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Family Law for Complex and High-Value Matters
When a separation involves substantial property, a business, a trust structure or a high-conflict parenting dispute, the quality of advice you receive early shapes the outcome. Pentana Stanton acts for clients across Melbourne and Dandenong on the family law matters that carry real financial and personal weight, and brings senior judgement to each one.
Considered counsel when the stakes are high
Not every family law matter is the same. A property pool built over decades, a privately held company, wealth held through a discretionary trust, or a parenting dispute with relocation or international elements all demand more than a standard approach. These are the matters we focus on.
We advise separating individuals, business owners and professionals whose financial position, family arrangements or both require careful handling under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) and the rules of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Our work is built around protecting what matters to you and resolving the dispute on terms you can live with, whether that is reached by negotiation or, where it is needed, in court.
Relocation, international and contested matters that turn on expert evidence.
Complex and high-value pools, valuation strategy and the four-step approach.
Separations involving an operating business, shareholdings or a practice.
Discretionary trusts, inherited wealth and what forms part of the pool.
Pre-nuptial, cohabitation and post-separation agreements drafted to hold up.
Maintenance for high-income earners and asset-protection injunctions.
Senior judgement from the first conference
Listen and understand your position
We start by understanding your circumstances in full: the asset pool, the structures behind it, the parenting arrangements, and the result you are working towards. Good strategy depends on getting this right.
Build the legal strategy
We set out the realistic outcomes, the evidence required to support them, and the pathway most likely to get you there at the lowest cost and risk. Where forensic disclosure, valuations or expert evidence are needed, we plan for them early.
Advocate for the outcome
We negotiate firmly and, where a matter cannot resolve, we run it. Our advocacy is measured and prepared, focussed on the result rather than the noise.
Family wealth, business and complex settlements
The work we are known for sits where family law meets a business, a company interest or family wealth. In these matters the family law and the commercial position have to be handled together.
Business & company interests
A business is part of the property pool and has to be valued and dealt with. We advise on valuation, buy-outs, the interaction between Family Court orders and your duties as a director, and keeping the business running through the process.
Family law for business ownersHigh-net-worth property settlements
Larger and more structured asset pools, significant superannuation, overseas assets, and settlements that need careful tax structuring. We work alongside forensic accountants and tax advisers where the matter calls for it.
High net worth property settlementsTrusts & family wealth
Where a discretionary trust, inherited wealth or family money is in issue, the question of what forms part of the pool and what is treated as a financial resource is rarely simple, and the outcome turns on control and benefit.
Trusts and family lawClear guidance and a realistic read on where you stand
Initial consultations are confidential and run by senior practitioners who will tell you, plainly, what the path forward looks like.
Book a consultationParenting, property and financial agreements
Complex & high-conflict parenting
Relocation, international and cross-border parenting, contested allegations, and matters that turn on expert and family report evidence. We act in the parenting cases where senior judgement makes a measurable difference, with the focus kept on the child's best interests.
Property settlements
Identifying and valuing the pool, contributions, current and future circumstances, and the four-step approach the court applies under section 79 of the Family Law Act.
Property settlementBinding financial agreements
Pre-nuptial, cohabitation and post-separation agreements drafted to hold up, including agreements covering business interests and trust-held assets.
Binding financial agreementsWe also advise on spousal maintenance, including for high-income earners, and act quickly on urgent applications and freezing orders under section 114 of the Family Law Act where assets are at risk of being moved. Family law rarely sits apart from a client's wider wealth and succession planning, so where a matter touches estate litigation, second-marriage planning, or the next generation's exposure to a future separation, we coordinate the family law advice with your estate and commercial position so the strategy holds together.
Trusted on the matters that mattered most
After speaking to many law firms, I felt that getting legal help was not for me. But my view completely changed after speaking with Special Counsel Peter Wood. He was knowledgeable, generous, kind, and genuinely caring. Peter listened with compassion and made me feel supported during a difficult time.
Highly professional, compassionate staff with a high level of knowledge and competence. Reliable, reassuring and there when you need them. Highly recommend.
I had a positive experience with Emily recently regarding a family dispute. I found her to be professional, knowledgeable and efficient. Her excellent communication skills made me feel comfortable and assured moving forward.
Questions clients ask before they engage
Senior family law advice when the matter is complex.
If your separation involves substantial property, a business, a trust, or a parenting dispute that needs careful handling, arrange a consultation and we will give you a clear read on where you stand and what the realistic path forward looks like.
Explore: Family Law for Business Owners, HNW Property Settlements, Trusts & Family Law, Binding Financial Agreements.
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