The Best Practice Guidelines for Lawyers Doing Family Law Work sets out to encourage the use of primary dispute resolution services and encourage collaboration with appropriate community-based service providers, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said.

“The guidelines represent a significant resource for family lawyers and will be an excellent source of information for anyone wanting to know more about family law,” Ruddock said.

In a collaborative effort, the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia and the Family Law Council gathered the “extensive knowledge and experience gained by senior practitioners” on how best to practise family law, Ruddock said.

“I commend the guidelines to the profession and encourage lawyers, as best practice, to carefully consider primary dispute resolution processes in resolving disputes,” he said.