First consultation terms aren't published. The firm promotes JustFund, a line of credit that defers legal fees until settlement.
Office
Suite 1/135 Margaret St, Toowoomba City QLD
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Wilsons The Family Lawyers is a family law only practice on Margaret Street, founded in 2019 by Reagan Wilson. He has been ranked in Doyle's Guide every year since 2012 and listed as pre-eminent in Toowoomba family and divorce law since 2015, according to the firm. Two more directors, Teigan Jones and Katherine Marshall, lead alongside him, with a team of associates and solicitors behind them. It suits people with complex property pools, farms or businesses, and hard parenting disputes. The site doesn't publish first consultation terms, so call to ask.
Founded in 2019
Also worth knowing
Associate Audrey Akenson was named Emerging Lawyer of the Year 2025 by the Downs and South West Queensland Law Association, the firm says.
Book an appointment online or by phone. The firm says it has no hidden fees. Consultation terms aren't published.
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
O'Neill Family Law is a Toowoomba practice that does family law and nothing else. Director Ben O'Neill is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Family Law, and he came to it after years as a commercial lawyer, which helps on settlements involving businesses. The firm says Doyle's Guide listed it as first tier for the Darling Downs and Western Queensland from 2018 to 2022. It covers property, parenting, child support, de facto and same sex separations and domestic violence. Appointments can be booked online or by phone.
Also worth knowing
Practises family law only and has a dedicated page for Highfields clients.
Lawyers
Ben O'Neill, Director Accredited family law specialist
Joel Stower, Lawyer (named in a client review on the firm's site)
Call the firm for consultation enquiries. Terms aren't published.
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
ReesLaw is led by principal Steve Rees, who has more than 35 years in practice and is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Family Law Specialist, according to the firm. He is also a nationally accredited mediator and a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, so he can steer matters towards agreement before court. He has been a QLS Senior Counsellor since 2009, a role other lawyers turn to for ethics advice. Family law sits alongside wills and business work. It suits people who want a very senior lawyer on their file. Call to arrange a consultation.
Also worth knowing
He has been a Queensland Law Society Senior Counsellor since 2009.
Lawyers
Steve Rees, Principal Accredited family law specialist
Consultation terms aren't published. The firm says it keeps clients updated with fee estimates and discusses payment options.
Office
5 Kitchener St, Toowoomba QLD 4350
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Best Wilson Buckley is a family law only firm with a Toowoomba office on Kitchener Street and further offices in Brisbane, Ipswich and North Lakes. That size gives it a deep bench and its own mediation service, BWB Mediation. Toowoomba lawyers named on the site include Abigail Johnson, who has practised only family law since 2017 and holds a Master of Applied Law (Family Law), and Emma Kalms. It handles separation, property, parenting, child protection and domestic violence matters. The firm says it keeps clients updated on fee estimates and discusses payment options.
Also worth knowing
Natalia Hutchison is a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner.
Lawyers
Cassie Boland, Acting Chief Legal Officer and Special Counsel
Abigail Johnson, Associate, Toowoomba
Emma Kalms, Solicitor, Toowoomba
Natalia Hutchison, Legal Practice Manager and Associate, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner
Adele Bentham, Legal Practice Manager and Special Counsel
Book a consultation online, by phone or through an online enquiry. Terms aren't published.
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Hede Byrne & Hall is a full service firm founded in Toowoomba in 1981, with further offices in Roma and Warwick. Its family law team is headed by director Vince Hede, who the firm says has been a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Family Law since 2017. He joined the firm as a law clerk in 2007. Special Counsel Bonnie O'Brien, who the firm says was recommended by Doyle's Guide in family and divorce law from 2018 to 2025, works from Warwick. It suits rural and regional families who want one firm for property, parenting and related farm or business issues. Consultations can be booked online or by phone.
Founded in 1981
Also worth knowing
Offices in Roma (opened 2012) and Warwick (opened 2018) as well as Toowoomba.
Lawyers
Vince Hede, Director Accredited family law specialist
Bonnie O'Brien, Special Counsel and Head of Legal, Warwick
Consultation terms aren't published. The firm says it confirms at the outset whether it can help and refers you elsewhere if it can't.
Office
138 Margaret Street, Toowoomba City QLD 4350
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Murdoch Lawyers is a Margaret Street firm that also has a Brisbane office and covers business, property, agribusiness and estates alongside family law. The family team is led by director Andrew Crooke, who has been with the firm since 2004, according to its website, and includes senior associates Kaylah Vejle and Lexi Richards. It has a separate mediation arm, Murdoch Mediations, and offers collaborative law. It suits families whose separation involves farms, trusts or a business. The firm says it checks upfront whether it is the right fit and refers you on if not.
Also worth knowing
Runs a separate mediation service, Murdoch Mediations, and offers collaborative law.
Lawyers
Andrew Crooke, Director Accredited family law specialist
Staff take some brief details first, then a first meeting covers options, timeframes and likely costs. Advice sessions are offered. Eligible clients can use JustFund to defer fees until settlement.
Office
Glencrest, 156 Hume Street, Toowoomba QLD 4350
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Kennedy Spanner Lawyers works from Glencrest, a Hume Street building, and focuses on four areas: compensation, family law, wills and estates, and TPD claims. Director Elizabeth Adams leads the family work. She has nearly two decades of experience, was Doyle's recommended in Toowoomba family and divorce law from 2020 to 2023, and is a member of Queensland Collaborative Law, according to the firm. The firm leans towards negotiation and mediation but runs court cases when needed. Likely costs are explained at the first meeting, and eligible clients can use JustFund to defer legal fees until settlement.
Also worth knowing
Director Amanda Schmidt is also a collaborative lawyer.
Lawyers
Elizabeth Adams, Director and Collaborative Family Law Lawyer
Consultation terms aren't published. Contact the firm through its form or by phone.
Office
145 Russell Street, Toowoomba City QLD 4350
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Keogh & Co Lawyers is a small general practice on Russell Street that opened in December 1989. Principal Michael Keogh handles property, business and estates, while family work is done by solicitor Kathryn Mackenzie, who practises exclusively in family law and has about 30 years in private practice, according to the firm. It covers divorce, property settlement, parenting, domestic violence and financial agreements, and can update wills and trusts after separation in the same office. It suits people who want an experienced local solicitor and a low key approach. Consultation terms aren't published.
Opened in December 1989
Also worth knowing
Can restructure trusts and companies and update wills after separation.
Briese Lawyers is a Margaret Street practice founded in February 2007 and led by principal Kym Briese, who began her legal career in 1990. Family law sits alongside estate planning, conveyancing and commercial work. Her training is unusual for a lawyer: mediation and collaborative law, a diploma in child psychology and a postgraduate diploma in family and relationship counselling. She says she aims to help clients choose the right process while keeping costs and delays down. It suits people who want to settle without a court fight. Consultation terms aren't published.
Free initial consultation with Mark Orchard, according to the firm.
Full profile: lawyers, services and sources
About the firm
Clewett Lawyers runs a Toowoomba based family law team led by senior family lawyer Mark Orchard, and also has a Brisbane office. The firm says the Toowoomba team has more than 30 years of combined experience. It handles property settlements, parenting arrangements, pre nuptial and de facto financial agreements, maintenance and child support, and surrogacy agreements, which few regional firms list. A free initial consultation with Mark Orchard is offered, according to the firm. It suits people who want a local family team and a first meeting without cost.
Also worth knowing
Lists surrogacy agreements among its family services.
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 Toowoomba family lawyer. It's free and there's no obligation.
How we compiled this list
We include firms with a Toowoomba office that do family law as a main part of their practice. For each firm we read its own website in October 2026 and wrote the description ourselves. We only name accredited specialists where the firm's site says the Queensland Law Society accredited them. 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. We write the descriptions ourselves, and firms don't get to edit them. 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, Queensland Courts, the Queensland Government and Legal Aid Queensland in October 2026.
Where Toowoomba family law cases are heard
Divorce, parenting and property cases go to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Its Queensland registries are in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton. Toowoomba is listed as a circuit location, which means the court sits here from time to time but there's no registry office to file at.
Filing: the court says all matters to be heard in Toowoomba should be filed on the Commonwealth Courts Portal or at the Brisbane registry
Brisbane registry: Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts, 119 North Quay, Brisbane. The counter is open 9am to 4pm on weekdays
How circuit cases run: under the arrangements the court set for circuits from 2023, first court dates are held online by Microsoft Teams before a Circuit Judicial Registrar, and you choose the date on the Portal. Interim hearings are mainly before a Senior Judicial Registrar, and judges travel to the circuit for final hearings
Urgent after hours matters: 02 9966 7988, for example a real risk that a child will be taken overseas before the next working day
Domestic violence orders are a Queensland matter and go to the Toowoomba Magistrates Court at 159 Hume Street, (07) 4591 4700. Most family law cases never reach a final hearing. They settle 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, without a certificate the registry won't accept your application unless the court grants an exemption. Grounds include family violence or child abuse or a real risk of it, urgency, or someone being unable to take part effectively. You don't need a certificate to apply for consent orders. The court can also refer you to dispute resolution at any stage.
Toowoomba Family Relationship Centre: run by CatholicCare Social Services Southern Queensland at 146 Mort Street, 1300 477 433. It offers family dispute resolution, including a regional service, family law counselling and the Parenting Orders Program
Family Relationship Advice Line: 1800 050 321, 8am to 8pm weekdays and 10am to 4pm Saturday, for information and referrals
Legal Aid Queensland: in domestic violence matters it can arrange dispute resolution where you don't have to be in the same room as your ex
At Family Relationship Centres, information and individual sessions are free, and so is the first hour of joint family dispute resolution.
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.
Domestic violence orders in Toowoomba
In Queensland, protection orders are made under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012. The Act puts the safety, protection and wellbeing of people who fear or experience domestic violence, including children, first. Domestic violence isn't only physical. It includes emotional, psychological and economic abuse, threats, coercion and other behaviour that controls or dominates someone and causes fear.
Who it covers: current and former partners, family members and informal carers
Applying: you can apply at any Queensland Magistrates Court, police can apply, or someone you authorise can apply for you. There's no fee to apply
The Toowoomba court: the Magistrates Court at 159 Hume Street lists domestic violence applications every Wednesday at 9am, and Legal Aid Queensland has a domestic violence duty lawyer there on Wednesdays. Toowoomba isn't one of the state's specialist domestic and family violence courts, which sit in Beenleigh, Brisbane, Cairns, Mount Isa, Southport and Townsville
Coercive control: from 26 May 2025, coercive control is a criminal offence in Queensland, with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. It covers an adult who uses domestic violence on more than one occasion against someone they're in a domestic relationship with, including a former partner, intending to coerce or control them, where that conduct is reasonably likely to cause them harm
A protection order is separate from family law parenting or property orders, so tell your family lawyer about any order or application. In an emergency call 000. DVConnect Womensline is on 1800 811 811, and you can call it if you don't want police involved. 1800RESPECT is on 1800 737 732. Both run 24 hours. DVConnect Mensline is on 1800 600 636, 9am to midnight.
Choosing a Toowoomba 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. In Queensland, for most matters a law firm has to tell you in writing how it will charge you and give you an estimate of the total cost, and it must tell you in writing if that estimate changes substantially. Ask for it before you sign anything.
Check they're practising. Search the solicitor's name on the Queensland Law Society's Find a Solicitor tool.
Look for an accredited specialist. The Queensland Law Society accredits family law specialists. To keep the title they must spend at least a quarter of their practice on family law and complete ongoing training in it every year.
Match the firm to your matter. A property pool with a farm, a business or trusts needs different experience from a parenting dispute or a domestic violence matter.
Ask who does the work. Find out who will run your file day to day and who goes to mediation or court with you.
Legal Aid Queensland: 1300 65 11 88, weekdays 8:30am to 4:30pm. The Toowoomba office is on the 1st floor, 154 Hume Street, (07) 4591 8200. Legal information is free for anyone, advice depends on eligibility, and representation is means and merit tested
Family law duty lawyer: Legal Aid Queensland's duty lawyer visits Toowoomba when the family court sits here. It's for people representing themselves who haven't had legal advice before court. If your hearing is by phone or online, you can book a call with the duty lawyer up to 5 days ahead
TASC Legal Services: (07) 4616 9700. Help with family law, domestic violence orders and child protection for adults on low to middle incomes in Toowoomba, the Darling Downs and south west Queensland, with a financial test at intake
Women's Legal Service Queensland: 1800 957 957, weekdays 9am to 4:30pm. Free legal help for women on family law and domestic violence
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: ATSILS Toowoomba helps with family law, (07) 4659 7822. For family violence, child protection and separation matters, the Aboriginal Family Legal Service Southern Queensland gives free help to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families across southern Queensland on 1800 185 950
Toowoomba family law: common questions
Is there a family court in Toowoomba?
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia sits in Toowoomba on circuit, but there's no registry. Matters are filed through the Commonwealth Courts Portal or the Brisbane registry at 119 North Quay. First court dates for circuit matters are usually held online, and judges travel to Toowoomba for final hearings. Domestic violence orders go to the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Hume Street.
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 the court must grant an exemption, for example because of family violence, child abuse or urgency. In Toowoomba, the Family Relationship Centre run by CatholicCare at 146 Mort Street offers family dispute resolution.
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 domestic violence order in Toowoomba?
Apply at any Queensland Magistrates Court, including Toowoomba at 159 Hume Street, or ask police to apply for you. There's no fee. Toowoomba lists domestic violence applications on Wednesdays, and Legal Aid Queensland has a duty lawyer there that day.
What is an accredited family law specialist?
A solicitor the Queensland Law Society has assessed and accredited as a specialist in family law. To keep it they must spend at least 25 per cent of their practice on family law and complete at least 15 CPD points a year, at least 10 of them in family law. On this list, O'Neill Family Law, ReesLaw and Hede Byrne & Hall Lawyers name QLS accredited family law specialists on their websites.
Can I get free family law help in Toowoomba?
Yes. Legal Aid Queensland has a Toowoomba office at 154 Hume Street and a statewide line on 1300 65 11 88. TASC Legal Services helps people on low to middle incomes across the Downs, and Women's Legal Service Queensland helps women on 1800 957 957.
General information only, not legal advice.
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