You might have landed on this page because you search ‘Family Lawyers Gold Coast’. Many might ask how you decide which family law firm is right for you.
Before you read on, we wanted you to understand that we don’t believe a firm is the best or perfect family law firm on the Gold Coast. We have written this article to help save you time doing the research yourself. If you’re still unsure after reading this blog, call our office, and we will help you understand whether you need a lawyer.
HELPFUL NOTE: If you’re new to finding the best family lawyer near you or want to understand more, we recommend you read this guide on how to choose the right family lawyer.
Quickfind Summary
You may think we’re biased for including our firm on the list. We don’t claim to be the best family law firm on the Gold Coast. However, what we can guarantee is a singular focus on your wellbeing through expert and compassionate guidance.
Let’s get to the list.
We’ve reviewed over 30 family law firms on the Gold Coast, and found seven we highly recommend.
Here are our picks for the seven best family law firms on the Gold Coast.
1. Shanahan Family Law (Results Driven)
Luke Shanahan has over 15 years of experience. Since 2008, he’s effectively represented clients across all areas of family law. Shanahan Family Law has always focused on settling family law matters without conflict.
Their approach finds opportunities for mediation and avoids court action whenever possible. This is an important priority in any family law matter. This has made them one of the most trusted firms on the Gold Coast.
What clients are saying
They took me under their wing from the moment I walked through the door, and I felt safe, supported, heard, informed and above all I never felt alone.
– Stacy Holmes-Brown
Luke and his team doesn’t just represent their clients legally. You will receive emotional support and an empathetic approach to your case. Luke’s years of experience enables him to break down complex legal issues to ensure clients are aware of their situation and the path forward.
Making clients feel heard is often overlooked by lawyers. Giving them a sense of control helps clients feel secure in the representation. Shanahan Family Law excels in all these aspects, making them a favoured law firm in Southport.
Best for
Many individuals are experiencing particularly stressful family law issues. Shanahan Family Law is ideally placed to provide empathetic and effective representation with as little conflict as possible.
Services
- Divorce & Separation
- Property Settlement
- Child Custody
- Domestic Violence
- Mediation
- Parental Disputes
- Parenting Arrangements
- Spousal Maintenance
- Binding Financial Agreements
2. BGM Family Lawyers
BGM Family Lawyers is committed to providing compassionate support to their clients. They focus on mediation and cooperation to save clients the hardship of litigation.
The firm’s director, Dan Bottrell, has over 20 years of experience in family law. Dan has received numerous honours. Doyle’s Guide nominated him as one of their “pre-eminent” lawyers every year between 2016 and 2021. The Guide also recognised him as a “leading” lawyer in high-value and complex property cases in Regional Queensland in 2019, 2020, and 2021. To give back to his profession, Dan supervises students studying family law at Bond University. 
What clients are saying
Dan & Georgia guided me through my separation with expert knowledge and genuine care every step of the way. Whilst my situation was difficult and delicate, I felt safe and supported throughout.
– Lauren Kate
Clients can receive high-quality legal assistance across a range of family law areas. Whether you’re working through a divorce, parenting arrangements, or property matters, BGM Family Lawyers will assist. With Dan’s years of experience, they ensure that clients like Lauren receive satisfactory outcomes in difficult circumstances.
Best for
Clients needing personalised service across any area of family law can rely on BGM Family Lawyers.
Services
- Parenting & Custody Arrangements
- Property Settlements
- Separation and Divorce
- Prenuptial Agreements
- Family Dispute Resolution
3. Pharmacis Canning Lawyers
Pharmacis Canning Lawyers’ team has experience spanning decades. Their tailored advice provides clients with a personal and empathetic approach. They want to provide services to the whole community and offer flexible payment options for clients.
Constantine Pharmacis, the firm’s principal lawyer, has experience in all aspects of family law and business law. Constantine is a passionate advocate for his local community. He serves as the Robina Community Legal Centre’s treasurer and was awarded “Volunteer of the Year” in 2018 by the Centre.
What clients are saying
I have had the privilege of having quite involved legal work carried out by George Pharmacis of Pharmacis Canning Lawyers and I could not rate him, and his professional and friendly team, highly enough.
– Rosemary Paton
Family law cases can often include complexities that make finding resolutions a long and laborious issue. When you work with a firm like Pharmacis Canning Lawyers, you can be confident that your case is safe. Regardless of the complexities involved, their family law team can protect your interests.
Best for
Constantine Pharmacis’ depth of experience and community focus makes him an excellent option for clients dealing with complex cases.
Services
Divorce & family law
Property law
Criminal and traffic law
Wills and estate planning
Civil disputes and litigation
Business and commercial law
4. Macgregor O’Reilly Nash Solicitors
Macgregor O’Reilly Nash Solicitors represents its clients with integrity and transparency. Their focus is on providing a pragmatic approach to family law issues. They seek to resolve disputes collaboratively to reduce costs and conflict.
Their services extend beyond family law. Do you need assistance with buying or selling a property? Do you need to review a business contract or a new will? Their team handles conveyancing, estate planning, commercial law, and more.
What clients are saying
I have been a client of MacGregor O’Reilly Nash Solicitors in Surfers Paradise for more than 20 years. In that time the firm have provided myself and my family members, friendly and professional service in a number of facet’s of everyday life.
– Wayne Nolan
Macgregor O’Reilly Nash Solicitors approaches each case with a desire to secure results quickly and as painlessly as possible. They can achieve this through sensible legal strategies that can be tailored to any number of cases.
Best for
Anyone looking for collaborative representation should look to Macgregor O’Reilly Nash Solicitors for guidance. Their experienced family law solicitors can assist with a broad array of matters.
Services
Family Law
Property Conveyancing
Leasing and Licences
Property Development
Mortgages, Securities and Finance
Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Corporate and Commercial
Wills and Estates
5.Arcuri Turnbull Law
Family law is a stressful time. Arcuri Turnbull Law always centralise their clients’ comfort and reduce their anxiety. For the last 40 years, they’ve served Miami on the Gold Coast, through their proactive and innovative approach to their clients’ legal needs.
Beyond family law, they work on conveyancing, wills and estates, and business and commercial law. This breadth of experience allows them to take a more nuanced approach to family law. For example, their understanding of conveyancing and estate law positions them to navigate complex property settlements more efficiently.
What clients are saying
Aimee at Arcuri Turnbull Law did a great job for us especially when things became complex. Highly professional and kept us fully informed of progress right up to settlement.
– John Coxon
The Arcuri Turnbull Law can leverage its expertise across different legal fields to manage complex cases and ensure clients understand their position and how the process will work.
Best for
Arcuri Turnbull Law is well-placed to assist clients with cases that benefit from experience across several different law specialties.
Services
Family Law
Conveyancing
Business and Commercial Law
Wills and Estate Laws
Litigation
6. Bennett Carroll Solicitors
Bennett Carroll Solicitors offer a full suite of services that serve the entirety of their clients’ divorce journey. They have particular expertise in handling property matters that involve complicated business assets. Through their professional connections with accountancy firms and other experts allows them to assist with the most difficult business asset valuations and divisions.
In addition to their family law work, they cover many other areas. They are experienced in commercial law, estate law, and conveyancing.
What clients are saying
I was very impressed with the level of service I received at Bennet Carroll Solicitors. Alex was a pleasure to deal with from initial contact all the way through to settlement. Excellent communication, knowledgeable and efficient.
– Cheena Elise
When you’re dealing with tricky property matters, you need a lawyer who can handle specialist property matters. Bennett Carroll Solicitors will use their extensive expertise to help you manage asset negotiations.
Best for
Clients who are looking for a full suite of family law services with particular expertise in property matters involving business interests.
Services
Family Law
Wills and Estates
Conveyancing
Commercial and Business
Criminal and Litigation
Affinity Lawyers has become an important voice in the Gold Coast community. They have a reputation for delivering consistently excellent results for their clients. Their success hinges on a resolution-based approach. This lowers expenses and reduces emotional hardships. Their collaborative method uses various experts to provide holistic legal advice.
While they’re experienced with the Family Law Act, their expertise extends to estate law, business law, conveyancing, and employment law.
What clients are saying
I used Affinity for advice on a financial agreement and also to draw up a will. Excellent friendly service on both counts and at a price which was very reasonable compared with other quotes I had received.
– Nick Brockett
Affinity Lawyers can provide independent legal advice on a range of areas related to family law. Being able to offer these services cost-effectively has made Affinity Lawyers an important voice for their community.
Best for
Anyone who wants easily accessible legal advice that utilises the expertise of various specialists to settle any family law concern.
Services
Commercial and Business Law
Employment Law, Workplace Relations and OH&S
Family Lawyer, Divorce Law and De Facto Relationships
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Property Law, Conveyancing and Real Estate
Wills, Probate and Asset Protection
Our top three picks
Here’s a quick look at our top 3 picks:
Shanahan Family Law
Bennett Carroll Solicitors
BGM Family Lawyers
Here are the top 30 law firms we considered.
- Shanahan Family Law
- Collective Family Law Group
- MCG Legal
- Michael Dwyer Solicitor
- Stone Group Lawyers
- OMB Solicitors
- Reardon Family Lawyers
- Bell Legal Group
- Ramsden Lawyers
- Barron Family Law
- Pullos Lawyers
- Cudmore Legal
- Derek Legal
- ABKJ Lawyers
- Brooke Winter Solicitors and Advisers
- Hofstee Lawyers
- Bruce Legal
- Frampton Mark
- Antonious Abdelshahied
- Redland Legal
- Ashkan Tai Lawyers
- GTC Lawyers Southport
- CIF Lawyers Gold Coast
- Aitken White Lawyers
- The Legal House
Scoring Criteria
How do we determine the best Family Lawyers Gold Coast?
There are 4 categories we look at when assessing a family law firm.
1. Reputability
Reputability is one of the key factors for good divorce lawyers. Reputability is crucial to ensuring clients can trust their lawyer to represent them. Reputable firms operate with integrity and honestly seek to secure the best outcomes for their clients.
There are many ways to assess a firm’s reputability. Look at reviews and client testimonials.
Has anyone had a bad experience with the firm?
Was there misconduct involved?
The personal experiences of past clients are an important source of information. Consider any professional credentials and awards the firm has received. This demonstrates the firm’s standing amongst its peers.
2. Communication
Good communication can make difficult family law matters much easier. Family lawyers must fully inform clients about their situation and the available options. If they don’t, clients can feel stressed and confused.
Lawyers with good communication can simplify complex legal issues. They will answer any questions their clients have and can communicate through different channels. These could be through email, over the phone or in person.
3. Cost-effectiveness
Financial challenges affect a client’s ability to move on from their legal issues. A good lawyer can find ways to work with their client’s financial circumstances. This doesn’t need to sacrifice their access to quality legal assistance.
Lawyers can offer different payment options. Deferred fees allow clients to pay after the completion of their case. Fixed fees give clients a transparent understanding of a lawyer’s services and prevent costs from running over-budget.
- Find out: How Much Does a Family Lawyer Cost?
4. Track record
A lawyer’s effectiveness will be most clearly demonstrated by their track record. How many clients have they represented, and how successful have they been in securing a good outcome? It’s important to consider whether their results were acceptable to the client.
For example, they may have experience drafting financial agreements, but did those agreements meet expectations?
Does the lawyer have experience with cases similar to yours?
Family law matters can be complex. Child custody cases can involve international jurisdictions, and property settlements may have unusual financial structures. Check if the lawyer has dealt successfully with processes relevant to your case.
How do I use reviews to assess a family lawyer?
Reviews are an excellent way of vetting law firms. However, it’s important to approach reviews correctly to ensure you get the most out of them.
Are there patterns?
Consider if there are points of praise or criticism that keep coming up. You might find that clients consistently praise a lawyer’s compassion and empathy or criticise them for a lack of communication. Noticing patterns is easiest when a law firm has many reviews.
If a firm has very few reviews, that may indicate that few people have trusted their services.
Prioritise recent reviews
Recent reviews should give you the most accurate view of a law firm. The quality of their services may have declined over time, making older reviews less relevant. Alternatively, they may have reformed their services successfully.
Find detailed reviews
Look for reviews that provide a lot of detail about a client’s experience. Simple, one-line reviews won’t give you a sense of the lawyer’s ability to handle the specifics of your case. Check if there are clients whose case is similar to yours.
Firm responses
Law firms should endeavour to respond to as many reviews as possible. They must respond to negative reviews. A client may leave a bad review that details various criticisms. However, the client’s criticisms may be unfair or inaccurate. If so, a lawyer’s response can clear up the misunderstanding.
A response can also express what lessons the lawyer learned and how they can improve. This says a lot about a lawyer’s integrity.
Is the review extreme?
Consider whether the review seems too extreme. You may find one review that provides excessive praise or criticism. It may be worth discounting these reviews if they depart too much from the tenor of other reviews.
Fake reviews
Fake reviews can be posted on platforms to artificially inflate a firm’s overall score or unfairly smear them. You may find multiple reviews with similar wording. This can indicate that a law firm is getting review bombed.
Conclusion
We have compiled a thorough list of the best family lawyers in Gold Coast based on extensive research and actual data. Each highlighted firm excels in reputability, communication, cost-effectiveness, and track record, making them excellent choices for anyone in need of legal assistance in the Gold coast area.
The next step is to evaluate these firms yourself. Visit their websites, review their services, and contact them for consultations. Then, use your judgment to select the firm that best aligns with your needs and goals in family law.
If you need help with family law matters, contact us for a free discovery call.
