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Welcome to The OMB Law Board, the podcast where legal insights meet practical advice. Hosted by Simon Bennett, Managing Partner at OMB Solicitors, this show delves into what you can expect when engaging with OMB Solicitors. Specialising in property law and commercial law, OMB also boasts dedicated teams for estate planning, contested estates, body corporate matters, litigation, and family law.
Each episode features in-depth discussions led by experienced team leaders, some with over 20 years of expertise. You'll gain valuable knowledge on initial consultations, cost assessments, timelines, and the importance of clear communication and confidentiality in legal matters.
Join us to break down barriers and navigate your legal journey with confidence. Tune in for expert advice, client stories, and tips on how to prepare for your legal needs. The OMB Law Board is your trusted source for all things legal.
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I'm Simon Bennett from OMB Solicitors and we're so thankful for all the support we've received through Seasons 1 and 2 and we're really looking forward to delivering you some fantastic and interesting content during Season 3. Today I've got Abbi Golightly, partner at OMB Solicitors Family Law. Abbi, thanks for coming back. Your segments have been fantastic so far. Not a problem, Simon. Glad to be here and to provide some information to our viewers.
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So, Abbi, I guess the area I wanted to touch on today with you was how do I pick the right family lawyer for me? You know, what should I be looking for?
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I think any relationship with a lawyer, whether it's a family lawyer or any part of the law that you're seeking assistance on, it's a relationship that's really built on trust and it needs to be a relationship that is, I think, deeply personal. There has to be a connection with your family lawyer. You're going through an incredibly traumatic part of your life and you need to have someone who you can relate with but also that you can trust implicitly, which is a big aspect of what we do here at OMB Solicitors. Yeah, I love that word ""relationship"" because I know with my clients one of the biggest things that I build is we need to have a relationship. We need to have a mutual respect for each other and be able to communicate clearly. And I think it's a double-down scenario in family law. Absolutely. You've got to have, as you said, that relationship that is built on clear communication, clear understanding of expectations and boundaries. The interesting part in family law is that often as your advisor you can be in a position where you're a semi-counselor, which is in our role. That's not what we're here for. We're not trained in that respect and we can always give proper referrals in that regard. But it is a really deeply personal connection where you have to have that sense of trust that your family lawyer is going to guide you through the processes, the procedures, but give you clear and unemotional advice at times. And that can be really difficult to hear because often there is that really emotional aspect of where the client's position is coming from and you've really got to be able to steer them through that and get them back on track, but in a way that is empathetic and kind as well. Yeah. I know your empathy. I always congratulate you on how much empathy you have.
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And family law is so emotional. It's so personal. But I think that key component of impartiality and you as the family lawyer can bring is really one of the great skill sets. What other skill sets should you be looking for? Absolutely. So family law, in my opinion, is not something that you should dabble in. You either do it or you don't. And the risk that can come with getting advice from a solicitor that's not an expert in family law can be that you're getting advice that is not coming from that place of a deep sense of knowledge of the processes, the procedures, the law, that's the case law, the legislation, which as we've discussed on previous episodes is constantly changing. But also a really unique skill set of balancing that emotion with the impartiality and delivering a message that sometimes isn't what your client wants to hear, but needs to hear. Yeah. That's a good point because the old saying, you know, a little bit of a knowledge is a dangerous thing.
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So Abbi, you're an accredited specialist in family law. What does that mean? So it's an accreditation through the Queensland Law Society that I got back in 2009, showing my age a little bit, which comprises three different assessments in terms of an interview, a recorded interview where you're tested on your capacity to engage with a client, a written exam and a practice file where you're asked to give specific advice or draft specific documents. It is the highest level of acknowledgement from the Queensland Law Society in the area of law that you practice in. It can only be sought after practicing in a specific area of law for five years or more and requires constant updating of skills, constant higher level continuing professional development, and is really just that tick of approval that you're consulting with a solicitor that has the most expert knowledge that you could get in that area. I get it. You're an expert. I understand. Thank you.
also want to touch on the importance of not just your lawyer,
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but the team and the firm that your lawyer is at. Absolutely.
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When you're in the throes of a family law dispute or even if it's reasonably amicable but there's ongoing negotiations, you want stability. You want security that the team that you've entrusted to look after you during this period of time is going to be there from start to finish. And so that's consistency with your family lawyer and their support teams. But also if you're bouncing ideas and other issues through other areas of a firm because family law crosses so many different areas in any particular matter that you've got a team that has your back, that has your best interests at heart and will be there from start to finish. So that real strong, stable team and firm around you is super important because the difficulty that can come in the middle of a family law matter with a change in your representation individually as a team or changes within firm structure can really displace that level of trust. Again, it comes back to that trust that you have in your team. Yeah. So that's where somewhere like OMB who's been around for over 40 years and is stable and solid and trustworthy in the legal space is really comforting. Absolutely. It can give our clients the best sense of comfort that they could possibly have in a very uncertain situation that they've got a team that has longevity, has expert legal knowledge across a number of different areas of law that they'll be there for them start to finish. So that's an interesting point, isn't it? The expert knowledge over many areas because in my property team we often get called in to do the property related transfers or dealings or caveats or whatever else it might be related to a family law matter. You know, the estate team, it's obviously important at the end of a family transaction to look at your estate and estate planning. Yeah. And there's just so much crossover that you can go and talk to someone else. There is. And it's a real benefit of having OMB solicitors look after your family law matter is that I have another accredited specialist in property law such as yourself. I've got our estate's team who are so experienced in all aspects of estate administration and planning. They can step in and provide that expert assistance in all of the crossover areas and it just gives you such a sense of comfort. Or within the one firm. Within the one firm. Fantastic. Well, Abbi, I found that really helpful and hopefully it's helped our viewers and our listeners to choose who may be an appropriate family lawyer for them.(...) So thank you so much for coming in today. We really appreciate it. Not a problem at all. Thanks for having me. And if there's any questions or comments that you have for Abbi or
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