A law firm paid to put this column in front of you, so let me name the catch: I am hoping you read it and never need to ring me.
Most people only speak to a lawyer once something has already gone wrong, and by then, their choices have narrowed. The questions that get expensive are nearly always the ones nobody asked early enough. An early question is usually a short conversation. A late one is usually a file. I would rather answer them here, while they are still small.
I am a Director at Griffiths Parry Lawyers, and practice in family law. Our firm has been on the Sunshine Coast since 1974, and for years that included a practice here in Caloundra. I have watched the area grow, and I have watched the legal questions grow with it. The town is busier and more complicated than it was, and the old handshake way does not always cover people the way it used to.
Most people are not sure when the right moment to ask is, so they wait for one that never quite arrives. That is the gap this column is for. Each edition I will take one ordinary moment, signing a lease, blending two families, operating a business, sorting a Will, and explain in plain English what it means and what your options are. No jargon, and no sales pitch.
If there is a question or issue that keeps you awake at night, send it in. If you advise people for a living and a question keeps coming up from your clients, send that in too.
