Webinar Recording - Dealing with Divorce - An Accountant’s Perspective

As accountants and professional advisers, it is inevitable that at least some of your clients will find themselves before the Family Court going through divorce proceedings. Although this is largely the domain of the family lawyer, the accountant and professional adviser still play an important role in the process.

In this webinar, Dealing with Divorce – An Accountant's Perspective, family lawyers, William Sloan and Nicola Ashford from the family law practice, Kim Wilson and Co, outline how accountants and other professional advisers can save their clients money by guiding them through the complex process of divorce. From preparing the client for their first meeting with a family lawyer to assisting in the implementation of Family Court orders, the accountant and professional adviser play an important role beyond simply providing a statement of financials.

During this one hour webinar, William and Nicola will provide practical tips for accountants and professional advisers to follow in fulfilling their role in the divorce process, covering such topics as:

• Arming the client with the necessary information and documents ahead of the first meeting with the family lawyer;
• ensuring the client's "house is in order" with respect to things like SMSF compliance, loan accounts and trust distributions;
• managing conflict where you have previously acted for both parties;
• dealing with subpoenas and recovering costs associated with them;
• implementing business structure change in response to court orders; and
• the value of Financial Agreements as an alternative to lengthy litigation.

The Family Court has such broad powers to look though business structures and family arrangements that the accountant and professional adviser need to be aware of their role and responsibilities to best safeguard their client's position as well as their own.

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Presenters Nicola Ashford and William Sloan

Nicola Ashford, Lawyer, Kim Wilson & Co

Nicola has a solutions-based approach and aims to achieve efficient outcomes for clients. She has experience in all areas of Family Law, including financial and parenting matters and has developed a particular interest in complex financial matters involving varied asset structures.

Nicola focuses on a common sense approach in order to achieve the right result for clients as quickly as possible. However when litigation becomes necessary, Nicola has experience representing clients in the Family Court of Western Australia.

Nicola is an elected Committee Member of Women Lawyers of Western Australia working to promote gender equality in the profession and to promote the interests of women in the community in general. She is also working with the Law Society of Western Australia on various Committees including the Young Lawyers Committee.

William Sloan, Senior Associate, Kim Wilson & Co

William is a Nationally Accredited Specialist Family Lawyer, amongst the leading Family Lawyers in Australia. In December 2016 William was recognized by Doyle's Guide as one of the "Rising Stars" of Australian Family Law - one of only 2 from Western Australia to make the national list. He has over 15 years' experience in Family Law, with a particular focus in his practice on complex financial matters.

William is known for achieving a high rate of settlements without the need for litigation. Even where litigation has been commenced there are still many opportunities to see your case settled. If settlement cannot be achieved, William brings the skills to achieve the appropriate outcome in contested Court proceedings.

William is a member of various professional bodies including being a member of the Committee of the WA branch of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners, the Law Society of WA, the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia and the Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators.