Family Lawyer in Woollahra

Progressive and Conservative Jewish families — members of Emanuel Synagogue or affiliated non-Orthodox communities, often well-educated professionals with a Jewish identity that's important but expressed differently from the Orthodox mainstream, typically approaching separation thoughtfully and consultatively. Sephardi and Mizrahi families connected to the Sephardi Synagogue, with heritage from Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey or elsewhere, whose matters often involve cultural dimensions that differ from the Ashkenazi-Orthodox mainstream — different inheritance customs, different family-of-origin involvement, sometimes different language considerations.

LGBTQ+ Jewish individuals and families — same-sex couples married in Australia have the same family law rights and obligations as different-sex couples, with separations sometimes involving additional considerations around community navigation and family-of-origin dynamics. Mixed-observance couples are particularly common here (one spouse from a more Orthodox background, the other Progressive or culturally Jewish), as are culturally Jewish individuals for whom the religious dimension still sometimes matters, particularly the get question.

Interfaith couples, where considerations include the get (only relevant if the Jewish spouse was married in a ceremony recognised by the Beth Din), religious upbringing of children, and Jewish community connection going forward. And non-Jewish Woollahra residents: about half the practice is general family law for clients of all backgrounds.

The important point for Woollahra readers is that Jewish family law isn't only Orthodox family law. The civil side of Australian family law applies identically regardless of religious observance — the Family Law Act, the Federal Circuit and Family Court, the property settlement framework all operate the same way for an Orthodox couple in Bondi as for a Progressive couple in Woollahra.

The religious side is where the differences arise. For couples married in an Orthodox ceremony — even if they don't currently identify as Orthodox — the get may matter for future religious flexibility. For couples married in a Progressive ceremony, the get question may be different; for a Conservative/Masorti ceremony, different again. Each case requires individual consideration.

What stays the same across all of these is the underlying commitment to careful, respectful handling of the religious dimension alongside the civil one — without imposing one set of religious assumptions on clients who don't share them.

This is one of the most common questions from Woollahra clients, and the honest answer is nuanced. If you were married in an Orthodox ceremony (kiddushin and an Orthodox kesubah), the get may matter even if you no longer identify as Orthodox — you are halachically married under Orthodox law and without the get you remain so, which matters if you may want to remarry in an Orthodox ceremony in future or may have children in a future relationship where their halachic status matters to you. Many non-Orthodox clients obtain the get simply as a precaution, since the cost is small and the future flexibility is preserved.

If you were married in a Progressive (Reform) ceremony, Progressive Judaism in Australia generally does not require a get — the civil divorce is treated as sufficient, and remarriage under Progressive auspices is typically straightforward (though remarrying under Orthodox auspices later may require additional steps). If you were married in a Conservative/Masorti ceremony, the position is again different — many Conservative authorities accept the get, and some Conservative ketubot include the Lieberman clause that addresses get refusal proactively. If your marriage was civil only, the get question doesn't arise.

What matters in every case is taking the time to understand your specific position before assuming any one religious framework applies. Many Woollahra clients have spent decades not thinking about their religious marriage status, and bringing it into focus thoughtfully — without judgment about how religious you are or aren't — is part of what the consultation does.

For Sephardi and Mizrahi families, family law work sometimes involves dimensions that differ from the Ashkenazi-Orthodox mainstream. Sephardi cultures often have stronger expectations of multigenerational family involvement, particularly around major life decisions, so parenting matters may need to account for grandparent and extended-family roles that are more substantial than in the Ashkenazi mainstream.

Sephardi and Ashkenazi halacha differ in some details, and Sephardi authorities historically have had somewhat different positions on agunah situations and aspects of the get process. The Sydney Beth Din includes a Sephardi Dayan (Rabbi Michael Chriqui, also rabbi of the Sephardi Synagogue), which assists where a Sephardi halachic perspective is relevant. Some Sephardi traditions also have different inheritance customs — particularly around the position of widows and daughters — which can be honoured in Australian wills while building in protections against Family Provision claims under the Succession Act 2006 (NSW).

Many Sydney Sephardi families have ties to Israel, France, Morocco or other countries with active Sephardi communities, so cross-border coordination may be needed for property, inheritance or international family matters. The Sephardi specialty isn't a separate practice area — it's part of careful, individually-tailored Jewish family law that doesn't assume one set of cultural or halachic assumptions applies to every Jewish client.

Woollahra real estate is among the most expensive in Sydney — heritage terraces, semi-detached homes and contemporary apartments, with house medians in the $3–5 million range and premium properties well above — and the demographic skews toward established professional and business families. Settlements commonly involve family trusts and corporate structures (treated by the Family Court according to control, contribution history and distribution patterns), business and professional-practice interests requiring forensic valuation, substantial investment portfolios and superannuation (split under Part VIIIB), art collections and antiques needing specific valuation, and international holdings handled through the firm's Israeli and other overseas professional relationships. Emanuel School fees (K–12, $25,000–$40,000 per child per year depending on year level) and their future responsibility are addressed in orders.

Parenting matters here frequently turn on religious upbringing across observance levels — a Progressive spouse and a more Orthodox-affiliated spouse, one Sephardi and one Ashkenazi spouse with different customs, or a Jewish and non-Jewish spouse with negotiated arrangements — so orders need to explicitly address Jewish education, shule attendance, bar/bat mitzvah preparation, kashrus standards where relevant, and which Jewish framework the children identify with. The Yomim Tovim matter across the spectrum (even non-observant families typically observe Pesach and the High Holy Days), and schooling decisions (Emanuel, Moriah, Mount Sinai, Kesser Torah or state school) can be locked into orders.

For LGBTQ+ Jewish families, orders address all the standard issues plus, in some cases, specific provisions around community involvement, family-of-origin contact patterns, and how the children's understanding of their family is supported. For Sephardi families, plans sometimes address Ladino, Arabic, French or Hebrew language transmission and family-of-origin cultural traditions. And for families with Israeli ties, orders for dual-citizen children include specific provisions around international travel. I draft parenting plans and consent orders that respect the full range of Jewish family configurations.

The halachic prenup conversation needs to be approached differently for different couples. For Orthodox-affiliated couples, a properly drafted halachic prenup + Binding Financial Agreement provides protection on both sides (Beth Din recognition plus Australian-court enforceability). For Progressive or Conservative couples, a halachic prenup may or may not be the right document — some want the halachic protection in case future religious flexibility matters; others see it as imposing an Orthodox framework, in which case a BFA on its own under section 90B provides the civil-law protection without the halachic framing. For Sephardi couples the conversation often involves both the Beth Din-recognised framework and additional cultural protections, and for interfaith couples a BFA is typically the relevant document. The consultation includes a conversation about what you actually want the document to do.

For LGBTQ+ Jewish couples and families, all the standard Australian family law applies — same-sex marriages (since December 2017) have the same legal status as different-sex marriages, and de facto relationships have substantially similar rights and obligations. Specific considerations can include community navigation where one party wants to maintain connection to a less inclusive community, family-of-origin dynamics, donor and assisted-reproduction arrangements for families formed that way, and the different religious-dissolution position for couples married in a Progressive same-sex ceremony.

On logistics: the initial consultation is free, 45 minutes, by Zoom or phone in nearly all cases. I travel to Sydney regularly for in-person consultations, mediation and document signing, with no additional charge for Sydney travel. Family law is federal — I am admitted in Victoria and to the High Court of Australia and act in Family Court matters Australia-wide, appearing at the Sydney registry in person or by video link. I coordinate get applications directly with the Sydney Beth Din at 25 O'Brien Street, document witnessing happens locally through a Sydney JP or solicitor or through me on a visit, and ongoing communication is by email, phone and Zoom.