Maintenance
Practical legal support when financial support is disputed, unpaid or needs to change.
Maintenance disputes are rarely just about money. They affect daily life, stability and the wellbeing of children and families. Whether you need to claim maintenance, enforce an existing order or deal with a dispute about what’s fair, Barnard’s Family Law team helps you understand your position and take the right steps.
What we help you do
Group 1: Claims and entitlement
- Child maintenance claims
- Spousal maintenance and interim maintenance
- Establishing the right amount based on need and affordability
- First-time claims and formalising informal arrangements
Group 2: Enforcement
- Enforcing existing maintenance orders
- Addressing arrears and non-payment
- Emoluments attachment orders and other enforcement mechanisms
- Dealing with maintenance defaulters practically and effectively
Group 3: Variation and disputes
- Varying maintenance orders when circumstances change
- Contested maintenance disputes and financial disclosure
- Maintenance linked to divorce proceedings
- Responding strategically to claims you believe are unfair
Maintenance is about need and affordability — not punishment
Maintenance disputes often become emotionally charged, with both sides convinced the other is being unreasonable.
The legal framework is more straightforward: maintenance is calculated on what is genuinely needed and what can reasonably be afforded — not on what feels fair in the heat of the moment.
Understanding that framework early tends to make the process calmer, faster and less expensive for everyone.
How we work (so you know what happens next)
Step 1: Understand your situation
We listen to what’s happening — whether you’re claiming, defending, enforcing or varying — and what outcome you need.
Step 2: Clarify the legal position
We explain what you’re entitled to or what you owe, what the process looks like, and what financial information will be relevant.
Step 3: Negotiate or apply — practically
Where agreement is possible, we work towards it. Where it isn’t, we take the right formal steps to protect your position.
Step 4: Make it enforceable
We make sure any agreement or order is properly documented and — where needed — that enforcement mechanisms are in place from the start.
You’ll know what you’re entitled to, what the process involves, and what to do if the other side doesn’t comply.
Related services
This often connects with...
Anti-Nuptial Contracts
Matrimonial property arrangements, accrual structuring and asset protection before marriage
Child Rights
Care, contact, parenting plans, guardianship and enforcement
Customary Marriages
Registration, rights, dissolution, children and property in customary marriages
Divorce
Uncontested and contested divorce, settlement, assets and children
Domestic Violence & Protection Orders
Emergency protection orders, domestic abuse, safe exit and children at risk
Family Mediation & Settlement
Mediation, settlement documentation, divorce settlement and co-parenting agreements
Maintenance
Claims, enforcement, variations and maintenance disputes
Matrimonial Property
Accrual structuring, matrimonial property and divorce consequences
Parenting Plans
Parenting plans, formalising arrangements, variation and enforcement
Maintenance resources
When maintenance becomes a problem, the right step taken early makes a real difference
