This is what good friend Rod Suthers proudly said to me when he recently handed me this old machine he bought from a second hand shop 25 years ago. As I undid the box and opened the lid, I observed what looked like a small typewriter, just with less keys…
Read MoreActive Listening results in an understanding of what others are going through on a deeper level. It is from this place of deeper understanding that lawyers like myself are able to help our clients obtain freedom & peace so they can move on with their lives, beyond legal conflict…
Read MoreAs I prepared for and appeared in my various Family Law cases in Hervey Bay last week, I noticed a distinct change in the air…
Read MoreIn business, there are those tasks that cannot be done during work hours due to other pressing client demands. In our office foyer, there is a display of vintage dictation/transcription machines previously used by lawyers or other professionals in days gone by…
Read MoreFear, anger, upset, hopelessness and fatigue. These are all feelings possibly experienced by those who find themselves in the midst of legal conflict in family law, criminal law, traffic law, domestic violence or other legal matters…
As an owner of small business, you stay until the job is done. Demand often increases around Christmas time where everyone knows there will be no production of work over the holiday period. I’ve always prided myself on doing the very best I can. Going the extra mile sometimes means staying back…
Read MoreMany of you have probably heard of the old Farmer’s adage that life is simpler when you just plough around the stump. In family law conflicts, all too often I see other parties letting themselves become embroiled in aspects of the dispute which are often counter-productive in reaching resolution. If people are not very careful during a family law dispute…
Read MoreIt’s getting to that time where I probably should let everyone know of our Christmas closure dates. Our office will close at 12 noon on 18 December 2023 and will re-open on 22 January 2024 at 9:00am. We have decided to take a slightly longer break this year taking into account client and court commitments at the end of 2023 and at the start of 2024…
Read MoreRecently, the Australian Bureau of Statistics have released the most recent statics on divorce in Australia. Interestingly, the facts for 2022 are that 49,241 divorces were granted in 2022, compared to 56,244 in 2021.
For 2022, the average duration of marriage for which divorce was granted was 12.8 years…
After I finish the larger family law, criminal law or divorce cases, I often ring the client and seek out their feedback on things they thought I did well, and things they thought I could improve on. Client satisfaction is important to me and clients often have time to properly reflect after their problem is resolved…
Read MoreMany of the great lawyers I have encountered are very good at knowing what they don’t know. They are extremely good at recognising their strengths but more importantly, their weaknesses in certain practice areas…
Read MoreI have a large bookcase in my office full of Australian Law Reports. These books contain thousands of case law precedents with decided cases applying legal principles. Prior to the internet and the digital age of doing business…
Read MoreFamily Law in Australia is generally an adversarial system, with some exceptions. More than a decade of experience in legal practice tells me that at times, it can be come unnecessarily adversarial. Receiving voluminous correspondence raising debate about factual matters which do not advance…
Read MoreWhile summer officially starts in December, it feels like it has arrived early this year. Some regional courthouses in Queensland (such as the Maryborough Magistrates Court) only have limited inside seating for parties to wait for their matter to be called. Sometimes the court is closed meaning non parties are prohibited from being inside the courtroom until their matter is heard…
Read MoreIn our practice, people rarely seek our advice and/or assistance during the good times in life. We are often called upon to help people at their darkest hour. Divorce, relationship breakdown, disputes over children, domestic violence issues and other major potential life changing “problems” are what we help clients with…
Recently, the John Willett Lawyers team participated in the Zonta Says No Charity Golf Day at the Maryborough Golf Club to raise issues surrounding Domestic Violence within the Maryborough community…
Read More
