Méabh (a Gaelic name pronounced "Maeve") is a family & relationship lawyer. She has worked in family law since 2017 and was admitted to practice in 2021. Méabh worked at a specialist family law firm prior to joining Lander & Rogers in May 2024.
Méabh has a particular interest in complex parenting and property matters, including international family law matters.
Méabh prides herself on building rapport with clients from all backgrounds and tailoring her advice to ensure each client feels understood, informed and empowered to reach the best possible resolution as expeditiously and inexpensively as possible.
She adopts a pragmatic, resolution-focused approach to practice, seeking to settle or narrow issues by way of negotiation and alternative dispute resolution, to reach agreement when possible and commercial to do so. In the event that an issue cannot be resolved and court proceedings are issued, Méabh applies a strategic, forensic and robust approach to litigation on behalf of every client. Ultimately, Méabh seeks to support each client to reach the optimal outcome for themselves and their family, so they can focus on their future. When appropriate, Méabh collaborates with and refers clients to well-established and trusted professionals in her network, such as financial advisors, accountants and therapists, to further assist their family law journey.
Méabh applies her experience working at the Court to her everyday practice. Following university, Méabh was a Judge's Associate to His Honour Justice Riethmuller AM at the (as it was then known) Federal Circuit Court of Australia. She gained valuable insight into the court system and was exposed to the full spectrum of family law matters and procedures in that role.
During her tertiary studies at Melbourne Law School, Méabh was a research assistant to the then Judge in Residence, The Honourable Diana Bryant AO KC, former Chief Justice of the (as it was then known) Family Court of Australia. Méabh also worked as a research assistant to Her Honour, during Her Honour's tenure as Chair of the Working Group on Article 13(1)(b) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. In that role, Méabh worked with judges across international family law jurisdictions on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
Méabh regularly contributes to family law journals and textbook chapters and is called on to write submissions for family law reviews and amendment bills.
Méabh is involved with several legal committees. She is a member of the Executive of the Family Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria, Co-Chair of the Junior Family Lawyers Working Group in Victoria and a member of the Education Working Group committee. She is also a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia and of the Law Institute of Victoria.
Experience
Méabh's experience includes:
- separation and divorce
- property matters, including married and de facto relationships, high-net worth asset pools, complex trust and corporate structures, superannuation interests, tax considerations, injunctions and third parties
- spousal maintenance
- binding financial agreements
- complex children and parenting matters, particularly interstate and international relocation, international child abduction (Hague Convention), family violence, unacceptable risk matters and medical procedures (including gender dysphoria)
- parentage, surrogacy and donor agreements
- child support and maintenance matters, including varying or objecting to Administrative Assessments through Services Australia and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Departure Applications in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, and adult child maintenance and child support agreements
- Intervention Order and family violence matters
- varying or setting aside court orders
- enforcement of court orders
- all Family and Federal Circuit Court of Australia proceedings
- out-of-court settlements (lawyer facilitated negotiations, mediation and Family Dispute Resolution)
- forum disputes
- LGBTQIA+ community-related matters.