Be smart about smart phone use

WMD Law Most of us use a smart phone and, if you are like me, you most often have it on you if you are out and about. This has led to an enormous increase in the amount of filming that takes place as well as the amount of publishing of such recordings through various social media platforms. The laws regarding privacy ... More

Be a good friend but think twice about loaning your car

WMD Law Most of us will have encountered a situation where we have loaned a car to or borrowed a car from a friend or relative. It is a good thing to help others out but you do need to think carefully before lending your car as there are potentially serious legal consequences for the owner of the car if a crime or traffic ... More

Forcing the Issue

WMD Law I have been an accredited specialist in Family Law for the last 25 years and have practiced extensively in Family Law for 35 years. One of the most common utterances I hear in parenting disputes is "I won't force the children to go with their (mother or father)." I am frequently asked by my Family Law clients ... More

Good Fences Make Good Neighbours

WMD Law The statement "good fences make good neighbours" is most often attributed to the poet Robert Frost. However a version of this proverb or statement exists in many different cultures and languages. We have seen a spate of neighbour disputes lately and I thought it was timely to outline some of the areas where ... More

Alzheimers and Dementia – Keeping Control

WMD Law A diagnosis of alzheimers or dementia is a devastating event not only for the person concerned but for their family. The realisation of the disease's inevitable onset is coupled to a fear that control over the affected person's life will be lost and that uncertainty adds to the stress already brought on by the ... More

Not So Social Media

WMD Law Most of us are quite familiar with various social media platforms and I expect that many of the Club’s members are regular Facebook users. If you are, you will no doubt see how quickly the expression of opinions on Facebook can move from polite disagreement to vitriolic abuse. The relative anonymity of the ... More

Tips for Keeping your Legal Fees Down

WMD Law Legal disputes can be costly both in terms of money and personal stress but there are things you can do to keep these expenses down. In no particular order they include the following: Be organised. Try to provide your lawyers with all your documents and material in a clear and chronological way. The less time ... More

Housing Affordability and Aged Care

WMD Law My firm has for some years been advising on "granny flat" arrangements which should more properly be known as intergenerational family accommodation agreements. We expect that there will be heightened interest in these types of arrangements as a consequence of recent publicly expressed concerns about the ... More

Greater protection has been granted to small businesses against unfair contracts

WMD Law Small businesses can breathe a sigh of relief. Recent changes to the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) no longer bind small businesses to terms in contracts that are found to be ‘unfair’. The new changes aim to prevent small businesses from becoming stuck in contracts that exploit their legitimate interests. ... More

Do I have to treat all my beneficiaries equally?

WMD Law There is no legal requirement that parents should treat their children equally when it comes to providing for them in their Will. Inequality of treatment, however, can strongly affect relations between siblings after a parent's death. These problems of unequal treatment can arise not only where the shares in ... More