Gale Family Law

Gale Family Law is a boutique law practice that specialises in helping clients going through divorce or separation.

Our area of particular expertise is complex financial settlements, and with this we specialise in helping professionals, executives and business owners who are going through separation or who want to make a prenup.

Director

Falcone & Adams

Family lawyer

Forte Family Lawyers

Forte Family Lawyers have consistently been recognised in Doyle's Guide as one of Melbourne's top family law firms. The firm specialises in family law matters involving complex property and parenting issues, including matters involving:
- bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation and receivership
- complex superannuation interests
- setting aside financial agreements
- surrogacy and the changes in the laws defining who is a parent
- an international element such as overseas assets and international child abduction under the Hague Convention

Family Lawyer

Advocacy Tasmania

This role involved 18-months in a highly reputable and professional advocacy service on Tasmania. 

In this role I provided casework independent advocacy services to clients across four programs: Mental Health, Disability, ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs), and Older Persons.

Common scenarios included: representation at the Guardianship and Administration Board and Mental Health Tribunal, assisting with formal complaints (e.g. Ombudsman, Health Complaints Commissioner, Anti-Discrimination etc), and representing clients at meetings with their treating team or other service providers. 

I also provided community education and information sessions on ATI's programs and human rights. 

The organisation was heavily focused on professional development and I received excellent training in advocacy and other professional skills.

Advocate

University of Tasmania

I was a tutor for the UTAS Faculty of Law since from my 3rd year until after graduation when I moved to Melbourne in 2017. 

Subjects I have tutored (class groups of 10 - 20 students):
- Property law
- Equity 
- Mooting
- Torts
- Constitutional law
- Remedies
- Introduction to law

Aside from tutoring class groups, other work I was engaged in at the Faculty included:
- marking
- running workshops on time management and study skills 
- ad hoc lecturing 
- ad hoc research for academic staff


I have also privately tutored individual law students from UTAS and other Australian universities in a wide range of subject.

Faculty of Law tutor

Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania

Working largely independently in a regional legal aid office, and running all my own casework files from the first week, this position really was like being thrown in the deep end!  

I had two main roles: 

Family lawyer
- Providing casework family law representation in parenting matters 
- Advice, negotiation, Family Dispute Resolution conferences, representation in the Federal Circuit Court 
- Research and assistance for senior family lawyers

Safe at Home (family violence) lawyer
- Providing casework representation or one-off advice for victims family violence
- Covering the whole north and north-west of Tasmania, including remote areas
- Advice, negotiation, representation in Family Violence Order matters (Magistrates Court), assistance reporting family violence to police, police advocacy
- Conducted 200+ initial client interviews 
- Advice to senior lawyers on Family Violence Order issues 
- Other duties included representing the Commission at Safe at Home (family violence) meetings with other government services, and liaison and advocacy on family violence issues within the Safe at Home system

Key achievements:
- Juniored for counsel in 5-day Family Court hearing 
- Strengthened relationships between Legal Aid and victim support services through relationship-building and clear communication, leading to smoother referral process for victims of family violence to the Commission
- Successfully represented three applicants to obtain Family Violence Orders of indefinite length (rare in Tasmania)
- Delivered successful outcomes in every Family Violence Order matter I acted in (except when client withdrew)
- Using my language skills, represented two Chinese-speaking clients with little or no English in family law and family violence matters, with successful outcomes 

This was a maternity leave fill-in position and unfortunately the Commission was not in a position to extend my contract within the family law section when it expired.

Family and Safe at Home Lawyer

Page Seager Lawyers

This was a summer legal clerkship position at Tasmania's largest commercial firm.

Summer Clerk

I practice in family law, which deals the arrangements for property, finances and children after separation in a marriage or de facto relationship.

I started Gale Family Law because I saw that traditional law firms were not delivering what clients wanted.

Although firms were getting the legal work done, many clients were still feeling lost and bewildered in a process that was poorly-explained, cumbersome, and delivered using dated methods and technology.

My vision has been to create a family law firm where clients receive a service that is both highly skilled from a technical legal perspective but also personal, solutions-focused and responsive to each client’s needs.

I commenced practising as a lawyer in 2014 and am a Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) Accredited Specialist in Family Law.

Outside of work, I try to keep active with Judo, mountain bike riding, bushwalking, table tennis, volleyball, and ice skating (amongst other things!). I also love cooking and spending time with my family.

https://www.galefamilylaw.com.au/

TASCAT has ruled that MONA unlawfully discriminated against a man for refusing him access to a "ladies only" artwork lounge.

I visited MONA early this year with my wife, who viewed the exhibition. We both thought it was a cool idea that gelled with the vibe of MONA.  

What do you think? Should this exhibition be allowed? 

And is losing this case still ultimately a win for MONA and the artist?

Link to the judgment in the comments. Key quotes: 

[75]

"I am not satisfied that the evidence establishes a disadvantage experienced by women in respect to access to spaces. Even if there is such a disadvantage, the discrimination experienced by Mr Lau will not promote equal opportunity for access by women to spaces or any other purpose within the meaning of s 26. I am not satisfied that Moorilla may reasonably conclude that the Ladies Lounge might achieve that purpose."

[76]

"The Ladies Lounge exists for its own purpose. It may have a valid moral or ethical or pedagogical purpose, but it cannot reasonably be intended to promote equal opportunity. I am not persuaded that the Ladies Lounge is an arrangement designed to promote equal opportunity for a group of people who are disadvantaged or have a special need because of the prescribed attribute of gender. Indeed, I am satisfied that it is not. The discrimination experienced by Mr Lau was not excused or permitted by s 26."

[35]

"Section 55(c)(i) provides an express exemption for a public act done in good faith for artistic purposes. This is the only exemption or exception expressly for artistic purposes. However, the exemption only applies in respect to the prohibitions in s 17(1) and s 19 of the Act. Section 17(1) prohibits “any conduct which offends, humiliates, intimidates, insults or ridicules another person on the basis of” certain of the attributes referred to in s 16, including s 16(e) gender. Section 19 prohibits “incit[ing] hatred towards, serious contempt for, or severe ridicule of, a person or a group of persons” on certain grounds, including gender identity. It does not extend to s 16 discrimination. There is no general exemption or exception permitting discrimination for artistic purpose."

[8]

"There are aspects of this case that may seem paradoxical... The Ladies Lounge has a pointedly participatory component that is intentionally discriminatory, for a good faith artistic purpose that many might not only appreciate but sympathise with or endorse. If the Ladies Lounge were a women-only club it might well be able to lawfully function for its members as it functions now for women patrons of Mona. If the Ladies lounge offended, humiliated, intimidated, insulted or ridiculed Mr Lau, or incited hatred, serious contempt or severe ridicule of Mr Lau, rather than discriminating against him, Moorilla might well have a good defence based on good faith artistic purpose. However, the Act does not permit discrimination for good faith artistic purpose per se."


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