Initial advice and strategy appointment, booked online, held at the Bendigo office or by video. You then get a summary of key points, next steps, timelines and a cost estimate. A costs agreement is signed on engagement, and the firm offers financing through JustFund.
Office
Level 1, 35 Queen Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
OFRM Lawyers is a Bendigo firm on Queen Street with a family law team of five. Director Marika McMahon leads it. She is an accredited family law specialist and a trained mediator, according to the firm, and fellow director Tom Wolff also works in this area. Both are named in the 2026 Doyle's Guide for regional Victorian family law, the firm says. It suits people whose property pool includes a farm, a business or super. First contact is an initial advice and strategy appointment, in person or by video, followed by a written summary and a cost estimate.
Also worth knowing
Marika McMahon is an accredited mediator with NMAS and AIFLAM, her profile says.
Lawyers
Gabrielle Howley is based in Melbourne and works regularly from the Bendigo office, according to her profile.
Marika McMahon, Director and family law team leader, mediator Accredited family law specialist
Free 15 minute phone appointment with a lawyer for family law and intervention order matters, after a conflict check. A second appointment covers a costs breakdown and disclosure statement before work starts. Fees depend on the matter and are discussed up front.
Office
30 Myers Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Middlemis & Associates is a small Myers Street practice built around Jim Middlemis, who was admitted in 1982 and has been accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as a family law specialist since 1992, according to his profile. He worked as an accountant in Bendigo before law, and the firm leans on that for complex financial settlements. It covers family law, intervention orders and wills. It suits separating couples with businesses, trusts or tangled finances. New family law clients get a free 15 minute phone appointment with a lawyer, then a full appointment where costs are set out in writing.
Also worth knowing
The firm says it doesn't drag matters out for the sake of billable hours.
Lawyers
Jim Middlemis, Founder and Principal Lawyer Accredited family law specialist
The site does not state consultation terms. Enquiries by phone, email or contact form.
Office
110 Pall Mall, Bendigo VIC 3550
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
HQ Law is a Pall Mall firm whose family law team is led by partner Annette Brewer. She has been an accredited family law specialist for more than 20 years and has practised for over 31, according to the firm, which also says Doyle's Guide listed her among regional Victoria's leading family and divorce lawyers in 2023. The team covers property and parenting plus less common work such as child relocation, passports, name changes and paternity disputes. The firm also runs a child protection practice. It suits clients who want a specialist leading their file.
Also worth knowing
The firm says its team has worked with Bendigo clients for nearly three decades.
Lawyers
Annette Brewer, Partner, family law Accredited family law specialist
Confidential first appointment booked by phone or online, with an online intake form for family law matters. The site gives no other consultation terms.
Office
72 Queen Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
JS Law & Associates is a boutique family and criminal law practice on Queen Street, Bendigo, with a second office in Woodend that opens by appointment. Principal Juliana Smith leads a team that includes senior associate Reighan Gladman, who joined in 2016, and lawyer Hannah Blake. Alongside standard separation work it lists same sex relationships, annulments and intervention orders, and it appears in the Magistrates' Court and the Federal Circuit and Family Court. It suits clients across Bendigo and the Macedon Ranges. Book by phone or online, with an intake form for family matters.
Also worth knowing
The site shows Law Institute of Victoria membership and Family Law Section membership logos.
Lawyers
Juliana Smith, Principal Lawyer
Reighan Gladman, Senior Associate Lawyer
Hannah Blake, Lawyer
Areas of family law handled
Separation advice
Divorce applications
Property settlements
Parenting arrangements
Child support
Spousal maintenance
Consent orders
De facto and same sex relationships
Annulment of marriage
Family mediation and settlement conferences
Intervention orders
Court representation
Office
72 Queen Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
Other details
Other offices
Woodend (2/34 Urquhart Street, by appointment only)
Free 15 minute phone call with no obligation. A paid one hour consultation follows for detailed advice or to retain the firm, with a written cost estimate afterwards. Private fee basis only, no legal aid matters.
Office
Level 1, 43 Williamson Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Sarah Stewart Family Law is a family law only practice on Williamson Street that sees clients by appointment. Sarah Stewart came to law after a social work degree, was admitted in 2019 and finished a Master of Applied Laws in family law in 2023. That mix suits parents in parenting disputes who want a calm, practical adviser. The firm handles property, consent orders, divorce, parenting and financial agreements. It works on a private fee basis and does not take legal aid matters. It offers a free 15 minute phone call, then a paid one hour consultation.
Also worth knowing
It works on a private fee basis and refers legal aid enquiries to Victoria Legal Aid.
Lawyers
Sarah Stewart is the only lawyer listed. The team also includes a practice manager and paralegal and an administrative assistant.
Free initial appointment. Fees are hourly or a fixed fee where appropriate, with estimates and a costs agreement at the start.
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Cathryn Shiels Lawyers, which trades online as CS Family Law, covers family and criminal law across the Goulburn Valley and Central Victoria. Principal Cathryn Shiels set up the practice in 2015 and has more than 15 years in the legal industry, according to the firm. Its family work covers property settlements, parenting plans and consent orders, and intervention orders for both applicants and respondents. It offers remote and virtual meetings as well as face to face appointments by arrangement. New clients can book a free initial appointment, and fees are hourly or fixed where that suits.
Established in 2015
Also worth knowing
Fees are charged hourly or as a fixed fee where appropriate.
Call for an appointment. The site lists no consultation terms.
Office
Cahill Chambers, 7-9 View Point, Bendigo VIC 3550
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Cahills is a locally owned general practice at Cahill Chambers on View Point, and it says it has served Bendigo since 1901. Family law sits alongside injury claims, criminal law, commercial work, wills and conveyancing, which suits clients whose separation touches other legal matters, such as an injury claim or a deceased estate. The site does not name its family lawyers or set out its family services in detail, so ask who will run your matter when you call. Appointments are made by phone.
The firm says it will try to arrange an appointment on the day you need it, even the same day. No other consultation terms listed.
Office
Victoria Chambers, 5 Victoria Lane, Pall Mall, Bendigo
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
O'Sullivan Johanson Lawyers works from Victoria Chambers off Pall Mall and is best known for property and estates work, with the firm saying it handles more than 500 conveyances a year. Family law is one of a dozen services it lists. It suits clients who already use the firm for property or wills and want a local practice for a simple separation or property split. The site doesn't name a family lawyer. The firm says it will try to book an appointment on the day you need one, even the same day.
Also worth knowing
Its estates team has over 60 years of combined experience, the firm says.
Areas of family law handled
Separation advice
Property settlements
Parenting arrangements
Divorce
Consent orders
Binding financial agreements
Office
Victoria Chambers, 5 Victoria Lane, Pall Mall, Bendigo
Contact the firm. No consultation terms are listed for family law.
Office
177 View Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Beck Legal is a View Street firm with about 50 staff, according to its Be.Bendigo profile, and a second office in Swan Hill. It calls itself a new law practice and says it took its current shape in 2016. Its main work is property, business, succession and disputes. The team page includes Claudia Gleeson as a family law solicitor. It suits existing clients, farming families and business owners who want separation advice inside a firm that already handles their affairs. Contact the firm for consultation terms.
Current firm formed in 2016
Also worth knowing
Its practice areas include farm and business succession planning.
Firm details come from each firm's own website. Google ratings are shown as published on Google and don't set the order. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Not sure which firm suits you?
Tell us a little about your matter and we'll put you in touch with a Bendigo family lawyer. It's free and there's no obligation.
How we compiled this list
We include firms with a Bendigo office, including offices that see clients by appointment, that do family law as a main part or a regular part of their practice. For each firm we read its own website in October 2026 and wrote the description ourselves. We only call someone an accredited specialist where the firm's site says so, and we name the accrediting body (usually the Law Institute of Victoria) where the firm does. Free consultations and fee terms are as the firm describes them, so confirm them when you call. We show Google ratings with the date we checked them.
No firm pays for its place on this list, and the order is our own. If something here is out of date, let us know. There's more detail on how we rank law firms.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules are as published by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, the Magistrates' Court of Victoria, Court Services Victoria and Victoria Legal Aid in October 2026.
Where Bendigo family law cases are heard
Divorce, parenting and property cases go to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Bendigo doesn't have its own registry. The court sits in Bendigo on circuit, at the Bendigo Law Courts, 188 Hargreaves Street, and you can't file documents there.
Filing: matters to be heard in Bendigo are filed online through the Commonwealth Courts Portal or at the Melbourne registry. Since January 2023 you can choose your first court date for a Bendigo matter when you file on the Portal. First return and directions events are held online by Microsoft Teams, interim hearings are mostly before a Senior Judicial Registrar, remotely or in person depending on the circuit, and judges travel to Bendigo for final hearings
Melbourne registry: Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne
Enquiries: 1300 352 000, 8:30am to 5pm on weekdays. Court staff can't give legal advice
Urgent after hours matters: (02) 9966 7988, for example a real risk that a child will be taken overseas before the next working day
Help on your court day: if family violence is an issue in your case, Victoria Legal Aid's Family Advocacy and Support Service can help by phone on (03) 8610 9803, and in person when the court is holding in person hearings in Bendigo. It offers a duty lawyer for one off advice and help applying for legal aid, plus family violence and mental health support workers. It doesn't take on ongoing representation or final hearings
Family violence intervention orders are a Victorian matter, usually heard by the Magistrates' Court. If the order is to protect a child, the application can go to the Children's Court instead. Parenting and property disputes can also be settled through negotiation, mediation or family dispute resolution, so ask any lawyer you call how they approach settlement.
Time limits and court fees
What you need to do
The rule
Apply for divorce
After at least 12 months of separation. You can be separated under one roof, with an affidavit explaining it
Property or spousal maintenance after a marriage
Within 12 months of the divorce taking effect, which is a little over a month after the order unless the court shortens that. You can apply any time before the divorce
Property after a de facto relationship
Within 2 years of the relationship ending
Parenting orders
No deadline, but you generally need a family dispute resolution certificate first, and it's valid for 12 months
If you miss a property deadline, you can still apply if your former partner consents. Otherwise you need the court's permission, which is generally only given where refusing would cause hardship. Get advice before the deadline passes.
Court fees from 1 July 2026
Fee
Application for divorce
$1,170, or $390 at the reduced rate for eligible concession card holders or financial hardship
Application for consent orders
$215
Initiating application for final orders, parenting or property
$455
Initiating application for final orders, parenting and property
$740
Conciliation conference
$510
Setting down a defended matter for hearing
$820 in Division 2, $1,115 in Division 1
Fees are set by the Family Law (Fees) Regulations 2022 and usually rise each 1 July. For a joint divorce application, you both have to qualify for the reduced fee. These are court fees only, on top of anything you pay a lawyer.
Family dispute resolution comes first
Before the court will hear an application for parenting orders, you generally need a certificate from a family dispute resolution practitioner. The certificate says whether the other parent refused or didn't attend, whether you both made a genuine effort or one of you didn't, or whether dispute resolution wasn't appropriate, or stopped being appropriate.
Since 10 June 2025, the registry won't accept a parenting application without a certificate unless you're granted an exemption. You claim one by filing an affidavit explaining why you haven't got a certificate, and a registrar decides. Grounds include family violence or child abuse or a real risk of it, urgency, a recent serious breach of a parenting order, or someone being unable to take part effectively. Applications for consent orders don't need a certificate at all. The court can also refer you to dispute resolution at any stage.
Family Relationship Advice Line: 1800 050 321, for information and referrals. It can point you to your nearest Family Relationship Centre
Victoria Legal Aid Family Dispute Resolution Service: free, lawyer assisted conferences where at least one party has a lawyer and a grant of legal assistance. 1800 136 832
At Family Relationship Centres, information and individual sessions are free, and so is the first hour of joint family dispute resolution. Ask about fees for later sessions when you book.
What changed in family law in 2024 and 2025
Parenting, from 6 May 2024. The presumption of equal shared parental responsibility was removed. The law has never required equal time. Courts now look at a shorter list of best interests factors, starting with arrangements that keep the child and each carer safe, including from family violence. Before reopening a final parenting order, the court must consider whether circumstances have changed significantly and be satisfied that it's in the child's best interests, unless everyone agrees.
Property, from 10 June 2025. The steps a court follows are now set out in the Act: identify the property and debts, assess each person's contributions, consider current and future circumstances such as children's housing needs, and make orders that are just and equitable. Courts must consider the economic effect of family violence, and the definition now expressly names economic and financial abuse. Pets are treated separately, and the duty to fully disclose your finances is now in the Act itself.
The 2024 parenting changes and the 2025 property framework apply to existing cases too, unless the final hearing had already started. The new duty of disclosure in the Act applies to cases started on or after 10 June 2025. Get advice that reflects the current law.
Intervention orders and the Bendigo court
In Victoria, family violence intervention orders are made under the Family Violence Protection Act 2008. Adults apply through the Magistrates' Court, either online through the court's intervention order portal or in person, and police can also apply. If the person who needs protection or the respondent is under 18, the Children's Court can hear the application, and a young person aged 14 or over can apply with the court's permission.
Help at the Bendigo Law Courts: court staff can help you apply for a family violence or personal safety intervention order, explain the court process and refer you to support. Family violence support is at Balak Services on level 1. The court's number is (03) 9087 5733
A specialist court: Bendigo is a Specialist Family Violence Court in Victoria. These courts hear intervention orders alongside related matters such as bail, criminal pleas and family law parenting matters, with family violence registrars who coordinate listings, trained practitioners who support both applicants and respondents, and Umalek Balit support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
Duty lawyer: Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre runs an intervention order duty lawyer service at Bendigo Magistrates' Court, with free information and advice before or on your court date. (03) 5445 0909 or 1800 450 909
Interim orders: can be made quickly to protect you until the court makes a final order
Final orders: made if the magistrate is satisfied family violence has happened and is likely to happen again, or by consent. Nobody will remind you when your order is ending, so apply to extend it at least 4 weeks before it expires
Parenting orders: an intervention order isn't a parenting order, but when it makes one the court can change or suspend the parts of a family law parenting order about a child spending time with someone
The Orange Door is a free service, with no referral needed, for anyone experiencing family violence or needing help with children's wellbeing. The Orange Door Loddon is at 57 View Street, Bendigo, with other sites at 486 High Street, Echuca, and 75 Clarendon Street, Maryborough, all on 1800 512 359. Its centres are open weekdays 9am to 5pm. After hours, call Safe Steps on 1800 015 188, any time. In an emergency call 000.
Choosing a Bendigo family lawyer, and free help
Most family lawyers charge by the hour, and some offer fixed fees for set jobs like a divorce application or consent orders. If your legal costs are likely to be more than $750, your lawyer must give you a written estimate and explain how they'll charge. No win, no fee agreements can't be used in family law matters.
Look for an accredited specialist. The Law Institute of Victoria accredits lawyers as family law specialists when they show superior knowledge and experience in family law. It isn't required to practise, and you can check a lawyer's accreditation with the LIV.
Match the firm to your matter. A property pool with a farm, a business or trusts needs different experience from a parenting dispute or an intervention order.
Ask who does the work. Some firms on this list don't name their family lawyers online, so ask which lawyer will run your file and whether you can meet by video if you live out of town.
Victoria Legal Aid, Bendigo: 424 Hargreaves Street, (03) 5448 2333 or 1800 254 500, covering the Loddon Campaspe region. It's best to make an appointment. The Bendigo office also covers duty lawyer work at the Bendigo, Castlemaine, Echuca, Kerang, Kyneton, Maryborough and Swan Hill courts. Victoria Legal Aid's Legal Help line is on 1300 792 387, weekdays 8am to 6pm, with a free interpreter
Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre (ARC Justice): 171 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo, (03) 5445 0909 or 1800 450 909, offices open 9am to 4pm on weekdays. It also has a room at the Bendigo Law Courts. Free information, advice and representation in family law, including parenting arrangements, property settlement, separation and divorce, plus family violence and child protection, for rural and regional Victorians experiencing social and economic disadvantage
Women's Legal Service Victoria: 1800 133 302 from regional Victoria. Free legal help for women, focused on family and sexual violence, including parenting, property and intervention orders. Eligibility criteria apply
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients: Djirra helps Aboriginal women and their children with intervention orders, family law and child protection. Its Bendigo office is at 122 Queen Street, open weekdays 9am to 5pm, on 1800 354 772. The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service gives free legal help to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Victoria on 1800 064 865, and has an office in Bendigo
Bendigo family law: common questions
Is there a family court in Bendigo?
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia sits in Bendigo on circuit, at the Bendigo Law Courts, 188 Hargreaves Street. There's no registry, so you can't file documents there. Bendigo matters are filed through the Commonwealth Courts Portal or the Melbourne registry at 305 William Street, and early court events are held online.
How long do I have to apply for a property settlement?
If you were married, within 12 months of your divorce taking effect. If you were in a de facto relationship, within 2 years of it ending. After that you need your former partner's consent or the court's permission, which is generally only given where refusing would cause hardship.
Do I have to try mediation before going to court?
For parenting orders, generally yes. You need a family dispute resolution certificate, or a registrar must grant an exemption, for example because of family violence, child abuse or urgency. The Family Relationship Advice Line on 1800 050 321 can refer you to your nearest Family Relationship Centre. Property matters don't need a certificate, but the court expects you to try to settle first.
Does the law say children should spend equal time with each parent?
No. The law has never required equal time, and since 6 May 2024 there's no longer a presumption of equal shared parental responsibility. The court decides what's in the child's best interests, starting with safety.
How do I get a family violence intervention order in Bendigo?
Apply online through the Magistrates' Court portal or in person, or ask police to apply for you. Staff at the Bendigo Law Courts can help you apply, and an interim order can be made quickly. Bendigo is a Specialist Family Violence Court, Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre runs an intervention order duty lawyer service there, and The Orange Door on View Street can help with support and safety planning.
What is an accredited family law specialist?
A lawyer accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as having superior knowledge and experience in family law. It isn't required to practise, but it's a useful sign of depth. On this list, OFRM Lawyers says director Marika McMahon is an accredited family law specialist, Middlemis & Associates says Jim Middlemis has been accredited by the LIV as a family law specialist since 1992, and HQ Law says partner Annette Brewer is an accredited family law specialist.
Can I get free family law help in Bendigo?
Yes. Victoria Legal Aid has a Bendigo office at 424 Hargreaves Street, on (03) 5448 2333. Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre, on Hargreaves Street, gives free family law advice and representation to eligible people on 1800 450 909. Women's Legal Service Victoria helps women on 1800 133 302.
General information only, not legal advice.
Looking in another city? See all our family lawyers by city, with a plain English guide to how it works.
