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Vanessa Ash and Associates Lawyers
Letting the legal system dictate how your story ends is a recipe for disaster. You need someone guiding your case through the system, with nothing but your best interests at heart.Â
Get a great lawyer who knows the system, the people who work in it, and will delve into every angle of your story. Make the most of decades of practical law experience and a passion for winning.
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Get in touch so we can help you
Laws regarding publication of intervention orders in Victoria
There are specific rules governing the publication of details surrounding intervention orders and family safety notices.
You might also need:
- I am protected by a Victorian intervention order – what next?
- Interim and final intervention orders – Victoria
- When intervention orders begin and end – Victoria
- Personal safety intervention orders in Victoria
- Information on family violence intervention orders in Victoria
- How the police deal with family violence and intervention orders in Victoria
- Victorian intervention orders – warrants, summons, being served, court
The mental impairment defence in Victoria
Mental impairment and unfitness to be tried are special circumstances in law, however these defences are rarely used due to being extremely restrictive.
You might also need:
- The defensive homicide defence in Victoria
- Winning impossible cases in Victoria
- The ins and outs of legal defence in Victoria
- The right to be presumed innocent in Victoria
- Mental Illness and Impairment Defences in Victoria
- Your rights when it comes to your mental health in Victoria
- Your rights under compulsory mental health treatment orders in Victoria
Coalition wants sex offenders registry with photos in Victoria
If the coalition wins this upcoming state election, it’s possible that a sex offender registry may be set up that includes photographs of offenders.
You might also need:
- The threat to kill – what it means legally in Victoria
- Carjacking and home invasion laws – new offences created (May 2016) – Victoria
- Sexting laws in Victoria
- What the law states regarding sexual offences in Victoria
- Your rights in police photos and line-ups in Victoria
- Sex Offences – Consent Defence – Victoria
- Sex and the law – age of consent, pregnancy, abortion in Victoria
Bail Applications in Victoria
Understand bail, your obligations and legislation, and how to apply.
You might also need:
- Understanding remand in Victoria
- Carjacking and home invasion laws – new offences created (May 2016) – Victoria
- What to do if you are charged and refused bail in Victoria
- Applications to access the proceeds of crime in Victoria
- Victorian youth bail amendment act comes into force on 2 May 2016
- Drink driving penalties – Victoria
- The drink driving law change that the government forgot to tell Victoria Police
New drink and drug driving offences set out in Victoria
There is a new drink and drug driving law on the block. Find out what it means and why it is here to stay.
You might also need:
When a step-parent dies, but hasn’t changed their will – Victoria
What happens when a step-parent dies, but their will excludes you? Find out.
You might also need:
- My step-parent died without a will – what next? – Victoria
- Surrogacy, IVF, step-children, adoption: who are legally my parents? – Victoria
- Mirror wills and mutual wills – when a parent dies, then the other parent changes their will in Victoria
- Your rights as a child in Australian inheritance laws
- De facto separations in Victoria
- Carer or parent discrimination in Victoria
- LGBTQ? Be perfectly clear with your loved ones in Victoria
Insurance company disputes – your rights – Victoria
Learn the process of getting what you believe you are entitled to from your insurer.
You might also need:
- Motor Vehicle Accidents and Insurance Company Disputes
- Been in an accident and insurance won’t pay? – Victoria
- Superannuation and your default insurance cover in Victoria
- How to avoid inheritance disputes in Victoria
- Managing disputes between an executor and beneficiary of a will in Victoria
- Getting through a police interview and your rights in Victoria
- Your rights when dealing with the police – Victoria
Getting married in Australia – legal requirements
There are specific laws surrounding marriage in Australia.
You might also need:
- How to change a child’s name legally in Queensland
- Annulling a marriage in Victoria
- How to change a child’s name legally in Victoria
- The ins and outs of legal defence in Victoria
- The legal age a child can inherit in Victoria
- How to change a child’s name legally in South Australia
- How to change a child’s name legally in Western Australia
The Honest and Reasonable Mistake Defence in Victoria
The crucial elements here are honest and reasonable, but reasonable is harder to prove than honest.
You might also need:
- The right to be presumed innocent in Victoria
- The ins and outs of legal defence in Victoria
- The mental impairment defence in Victoria
- ‘Beyond reasonable doubt’ and what that means in Victoria
- The defence of self defence in Victoria
- The Duress Defence in Victoria
- The Impossibility Defence in Victoria
Sex Offences – Consent Defence – Victoria
Consent can be a tricky topic, and the law has certain definitions so everyone is on the same page.
You might also need:
- Changes to rape law in Victoria as of 1 July 2015
- What the law states regarding sexual offences in Victoria
- Sexual offences in Victoria
- The ins and outs of legal defence in Victoria
- Sex and the law – age of consent, pregnancy, abortion in Victoria
- Understanding consent orders and parenting plans – Victoria
- The defence of self defence in Victoria
Summary Offences in Victoria
Summary offences are different to indictable offences, and while less serious overall, can still cause massive problems.
You might also need:
- An Overview of Victorian and Australian Courts
- Assault and threaten to assault with the intent to commit an indictable offence – Victoria
- Getting through court for traffic offences in Victoria
- Public Disorder Offences in Victoria
- What is a general power of attorney in Victoria?
- Drug offences in Victoria
- Indictable Offences in Victoria
How to change a child’s name legally in South Australia
How to change a child’s name in South Australia.
You might also need:
- How to change a child’s name legally in Western Australia
- Surrogacy, IVF, step-children, adoption: who are legally my parents? – Victoria
- Your rights as a child in Australian inheritance laws
- How to change a child’s name legally in Victoria
- How to change a child’s name legally in Queensland
- Understanding consent orders and parenting plans – Victoria
- Intervention order breaches in Victoria – change is afoot
Is it legal to ride a motorised esky on the footpath or road in Victoria?
Your motorised esky is considered to be a motor vehicle for all intents and purposes, thus you must register it and have a licence to be able to ride it on the road.
You might also need:
- Can I ride a motorised scooter on the footpath in Victoria?
- The law regarding driving and mobile phone use in Victoria
- Can I use a mobile phone on a bicycle in Victoria?
- Riding your bike drunk – what does the law actually say? – Victoria
- New drink and drug driving offences set out in Victoria
- Sending school bullies a legal message in Victoria
- What are the laws regarding motorised bikes in Victoria?
Court considerations for parenting orders in Victoria
The court has a set of considerations when reviewing parenting orders.
You might also need:
- How your child’s age impacts custody and care arrangement outcomes in Victoria
- Information on family violence intervention orders in Victoria
- When intervention orders begin and end – Victoria
- How the police deal with family violence and intervention orders in Victoria
- Interim and final intervention orders – Victoria
- Understanding consent orders and parenting plans – Victoria
- Victorian intervention orders – warrants, summons, being served, court
‘Failure to disclose’ child sexual abuse offence introduced 2014 – Victoria
There are strict laws requiring any adult who knows of or believes child sexual abuse to be occurring to report it to police.
You might also need:
- What the law states regarding sexual offences in Victoria
- Sexual, physical and psychological child abuse – legal time limits lifted in Victoria 2015
- Sexual Assault Offences in Victoria
- The threat to kill – what it means legally in Victoria
- Information on family violence intervention orders in Victoria
- Child abuse offences in Victoria
- Changes to Victoria’s drink driving laws (from 2014)
What is a general power of attorney in Victoria?
We explain the concept of the powers of attorney and what it means for you.
You might also need:
- General power of attorney vs an enduring power of attorney vs enduring power of guardianship in Victoria
- An explanation of Australian wills and estate planning
- What are advance care directives (a living will) in Victoria?
- What is enduring power of attorney in Victoria?
- Binding Death Beneficiary Nominations (BDBNs) explained
- Why you need to plan for your death in Victoria
- What is enduring power of guardianship in Victoria?
Indictable Offences in Victoria
Learn what constitutes an indictable offence, and how it works.
You might also need:
- Assault and threaten to assault with the intent to commit an indictable offence – Victoria
- Unlicensed Firearm Offences in Victoria
- False reports to police offences in Victoria
- Destruction of evidence offences in Victoria
- Carjacking and home invasion laws – new offences created (May 2016) – Victoria
- Drug offences in Victoria
- Sexual offences in Victoria
Gun laws expanded in Australia from 1 Dec 2015
Two new gun laws have been introduced in Australia, and apply to all Victorians.
You might also need:
The Victorian Demerit Points Scheme
The demerit point scheme is run by VicRoads, and there are some narrow avenues for appeal and removal of points.
You might also need:
- Changes to the Victorian demerit point scheme from 1 July 2015
- Victorian will and inheritance law – who gets what?
- I am protected by a Victorian intervention order – what next?
- Online abuse and bullying – Victorian law
- Victorian youth bail amendment act comes into force on 2 May 2016
- Assisted dying laws due in Victorian parliament in 2017
- Bicycle accidents – car dooring and potholes – Victorian law
What to do if you receive a court summons in Victoria
Court summons means a piece of paper is hand-delivered requesting your appearance in court.
You might also need:
- Victorian intervention orders – warrants, summons, being served, court
- Should lawyers receive ‘success’ fees in Victoria?
- Getting through court for traffic offences in Victoria
- Do we still need jurors? The court of public opinion and social media in Victoria
- What to expect in an intervention court hearing in Victoria
- How inheritance in a property settlement is treated in Family Court in Victoria
- Getting left out: challenging a will in court in Victoria
Understanding probate in Victoria
Probate is the agreement by the courts that whatever a will says goes.
You might also need:
- How to appoint your next-of-kin in Victoria
- Managing disputes between an executor and beneficiary of a will in Victoria
- What or who is the executor of a will? – Victoria
- Making a family provision claim on a deceased estate in Victoria
- Who is my next of kin, and what does that mean? – Victoria
- Next-of-kin in Victoria
- Wills, Probate and Estate Planning Law
Contesting or challenging a will – Victoria
We review contesting a will.
You might also need:
- My partner died but I am not in the will – what do I do? – Victoria
- Making a family provision claim on a deceased estate in Victoria
- Who is my senior next of kin? – Victoria
- Getting left out: challenging a will in court in Victoria
- Surrogacy, IVF, step-children, adoption: who are legally my parents? – Victoria
- When a step-parent dies, but hasn’t changed their will – Victoria
- My step-parent died without a will – what next? – Victoria
BDBN vs Reversionary Pensions in Victoria
Find out which one is the most powerful, and make the right choice for your family.
Understanding alcohol interlocks in Victoria
A detailed overview of interlock orders, and how to get the interlock removed.
You might also need:
- How to get your driver’s licence back – Victoria
- Changes to Victoria’s drink driving laws (from 2014)
- Drink driving offences in Victoria
- New drink and drug driving offences set out in Victoria
- Drink driving penalties – Victoria
- Common questions regarding defending drink driving charges
- Understanding remand in Victoria
How to get your driver’s licence back – Victoria
Lost your licence? Find out how to get it back.
You might also need:
- Understanding alcohol interlocks in Victoria
- Changes to Victoria’s drink driving laws (from 2014)
- Drink driving penalties – Victoria
- New drink and drug driving offences set out in Victoria
- The Great Victoria Police Drink Driving Bungle of 2015
- Drink driving offences in Victoria
- Drug driving by professional drivers