Insights
Writing on family violence and coercive control, property settlements, parenting arrangements and surrogacy, alongside published work, media coverage and commentary elsewhere.
THOUGHTSMonica writes about family law as it actually works, what’s changed, what hasn't, and what it means for the person in the middle of it.
Practitioner Insights: Translating Family Violence into Family Law Strategy
Family violence often surfaces first with a GP, psychologist or accountant. How coercive control and financial abuse shape family law strategy, and how an early, well-documented referral helps.
Before You Say You're Leaving: Preparing to Separate Safely
How you tell your partner you are leaving can affect your safety, your finances and your children. What to organise first: records, access to funds and safe ways to communicate.
Identifying Risk Is Only the Beginning: Lessons from the UK’s Family Courts
At the National Family Law Conference, Sir Andrew McFarlane described how England and Wales are changing family courts for parenting disputes. What Australia could learn.
When Money Becomes a Means of Control
Money can restrict independence as effectively as threats. What economic abuse looks like, how it can affect a property settlement, and why it isn't an automatic adjustment.
When You Stop Trusting Yourself: Understanding Perspecticide and Coercive Control
If you've started to doubt your own memory and judgement, there may be a name for it. What perspecticide is, why it's hard to recognise, and how to start rebuilding the picture.
Seeing the Pattern: Coercive Control in Family Law
Family violence is rarely one dramatic incident. Why family law looks at the pattern of behaviour over time, and how that pattern is evidenced.
Recent updates on family violence and coercive control.
The Full Court's decision in Pickford & Pickford changed how family courts assess coercive control. What the court said, and what it means in practice.
IN THE MEDIAWhere Monica has been asked to comment on family law by journalists and legal publications.
