Resolving financial abuse issues: Two Roads Diverged (webinar recording)

Credit, Debt and Consumer Law, or Family Law, or both? Your questions answered!

Resolving financial abuse issues often involves finding creative strategies across different areas of law. In response to high levels of unmet need identified in its first 18 months of operation, RLC’s Financial Abuse Service NSW has expanded to offer advice about family law financial matters, such as property settlement, spousal maintenance and child support, in addition to advice about credit, debt and consumer issues.

The Financial Abuse Service NSW triages clients at intake and, depending on their needs, can offer appointments with specialists in family law or credit and debt law, or both at the same time. This collaborative model brings together experts across different areas of law to support people who have experienced financial abuse, providing holistic advice about pathways for resolving their legal problems and achieving financial empowerment and independence.

Victim-survivors of financial abuse, and the people supporting them, often have questions about how family law issues can interact with debt issues. For example:

• What can you do if your partner has withdrawn all the money from your joint account, or has cut off your access to accounts?
• What if your partner has stopped paying mortgage repayments, rent or school fees for your children?
• Can you recover money you loaned to your partner during the relationship? What’s the best way of doing this?
• What if you have a joint car loan with your partner, but your partner has taken the car and left you to cover the repayments?

In this webinar, our panel will answer these questions and more, and discuss the best pathways for resolving common legal issues encountered by victim-survivors of financial abuse.

Panellists:

• Maria Monastiriotis, Accredited Family Law Specialist, Financial Abuse Service NSW at Redfern Legal Centre
• Jasmine Opdam, Credit, Debt & Consumer Lawyer, Financial Abuse Service NSW at Redfern Legal Centre

This webinar will be of interest to all community workers and volunteers in services such as financial counselling, domestic violence, women's refuges and community legal centres. Some examples relate to NSW, but most of the webinar is applicable Australia-wide. Note: The webinar focuses on financial abuse in intimate partner relationships, not elder abuse.

Enquiries: Nick Manning education@rlc.org.au.

BOOKINGS CLOSED

Financial Abuse webinar series

RLC's previous webinars in the Financial Abuse series - watch the recordings here: https://rlc.org.au/training/resources/financial-abuse:

• July 2020: Identifying financial abuse in intimate partner relationships, and supporting victim survivors.
• September 2020: Resolving Financial Abuse Legal Issues

RLC's future webinars in the Financial Abuse series - details here soon:

• Resolving financial abuse issues: Telecommunications - 3 August 2021 - paid webinar & recording
• Resolving financial abuse issues: Financial control after separation - 15 September 2021 - paid webinar & recording

Enquiries: Nick Manning education@rlc.org.au.

Enquiries: Nick Manning education@rlc.org.au.