Choosing a Family Lawyer is largely an act of faith. Almost every firm describes itself as experienced, and from the outside there is very little to separate one claim from another.
Specialist Accreditation is one of the few exceptions. It is a credential that has been assessed by somebody other than the firm making the claim, and it can be checked in a public register in about a minute. This article explains what it involves, what it honestly tells you, and what it does not.
Specialist Accreditation is a programme run by the Law Society of New South Wales. A solicitor who completes it is entitled to describe themselves as an Accredited Specialist in a defined area of law, which in this case is Family Law. Similar schemes run in some other states, though not in all of them. Victoria’s is administered by the Law Institute of Victoria, and Queensland and Western Australia run their own.
The title is controlled. A solicitor is only entitled to call themselves an Accredited Specialist if the Law Society has awarded it and they have kept it current, and it is area specific. An Accredited Specialist in commercial litigation is not an Accredited Specialist in Family Law.
A candidate must have been in full time practice for at least five years, and for each of the three years before applying, at least 25 per cent of their practice must have been in the area they are seeking accreditation in. Occasional exposure is not enough.
They then complete an assessment programme set and marked by a panel of assessors with expertise in that area. The mix varies by area of law, and generally includes a take home task such as a mock file or a written advice, a formal written examination, and a live assessment such as a simulated client interview or a mock hearing, which is time limited and recorded. What is being tested is practical capability rather than the highest technical knowledge of every corner of the field.
It is not a course you sit through and it is not a certificate you buy. Every assessment is marked pass or fail, a candidate has to pass all of them, and candidates do fail. That is precisely what makes the credential worth anything.
Accreditation is not permanent. Accredited Specialists have to renew every year, and each year they must complete 10 continuing professional development points in their area of accreditation. That is on top of the 10 CPD units every practising solicitor in New South Wales completes anyway, and the same activity cannot be counted towards both.
In Family Law that matters more than it might in a settled field. The law here has changed twice in recent years: the parenting provisions were substantially rewritten with effect from May 2024, and the property provisions changed again in June 2025. A lawyer who works across five areas of law will not have kept pace with either.
Three honest things, and no more than three.
What it does not tell you is just as important. It does not promise any outcome, and no lawyer can promise one. It says nothing about cost. And it is no substitute for whether you can talk to the person, which in Family Law is not a soft consideration. You may be dealing with this lawyer through the hardest year of your life.
The firm has three directors who are experienced Family Law solicitors with a combined 45 years of expertise, two of whom are Family Law Accredited Specialists.
Panel membership is worth a word of its own. To act on the Legal Aid NSW Family Law Panel a solicitor has to satisfy Legal Aid’s own experience requirements, which is a second, independent check on the same skills.
Ask directly, and ask which area. Then verify it. The Law Society of New South Wales publishes a public Register of Solicitors, and a solicitor’s profile shows whether they hold Specialist Accreditation and in which area. Looking a name up takes a minute.
It is a fair question to ask any firm and no reasonable lawyer will be offended by it. If the answer is that nobody in the firm holds accreditation in Family Law, that is not a reason to walk away on its own. It simply means you will have to judge experience some other way.
Everything above is general information about how the law works. It is not advice about your family, because no article can be. The details that decide an outcome usually only come out in a conversation.
If you are comparing firms, ask each of them who will actually do the work on your file, and what their experience in Family Law is. It is the most useful question most people never ask.
If you are ready to move forward or you simply want to understand where you stand, contact South Coast Family Law Group today (02) 4202 6644. Your privacy is paramount. All enquiries are confidential.
