part of their $72.6 million family and domestic violence package announced during last year’s 16 Days in WA campaign, locations have been announced for three new men’s domestic violence behaviour change programs in regional Western Australia. The establishment of programs in Albany, Bunbury and Northam will address service gaps in the Great Southern, Southwest and Wheatbelt regions, and complement existing services offered to victim-survivors in these locations.
 
   

Baily Family Law will close for the year at 5:00pm on Thursday 21st December 2023. We wish you a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to welcoming everyone back when we return to the office at 8:30am on Wednesday, 3rd January 2024.
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We are so proud to announce that last Friday our very own Madeline Zulsdorf and Siobhan Ede were admitted as practitioners in the Supreme Court of Western Australia! Their admissions were moved by our Director Samantha Baily and Senior Associate Caitlin Ede. Maddy and Siobhan are valued members of the BFL family, and we congratulate them on this exciting new chapter! 🎓💐

A massive congratulations to our very own Samantha Baily on being named Preeminent Lawyer for Parenting, Custody and Children’s Matters, as well as a Recommended Family and Divorce Lawyer for 2024. We are also immensely proud to be named as a Recommended Family and Divorce Law Firm this year. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all of our team members, backed by strong leadership, and we are so very grateful for the honour.

We are thrilled to announce that our very own Caitlin Ede has now been promoted to Senior Associate. Caitlin is one of our longest standing team members and joined us in July 2018 as a Law Clerk until she was admitted to practice in November 2018. Caitlin believes in a thorough and organised approach to her matters, and we are so proud to work alongside her everyday. Congratulations, Caitlin!!

Baily Family Law has a new home! We look forward to welcoming you at our brand new address at Level 1, 7 Havelock Street, West Perth as of today.

We are so proud to announce that our wonderful paralegal Maddy Zulsdorf has graduated from Murdoch University with a Bachelor of Law. Congratulations Maddy! 🎓💐

This week is Foster Carer Week, which is a chance to say thank you to foster carers for the enormous contribution they make to the lives of children in their care as well as the wider community. In Western Australia there are currently over 5,000 children in out-of-home care, and it is important to normalise as many of their childhood experiences as possible.
 
Yesterday, Child Protection Minister Sabine Winton launched a new carer-specific resource which aims to simplify and clarify who can make decisions regarding children in care. The Who Can Say OK in WA? guide covers topics relating to children and young people that are faced by most families, such as household rules, sleepovers and mobile phone use, as well as issues more commonly faced in an out-of-home care arrangement.
 
The resource is for all foster and family carers in Western Australia and was developed in consultation with sector stakeholders to support decision making which centres on the voices and best interests of children in care.
 
For more information visit the Who Can Say Ok in WA? page: https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/who-can-say-ok-wa

Baily Family Law commends the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia for the launch of their Speak Safely portal, which allows anyone who has experienced or witnessed sexual harassment or other inappropriate behaviour within a legal workplace to safely report it. The Speak Safely portal can be accessed on the Board’s website: lpbwa.org.au/Harassment-Report
 
The Board has many options available when receiving reports and taking further action, based on the level of detail provided, the wishes of the reporter, and the outcome of the Board’s assessment.

“Harassment and inappropriate behaviour – including sexual harassment – should not be tolerated in any workplace, including legal workplaces" – Attorney General John Quigley

“The Legal Practice Board is committed to ensuring that everyone in the legal profession feels safe and is supported in their workplace. We want to ensure that the profession has in place policies and procedures to enable not only a safe working environment, but one that promotes public trust in the legal profession in Western Australia” – Legal Practice Board Chair John Syminton

Happy Friday 😄

Social media is now an aspect of most people’s daily lives, but in the context of a family law matter it is important to manage your social media appropriately to protect your privacy and support your overall wellbeing during this emotional and challenging time. Posting on social media about the other party or Family Court proceedings is generally not a good idea.

Before posting anything online, you should carefully consider if you would want it seen by the other party, lawyers, the Family Court, or even your children. In Family Court, copies of relevant social media posts could be annexed to an affidavit or tendered as an exhibit at trial.

It is a good idea to focus on posting about the positive aspects of your life that are not related to your separation or divorce. If you receive negative or hurtful comments online from the other party or others, try to stay calm and ignore any conflict. If social media is affecting your wellbeing, consider taking a break from it altogether.

There can be various legal consequences arising from posting inappropriate content in the context of a relationship breakdown. If you have any questions or concerns about social media use during this time, don't hesitate to contact us for advice.

Happy WA Day from Baily Family Law! This is a day to celebrate all Western Australians and reflect on our history, our lifestyle, our culture, and our potential. Our office will be closed on Monday, 5th June but will be back open on Tuesday, 6th June and ready to assist.

“Parenting…it’s about guiding the next generation, and forgiving the last.” – Peter Krause
 
The Global Day of Parents is observed on 1st June every year. It was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2012, and honours all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment and lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing their relationship with their children.

Happy Global Day of Parents!
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In their July 2020 study of couple relationships, the Australian Institute of Family Studies identified the above key trends☝🏻

At Baily Family Law, our clients come from a wide variety of backgrounds and we have extensive experience in helping them navigate all kinds of couple relationships. Please visit www.bailyfamilylaw.com.au to make an online enquiry, or contact our office directly at [email protected] | 08 6555 3953

The full report can be found here: https://aifs.gov.au/research/research-reports/families-then-now-couple-relationships

The 2023 Perth Family Law Intensive took place on Saturday 1 April 2023. Our Director, Samantha Baily, was part of a panel that included Jamie Burreket, the Hon Justice Robin Cohen, Magistrate Eric Martino and Di Simpson, presenting to senior practitioners about Parenting Post-Pandemic.

If you find yourself in need of expert assistance relating to any family law matter, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 6555 3953 or [email protected] and our respectful, empathetic and experienced staff will support you throughout the process.

Baily Family Law will be closing at 5:00pm on Thursday, 6th April and will reopen at 8:30am on Tuesday, 11th April.
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On behalf of our staff, we wish everyone a very happy Easter break!

As part of their $29.5 million Safe Home, Safe Family package, the State Government has appointed Zonta House Refuge Association to deliver the first of their Rapid Rehousing Pilot programs, which will support family violence survivors to transition out of refuges and secure homes in the private rental market. This two-year pilot will support up to 40 eligible women a year, and any children with them, across two initiatives with bond and a rental subsidy program.

A second Rapid Rehousing Pilot, which is expected to roll out later this year, is dedicated specifically for Aboriginal women (who experience family and domestic violence at significantly higher rates).

Together, the $4.3 million pilots will support up to 80 eligible women a year.

"This is the next crucial step after making the initial decision to seek help and escape the violence. Importantly, transitioning women and children out of emergency accommodation also assists these refuges and services to support other victim-survivors who need crisis-accommodation." – Sabine Winton, Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence

This week, Baily Family Law donated to fund lifesaving surgery and ongoing vet care for sweet Theo, who was rescued and is being looked after by the wonderful Animal Army Foundation. This dedicated team is based in Thailand and provides lifesaving medical treatment for stray dogs and cats 🐾

If you would like to find out more about supporting their selfless mission, visit their Facebook or Instagram pages or donate through PayPal

For the month of February, our staff participated in a 10K Everyday Challenge as part of our new Mental Health and Wellness Program.

Between walking their dogs, lunch break strolls, running errands, or even just walking from the desk to the printer more often, everyone gave it their all to achieve a minimum of 10,000 steps per day!

It was a very fun and challenging way to increase movement and combat what can sometimes be a very sedentary lifestyle.

Walking is known to have many health benefits and is a simple and accessible way to live a healthier life.

We cannot wait to do more challenges like this in the future to support our staff’s mental and physical health and wellbeing 👟👟👟

This week, we are so proud to announce that our wonderful paralegals Fleur Robinson and Annabelle Lee have graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Law 👏🏻🎓

Happy Chinese New Year!
 
Chinese New Year 2023 is a Year of the Rabbit, more specifically, Water Rabbit, starting from January 22nd, 2023, and lasting until February 9th, 2024. Chinese New Year heralds fresh starts and the renewal of prosperity, happiness, and health. People born in the year of the rabbit are thought to be vigilant, witty, quick-witted, and ingenious. If you were born in 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, or 2011 then that’s you!

In fact, a lot of separations are amicable.

If you and your former partner are in agreement about parenting arrangements or property division, we can help you avoid the expense and length of Court proceedings by applying for consent orders.

Consent orders cover both parenting and property as needed, and have the same legal effect as a decision of the Court. When considering entering into a consent order, it is paramount that you understand the long-term effects of this document from a legal perspective.

By engaging our expertise, you ensure that you have a team of professionals who can give you the best advice to help you understand the meaning and consequences of the orders you are seeking.

Please visit www.bailyfamilylaw.com.au to make an online enquiry, or contact our office directly at [email protected] | 08 6555 3953

Baily Family Law will close for the year at midday on Friday, 23 December 2022.
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We wish you a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to welcoming everyone back when we return to the office at 8.30am on Wednesday, 4 January 2023.

We are proud to announce that our Director, Samantha Baily, has been recognised by Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Parenting, Custody & Children’s Matters Lawyer in Western Australia for 2023.

Congratulations Sam! 👏🏻

The 16 Days in WA campaign starts today. For 16 days in November and December, the community is invited to take a part in encouraging change to stop violence against women.

You are invited to create change during the campaign – to educate, motivate and advocate in your community, and stand up to stop violence against women. Find out more 👇

16days.wa.gov.au