People

Nicola Cooper

Nicola Cooper Profile Photo
Senior Associate
Nicola Cooper Profile Photo

Nicola is a Senior Associate in the Sydney office of Lander & Rogers' Family & Relationship Law team.

Nicola holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney. Having joined Lander & Rogers in 2013, Nicola has practised exclusively in family law since 2016.

Nicola is known for her pragmatic approach and the compassionate, understanding nature she brings to her practice. She recognises that the family law experience can be particularly challenging and, at times, overwhelming for her clients. Nicola works closely with her clients to ensure they are supported and their needs are understood, as she guides them through the family law system. She is passionate about helping her clients rebuild their lives after a separation, and draws on her network of professional and therapeutic specialists to offer advice that is tailored to her clients' needs.

Nicola strives to resolve matters efficiently and by agreement, without the need for litigation. Where court proceedings are necessary, Nicola is a determined advocate for her clients.

Experience

Nicola's areas of expertise include:

  • complex and straightforward property settlements, including those involving third parties, trust and corporate entities and valuation issues
  • parenting matters, including matters involving parental alienation, domestic and international child abductions, allegations of abuse and violence and relocations
  • spousal maintenance applications and associated proceedings
  • binding financial agreements, particularly prenuptial agreements for the preservation of intergenerational wealth
  • divorce applications and proceedings.

Career highlights

Nicola's career highlights include:

  • advising and assisting clients with complex financial matters involving assets held in multiple countries
  • advocating for vulnerable clients in relation to both financial and parenting matters on a pro bono basis
  • preparing binding financial agreements to assist clients in protecting assets of significant value, including intergenerational wealth
  • negotiating final financial and parenting orders for clients without the need for protracted litigation
  • preparing submissions on behalf of the NSW Young Lawyers Family Law Committee in response to the Attorney General's Review of the Family Law System.

Client feedback

What Nicola's clients say:

"Thank you so much for all of your help, kindness and calm presence in what was such a foreign and emotional time for myself and my family."

"I wanted to say thank you so much for your help in this matter. It feels a relief to be done and I felt that your assistance made what could have been a difficult time much easier. You were empathetic and understanding, and very helpful in all areas."

"I just wanted to say thank you so much for your efforts. Your time and hard work is protecting my world, which is my children."

"Our very sincere thanks for working on this case. We are very grateful of your capable assistance."

FAQs

How long will it take for me to reach a settlement?

This depends if your matter resolves by consent, or if court proceedings are issued. If you can negotiate an agreement with your former partner outside of court, it can be documented in orders and filed with the court. This is usually faster than issuing court proceedings. You can also formalise a settlement in a binding financial agreement, which we can draft on your behalf. The court aims to resolve all litigated matters within 12 months of their filing date, however the timeframe can be longer than this, particularly in complex matters.

What will this cost?

Costs in family law matters are influenced by a number of factors, including the complexity of the issues in dispute and the attitude of the parties to engage in meaningful negotiations to resolve their matter.

When we meet with you, and after hearing about the issues in your case, we will provide you with an estimate of our anticipated legal costs and the options available to you to resolve your matter. We also offer a fixed fee for certain legal services, which may be more appropriate for your particular matter.