Relationship Property
& Family

Wynn Williams has been advising clients in legal aspects of their personal lives since day one. We are known for our strategic and prudent advice in helping clients future proof the things that are important to them. Our team is highly experienced in advising clients who are going through challenging situations in their relationships and assisting them to achieve their objectives through negotiation, mediation and, if necessary, litigation. We can also provide expert advice and assistance on a broad range of family law matters, including the care of children and family violence. Whether you are entering into a new relationship or your relationship has broken down, we always work towards a successful outcome for our clients – discretely and sensitively wherever possible.

How we can help

Wynn Williams advises our clients in many aspects of their personal lives. Our team are highly experienced in a number of related fields including:

  • Contracting out agreements (colloquially known as “pre-nups”)
  • Separations and the division of relationship property, often involving complex asset pools
  • Spousal maintenance
  • Claims against trusts
  • Claims against estates
  • Care of children
  • Child support
  • Guardianship issues
  • Adoption
  • Family violence and protection orders
  • Acted for a family member in regard to a dispute over a significant and complex family estate. Wynn Williams successfully sought leave of the Court to bring a reverse relationship property claim to enlarge the size of the deceased’s estate for the purposes of enlarging the client’s potential entitlement. The claim also involved an application to remove the executor husband as executor of the deceased’s estate.
  • Acted for a wife on a complex relationship property and trust property claim involving a significant asset pool. Proceedings were issued  to set aside a longstanding Section 21 contracting out agreement and to challenge the validity of a family trust from which the wife was excluded; Issues involved the quantification of potential resulting claims under Section 9A(1) and/or 9A(2) of the Property (Relationships) Act, Section 182 of the Family Proceedings Act and constructive trust claims. Additional interim and final spousal maintenance applications were made to the Family Court which resulted in an appeal to the High Court. All matters successfully resolved to the client’s satisfaction shortly before the commencement of a 10 day scheduled hearing.
  • Acted for a client in the defence of an application for an order preventing the removal of a child from New Zealand in circumstances where the client originates from a country that is not a signatory to the Hague Convention.

Key Contacts

Andrew Watkins

Partner

Courtney Donaldson

Senior Associate

Kate Bradley

Senior Associate