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Stocking up on food items, school, restaurant, cinema and non-essential business closures, and plenty of hand-sanitising. The Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and the Government’s measures to flatten the curve are affecting our behaviour, and our relationships. Staying at home with our families during this period of nationwide self-isolation can cause issues to arise.
If a dispute has arisen between you and the other party about the care of your child/children, or any guardianship matters related to their care, such as health and medical matters, travel, schooling and education, extracurricular activities, religion, language and culture, we can assist.
Our teams of family lawyers are working remotely and are available for appointments by phone, Skype, Zoom and other video-conferencing apps.
Depending on your financial position, you may qualify for the Government-funded Family Legal Advice Service, known as FLAS. A number of our lawyers are approved providers of FLAS, which involves giving family legal advice on care of children matters. There are two separate sessions available, if you need them. The first session is for initial advice, to discuss the care arrangements for your child/ren and provide you with clear, practical and legal advice about your rights, duties and the options that are available to you. The second session is to help you fill out Family Court application forms, if you find you need to apply for Court Orders.
If you have been served with an application for a Parenting Order or Order to Settle a Dispute Between Guardians, you may also qualify for FLAS and we can advise you on the implications and your next steps.
FLAS eligibility is based on your income over the past three months, unless that period is not reflective of your annual income. You can check the Ministry of Justice eligibility thresholds on this link. As such recent changes to income can be taken into account.
To assess whether you are eligible, you need to email or screenshot your bank statements for the three months up until the date of your appointment with us. You also need to send us a photo or scanned copy of your ID (driver licence or passport).
For family legal advice and/or access the funded Family Legal Advice Service, please get in touch with Alissa Bell at abell@mcveaghfleming.co.nz, or another solicitor in our Family Law Team directly to set up a telephone or virtual appointment.
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© McVeagh Fleming 2020
This article is published for general information purposes only. Legal content in this article is necessarily of a general nature and should not be relied upon as legal advice. If you require specific legal advice in respect of any legal issue, you should always engage a lawyer to provide that advice.
