All lawyers are bound by a duty of client confidentially and the Family Court is a “closed” court, meaning no one other than the parties and their Counsel is permitted to be present in the Court room without leave of the presiding Judge. The Family Proceedings Act restricts publication of information on Family Court proceedings where certain circumstances apply, such as where the proceedings involve someone under the age of 18 years or a vulnerable person as defined in the Act. This leaves open the possibility of publication of information about some Family Court matters such as relationship property proceedings.

This media presence causes many politically sensitive or public figures to be nervous about letting their case get as far as the court door.

If you believe that your case may be of interest to the media and wish the details to remain confidential, we are able to advise you on how best to keep the matter out of the papers. Alternative dispute resolution within divorce law, such as private arbitration, is becoming more common and is of particular interest to clients who wish for matters to be dealt with discretely.

If you have questions about managing publicity, please contact our office by email or phone (09) 309 4647. We’d be happy to answer them for you.

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