Parke Lawyers
A curated legal knowledge centre from the lawyers at Parke Lawyers — authored, reviewed and maintained in plain English. Browse by practice area or search the full library.
Pinned reading
National cornerstone guide to parenting orders under Part VII of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth), updated for the 6 May 2024 reforms — best interests, safety, parental responsibility, family dispute resolution, evidence, court process, interim and urgent orders, relocation, recovery, contravention and variation.
A practical guide to making a valid Will in Victoria, including capacity, executors, beneficiaries, signing, witnessing, storage and later updates.
What probate is, when it's required, and the practical steps executors must take to obtain a grant of probate in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
A practical legal guide for purchasers considering commercial property in Victoria — contract review, due diligence, leases, GST, planning, settlement and the legal issues to address before signing.
Why business owners need an estate plan, how different structures pass on, and the agreements and insurances that keep a business running after death.
A practical guide to enduring powers of attorney and medical treatment decision makers under Victorian law — and what happens if you don't have one.
By practice area
Divorce, property, parenting and intervention orders.
Wills, testamentary trusts and planning for the future.
Grants of probate, executor duties and estate administration.
Contested wills, family provision (TFM) claims and estate disputes.
Enduring powers of attorney, medical decision-making and elder-law protections.
Retirement village contracts, aged care agreements, exits and disputes.
Binding death benefit nominations, SMSF succession and trustee control.
Contracts, structures, sales, acquisitions and business succession.
Buying, selling and leasing property in Victoria.
Workplace policies, performance, terminations and disputes for employers.
Court proceedings, mediation and dispute resolution.
Criminal, drink-driving and traffic matters in Victorian courts.
Recent additions
A Victorian advance care directive can contain an instructional directive, a values directive, or both. This guide explains the legal difference under the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 (Vic), the formal signing and witnessing requirements, when each type of statement operates, what health practitioners and medical treatment decision makers must do with it, and the limits and exclusions that apply.
Part 3 Division 1 of the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) gives older people a Statement of Rights when accessing, or seeking to access, funded aged care services. This guide explains each right in section 23, how section 24 governs their effect and permits necessary balancing, why the Statement is not directly enforceable in a court or tribunal, and how it still bites through provider registration conditions and the complaints system.
Since 1 November 2025, complaints about Australian Government-funded aged care are handled under the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Complaints Commissioner. This guide explains who may complain, what the process covers, how to prepare and lodge a complaint, what outcomes are realistic, and when police, VCAT or a lawyer is the better pathway.
How Victorians can provide for a pet in a Will: choosing carers, funding care, executor powers, incapacity planning and practical contingencies.
Definitive Australian guide for spouses, controllers, trustees and third parties on how family trusts are treated in divorce and property settlements — discretionary, fixed, unit, hybrid and testamentary trusts; control, Kennon v Spry, property vs financial resource, disclosure, valuation, evidence, third-party rights, post-separation restructures, Consent Orders and BFAs, tax and stamp duty interaction, and coordination with estate planning.
How the PPSR works — security interests in substance, attachment and perfection, PPS leases, PMSI timing, insolvency vesting and the registration errors that matter.
