Adelaide – Family Law & Legal Advice
Empathetic
Pragmatic
Collaborative
Phoenix Family Law are dedicated Adelaide Family Lawyers who prioritise their clients’ needs and getting the best possible results for them.
With a passion for supporting families during their most challenging time, Phoenix Family Law works with clients to ensure they get top quality family legal advice and representation with fees and fee payment options that are designed around every individual’s situation.
Phoenix Family Law was started with a clear objective – to provide dedicated and accessible family law representation for all people in Adelaide and surrounding areas. Separation, and everything that comes with it, requires honesty, frankness, and empathy, and it is important to have a lawyer in your corner.
Kirsten, through her experience, is very aware of the preconceptions or disillusions many have with the family law system. She has heard it all – that it is biased, does not properly support the safety or wellbeing of children and is simply not fair. Kirsten is also aware that private legal fees sometimes remain out of reach for many who do not qualify for Legal Aid or Community Legal Centre programs.
It is with this knowledge and understanding that Phoenix Family Law was borne – to ensure that empathetic and effective family legal support is available to everyone who needs it, with complete transparency when it comes to helping client understand their legal issues, options and the costs involved.
The Phoenix Family Law approach is collaborative. While having affordable family lawyers on your side is important, it is also vital that everyone understands this is a team effort. Following reasonable directions and demonstrating the desire to sensibly resolve family law matters is a critical step on the journey to achieving a favourable result for everyone.
We ask our clients to trust that we will act with determination to promote outcomes that are legally appropriate and, more importantly, empowering, and supportive of people’s emotional, financial, and physical interests moving forward.
If you are ready, and want to achieve a sensible separation or need help reaching realistic and positive family law solutions contact Phoenix Family Law. An initial, no obligation chat will help you decide whether Kirsten and the Phoenix Family Law approach can help you through this time.
Shannen Heartz
“And just as the Phoenix rose from the ashes, she too will rise. Returning from the flames, clothed in nothing but her strength, more beautiful than ever before.”
Kirsten Poetsch
Phoenix Family Law – Adelaide
Inspired by the true meaning of the Phoenix – a symbol of peace, especially after a period of calamity, Kirsten created a family law practice that not only cares and understands the trauma of a separation but can help families move through the separation journey with integrity and dignity.
Kirsten’s breadth of experience has seen her work closely with some of society’s most vulnerable people in Adelaide, as well as those with more means. Her career began in two small but very busy private city firms, before moving on to the largest community legal centre in South Australia servicing both suburban and regional communities. In April 2020, Kirsten was promoted to Principal Solicitor of that community legal centre.
Kirsten values both family and community, and takes a holistic approach with clients, knowing that there is nothing more important than being properly supported to be able to safely get through the ups and downs of separation and family law disputes. As an advocate, Kirsten handles everything with tenacity, sensitivity, and honesty and she is focused on being a representative who empowers people to emerge healthier and more positive on the other side.
Prior to entering the legal industry, Kirsten spent time traveling with the showgrounds and working in hospitality. This, together with her experiences as a young single mother for a time, inspired Kirsten to focus on family law in her studies. Long term, her intention was to always practice with integrity, supporting the less advantaged in accessing reputable legal assistance. Kirsten complimented her law degree with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Women’s Studies and Australian Studies.
Outside of her law life, Kirsten loves family time with her partner, three kids, and extended family. She relies on the outdoors to keep her grounded – swimming, fishing, and camping – and is actively involved with the Somerton Surf Life Saving Club as a patrolling member.
Legal Services
Affordable & Supportive
Kirsten’s passion for family law has always been central to her work, whether in private practice or the community legal centre. Through a mixture of advice and representation services as well as community legal education programs, she concentrated primarily on all things family law – divorce, property settlements and financial agreements, superannuation issues, child support, spousal maintenance, parenting arrangements and family violence intervention orders. Helping families navigate this challenging and life-altering road is Kirsten’s focus. Her objective to help people “rise from the ashes” with dignity and peace is what drives her every day.
Above all, she is committed to working in the best interests of her clients. This may involve litigating, if necessary, but it is always preferable to resolve family law disputes with genuinely collaborative and respectful approaches.
Legal Services
Approachable and kind, yet also firm and practical, Kirsten is passionate about providing affordable and practical legal representation to people navigating a breakdown in family relationships in the Greater Adelaide area. In line with our core values, Phoenix Family Law aims to make family law solutions accessible to everyone and will always be upfront about the various financial options and hurdles you will need to consider as you proceed.
We are very conscious that sometimes people feel they cannot afford legal representation and so, subject to certain terms and conditions, we invite you to discuss your individual financial position during our initial consult. Discounted and/or deferred fees or payment plans are all a part of our dedication to supporting clients to achieve resolutions that prioritise emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing – for themselves and their loved ones. These options are applied to both our fixed fee services and our hourly rate.
Phoenix Family Law offers fixed fees for all services that do not involve lengthy negotiations or court proceedings. Such services may be Application for Consent Orders or Wills. We currently charge a base hourly rate of $400 plus GST for matters that are not subject to a fixed fee and will always provide fee estimates at the start and then throughout as your matter progresses.
We are committed to ensuring our fee options are flexible and tailored to the individual as this is one way we can help relieve the stress and anxiety that often comes with family law disputes.
Legal Aid:
Phoenix Family Law does accept some grants of Legal Aid and we invite you to contact us to discuss this option before nominating our firm on your Application.
Child Support
Parents have ongoing legal obligations to financially support children of the relationship following separation and the level of support required is usually determined with reference to the formula set out by the Child Support legislation.
Family Dispute Resolution (Mediation)
Family Dispute Resolution (mediation for short) is a non-legal facilitated conversation between separated parties trying to reach agreement about the kids, finances, or both.
Family Violence
The term Family Violence is used to detail abusive behaviours including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and financial abuse or coercively controlling behaviour.
Spousal Maintenance
Sometimes the breakdown of a relationship can leave one party concerned and struggling to financially support themselves moving forward.
Property Settlement
Financial security is understandably a big concern for many people contemplating or going through separation.
Kids’ Care Arrangements
When it comes to kids’ care arrangements, the law is pretty clear: the kids have the rights, parents have the responsibilities.
Divorce
Divorce is the legal dissolution of your marriage. Our service covers issues including time limits, short marriages, children under age 18, separation under the same roof, or difficulties around locating your ex-partner to notify them of your intention to divorce.
Previous Clients
““ Kirsten, I can’t thank you enough for your professionalism, clarity, support & kindness during a very difficult & stressful time for me. Things are “sorted out” & I am now on a different path in my life but slowly moving forward. Best wishes to you.”
“Kirsten, thank you so much for helping Oliver and me… Your time, effort & kindness will always be remembered & greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping us through this very difficult time & especially in achieving this outcome for Oliver. I will forever be grateful”
“Thank you, Kirsten. I appreciate all of the advice you have given me throughout my recent court appearances. Thank you so much for your time.”
“Thank you very much for both your diligence and patience in your delaings with my Settlement Agreement and the advice you have provided me with. I would be delighted to recommend you as I haved found you lovely to deal with in every way. Your sensitivity when we had our initial consultation, your warmth, your straightforwardness, and your toughness without being adversarial, made my progress through this difficult time much easier to cope with and I truly am very grateful.”
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Let Us Help
Contact Phoenix Family Law for your FREE 30 minute phone consultation – either via our number below or via our online form here
Appointments will be via telephone, Microsoft Teams or in-person appointments.
In-person – by appointment only at Suite 7, 1-5 Sussex Street, Glenelg SA 5045
Opening Hours: 9:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday. After-hours/weekend by appointment.
PH: (08) 8151 2333 or 0493 609 314