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 purchaser's roadmap to buying commercial property in Victoria — entity and contract decisions, Section 32 review, title, planning, building, contamination and lease due diligence, GST and going concern, duty and CIPT, land tax and windfall gains tax, foreign investment and withholding, finance and settlement.
How business ownership and control pass on death or incapacity, and how governing documents, buy/sell funding, tax and estate planning should work together.
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
How to diagnose a Victorian retirement village dispute and resolve it — the operator's village dispute procedure, VicAssist conciliation, when VCAT has jurisdiction and what it can order, evidence, deadlines, standing, representation, costs, appeals, enforcement and settlement strategy.
A practical checklist for Victorian residents and families reviewing a residential aged care service agreement and accommodation agreement — the documents involved, who has authority to agree, mandatory terms, red flags and the 28-day withdrawal right.
An employer guide to Part 3-1 of the Fair Work Act: what counts as adverse action, the workplace rights, industrial activities and protected attributes it covers, how the presumption about the reason for a decision works, the Fair Work Commission and court pathways, remedies, penalties and personal liability of managers.
How a Victorian business creditor works an unpaid B2B debt: verifying the debt and the debtor, issuing a proportionate demand, weighing dispute and solvency risk, choosing the right court, obtaining default or summary judgment, and moving to an enforcement gateway.
The end-to-end Victorian pathway for a criminal or traffic charge: the documents served, the first listing, bail under the Bail Act, disclosure and negotiation, guilty and contested hearings, the committal process applying from 28 December 2025, sentencing, licence consequences and appeals.
A plain-English Victorian guide for people contacted by police — voluntary interviews, the right to silence, legal representation, recorded interviews, common mistakes and why early advice matters.
