We don’t want your legal fees to be the reason you are awake at night.
Bright Side doesn’t charge like traditional law firms, all our work is done
on an up-front agreed, fixed-fee basis. And we get that family-law matters
are all different and often require creative problem solving – if we don’t have a
package to suit you, we will tailor one to cover exactly what you need.

Once you have decided on your settlement strategy we will quote you a
price alongside a detailed Scope of Work outlining everything to be done in
your matter, with a rough timeline and payments broken down into stages.

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Where do I stand?

Meet us                                                                                                            

This is an initial consult for either you, or you and your ex together, where we hear your story. You don’t need to bring anything. It’s time to tell us what’s keeping you awake at night – what you’re worried about and what you think is working OK. We can talk about your individual circumstances and what initial options are available to resolve your relationship breakdown.

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Kitchen-table packages

At BrightSide we don’t charge by the minute so you will always know what your separation is going to cost you.

We have three basic packages, Silver, Gold and Platinum tailored for couples who can still communicate a little, cant communicate much or cant communicate at all.

But don’t worry we also realise everyone is a little different so if you don’t see something that fits, give us a call and we can design something specifically for you.

Silver                                                                                                               

This package is for people who can still communicate or are close to agreement and just need a little advice and guidance and someone to take care of all the legal details.

This package includes all legal drafting, dealing with your super fund, managing the court process, checking to make sure your agreement is fair and access to all of our info and experience about the process.­

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­Gold                                                                                                                

This package is for people who cant communicate much or who have tried and become stuck. It is also suitable for people with more complex financial needs such as if you have a SMSF or multiple investments.

As with the Silver package the Gold package also includes all legal drafting, dealing with your super fund, managing the court process, checking to make sure your agreement is fair and access to all of our info and experience about the process but it also has access to a session with our separation coach, 1 round of hands off negotiation, 2 title searches and up to a total of three hours of phone and email access to our lawyers.

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­Platinum                                                                                                                                              

This package is for couples who cannot communicate at all, have significant differences of opinion or where the relationship has broken down so much that no contact is possible. It is also suitable for people with complex financial structures or complex financial interests (e.g. family farms, family businesses, partnerships, or jointly held assets)

As with all of our packages the Platinum package includes all legal drafting, dealing with your super fund, managing the court process, checking to make sure your agreement is fair and access to all of our info and experience about the process but it also has access to 3 sessions with our separation coach, 3 rounds of hands off negotiation, 5 title searches, weekly phone or email check-in’s with your lawyer, weekly check-in’s with our client relationship manager and automated collection of ATO and bank records.

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What does my package get me?

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Collaboration

The beauty of collaborative practice is that the resolution of your matter is tailored to exactly what you and your family need. It usually takes between 3-6 months, over three collaborative meetings, for a matter to proceed and along the way you may engage different members of the collaborative team.

As a rough guide you can expect a collaborative matter to cost between $7,500-$10,000 per person depending on how many meetings you need and any professionals – such as collaborative accountants or therapists – involved.

We get that that’s a scary number, but it is not unusual for traditional lawyer-based, time-billed negotiation to quickly exceed that figure, and it’s a fraction of what you would pay if your matter went to court.

With Bright Side you will know in advance what it’s going to cost and payment is made in accordance with defined stages of your matter.

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Coaching

Sometimes you can do a lot of the work yourself – the common sense stuff is OK, the legal stuff can get tricky. One thing we don’t want you to be, is afraid to call and afraid to ask questions. When you need help, the best solution is to have it quickly and easily available at the end of the phone line.

A lawyer who knows you and understands your personal situation can be available to you on call – or text, or email – for a negotiated set weekly fee for as little or as long as you need.

Some of the things we have coached clients in include:

• Negotiating with your ex directly. We can coach you in how to approach tricky topics in a way least likely to cause a blow up. How to suggest a collaborative approach or the best form for a kitchen-table agreement to take.
• Coparenting. We can help draft emails or messages that promote good coparenting rather than nitpicking and arguing over things that don’t matter. We can read your ex’s messages and talk to you about the best way to respond. Complying with hand overs and court orders can continue to be sticky, or getting the kids to comply as they get older. We can coach you through the legal aspects and try to diffuse crises before they occur – or hose them down when they do.
• Court documents. You might be drafting your own, or trying to understand what a lawyer has sent you, or you don’t get what you are being asked for. Or just why something is taking so long.
• Mediation. A good mediation can make an enormous difference to your family law matter but if you go in unprepared it could end up being a waste of money. We can help you get all your ducks in a row – physically and mentally – before the big day.