Lawyers for the people
Tribe Family Lawyers was founded on a mission to support everyday Australians who want to manage their own family law issues. Or who are part of the 'missing middle': people who have a family law problem and yet are unable to access legal help. This is the so-called Justice Gap.
Australian family law is your family law. It’s for and about you. We want you to be able to use it to make your life better.
Tribe helps you to get the best possible outcomes from the family law system. So despite that you don't want, or cannot access, help from a traditional family lawyer, or from legal aid, you can reach the other side of your separation in good time, in good health, with your finances sorted, and with arrangements that are in the best interests of your children.
How we work
Tribe is a family law practice with a distributed workforce of experienced lawyers who are directly engaged by Tribe. We're not an agency or a broker for other firms. Our operations are genuinely virtual and 100% paperless. So we're available to clients located all over Australia.
We use the most sophisticated, contemporary cloud-based communication and information technologies in the management of our practice and in our interface with you. We do this to keep our costs down, our efficiency up, and to provide peak access for you.
Tribe is not a full-service family law practice. But we don’t provide generic services either. We provide the most fundamental and important family law services—personally, entirely, and tailored just for you.
Meet the team
About Maree
Our practice is led by Dr Maree Livermore. Maree is a well-known and trusted family lawyer. She is the author of The Family Law Handbook (Thomson Reuters) a plain-English text now in its 5th edition, widely used by self-represented litigants, universities, and community services around Australia. She holds a doctorate in a mental health field.
From her earliest work as a domestic violence solicitor, her litigation in labour law firms, in her roles as a mediator and in community-based family law, Maree has worked alongside and supported people in the ‘justice gap’ who have difficult family law issues to resolve. She is a passionate advocate for a simpler, more responsive and client-centred family law system.
Maree has a second life as a breeder of miniature Galloway cattle, raspberry farmer and kelpie owner.
About Kathryn
Since her admission in 2010, Kathryn has practised almost exclusively in family law. She has a Master of Laws degree, majoring in Family Law and is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law in Victoria.
Kathryn has previously practiced as a Senior Associate and In-house Counsel in a Melbourne metropolitan firm, with considerable experience in complex family law litigation. She is passionate about access to justice and particularly about helping parents resolve difficult parenting disputes.
Kathryn is also an Independent Children’s Lawyer and finds this work extremely rewarding.
Kathryn played competitive netball for many years but since retiring due to injury she has taken up yoga. She also enjoys walking with her young family and is a passionate Collingwood supporter.
About Anne
Anne gained invaluable litigation experience as a deputy associate in the Federal Circuit Court, working closely with several judges, including the high-profile Justice Tom Altobelli, and across a range of matters including family law, child support, fair work and bankruptcy. She has since worked in family law practice in reputable firms and as a sole practitioner. With both depth and range of experience, Anne is well-credentialled for senior practice in property and financial cases with particularly strong documentation skills.
Anne is passionate about achieving justice for her client, using her strong negotiation and advisory expertise in the first instance. But she will not hesitate to litigate if court action is the right course in the client’s circumstances. Anne has a strong personal family orientation and particularly wishes to help the children of separating families by providing their parents with energised, capable and compassionate legal service.
When not at work, Anne enjoys travelling, and watching Bob the Builder with her own young family.
About Dylan
Dylan has strong litigation experience assisting clients in family law, child protection, child support, parenting matters and property matters and in relation to separation and divorce, including in mediation processes. Having worked with clients of many different backgrounds in city and regional practices, Dylan is a talented communicator who can simplify and explain complex legal issues. He is an impressive advocate, an innovative and pro-active legal representative, and a warm and supportive adviser.
Dylan believes that creative, break-through resolutions to family law problems and even the strengthening of a party’s position, can often arise when the perspective of both parties is kept in view and by considering the history of the parties and the legal issues in a matter as an integrated whole.
When not in the office, Dylan is either active in the community, playing and volunteering with the local basketball and athletic associations, or frequenting Bunnings to attend to his wife’s ever-growing list of household renovations.
About Charlotte
Charlotte has had a long and varied career in private practice with broad experience in complementary areas of law, including family law, property law, wills and estates and civil law litigation.
She works practically and compassionately to achieve outcomes that genuinely reflect contributions to the relationship, family life and family finances, the needs of children, and the current and future needs of her clients. She enjoys living near the ocean and loves walking, hanging out with her dog, her children and partner and has lately been preoccupied with trying to beat any one of them at Go Fish. (Charlotte has a clever dog!)
Testimonials
My thanks to you is not so much about the services you offer, which was exactly what I needed, but more how you...treated me. You made me feel heard and understood. You treated me with compassion and empathy. And you empowered me to fight another day. In a broken system, which doesn't shine a bright light on the legal fraternity, you are most certainly the exception to the rule! Thank you.
Mine was an unusual case - I was married to someone who was already married. Maree was amazing. She went the extra mile to help me get all the information we needed, including from overseas. When I finally went to court, the judge said we’d done everything we had to and produced professional and amazing documents. I won the case. Maree was there for me at every step.
Maree is a logical, patient and extremely empathetic solicitor. She worked against the clock to prepare my documentation, presenting my complicated story in the best possible light. It is hard to be satisfied with any other family lawyer after you've worked with her.
Maree’s knowledge and advice for me were second to none. She knew exactly what was needed without me having to ask. Her approach to dealing with my legal problems were only matched with her empathy for my health condition. It was truly a pleasure working with her.
Dr Maree Livermore is an outstanding advocate for the vulnerable and disadvantaged. Highly recommended.
The Family Law Handbook
‘The Family Law Handbook’, written by our Founder & CEO Dr Maree Livermore, and now in its 5th edition, is a practical and yet detailed guide for people involved in or thinking about separation or divorce. Written in plain English, it explains the workings of the Australian system of family law and sets out the practical issues to be deal with by a separating couple.
‘The Family Law Handbook’ addresses all aspects of making workable parenting, property and financial arrangements for a successful post-separation life. It contains samples of parenting plan provisions, court orders, forms and affidavits that can be adapted for individual use.
The new edition features the introduction of same-sex marriage in Australia, more detailed guidance on the popular consent order process and new material for and about young people involved in family law disputes.
Buy now
Purchase the Fifth Edition of 'The Family Law Handbook', published in 2019, at the Thomson Reuters website.