What our clients say

I am truly very thankful for your expert guidance and advice throughout this process. I have spoken to other women in my position who have not been as well guided. I credit my favourable outcome to your wisdom and plan of ‘attack’. I am very grateful.

Thank you for everything, I do feel so much better about the whole situation. At the end of our first meeting I felt like I was in good hands. The BFLC team made me feel so relaxed and happy because you took the time to ask how I was going and it felt so warm and sincere. Everyone else who knows I am going through all of this avoids asking me 'how are you?' like the plague. Cant wait to hear from you so I know it's one step closer again.

How do I sum up this lady/ family lawyer and what she stands for in a few words.... simple, I can't. Clarissa is the most caring, compassionate, honest, reliable and practical person that you could ever ask for to support you through this some what treacherous time.

She will teach/help you not to sweat the the little things, which at the time dont seem so little! She will support you through the darkest of times times when you think things can get no worse or hurt any more and help to ensure that you remain true to yourself and see that there is light. Clarissa puts your family first and helps you to understand that all of this angst that you feel is simply part of the steps to get to the other end, helping you to ensure that you and your family are kept in tact.

Don't be fooled though, she has a fierce streak and will fight for you when it is needed. Her main priority though is you!! She will look at every avenue to settle your matter without having the added stress of court and help you settle your matter as mature rational people. However should the need arise to attend court she will support and guide you every step of the way. Clarissa only surrounds herself with like minded professionals, so any other person that she recommends be part of the team rest assured you will be in caring and capable hands.

Clarissa is not like any other solicitor or lawyer you have ever encountered. She is true and real. Clarissa has supported me through my darkest moments and I can honestly say that there is no other person that I would want or ask for to be in my corner. I have not one ounce of hesitation in recommending Clarissa.

I will forever be indebted to Clarissa Rayward and the Brisbane Family Law Centre team for securing the legal safety, distentanglement, and divorce from a person who committed a heinous crime against me and my two children.

I first met Clarissa in late October 2014. Clarissa listened to my visceral story of horrific domestic violence with compassion and a beautifully sensitive and perfectly practical response to pave a way forward. From that moment Clarissa protected me and my children through the securing of sole parental responsibility for my two children, the property orders, and finally the divorce in early October 2016.

I can appreciate that my circumstances are rare, but it is evident to me that the collaborative family law approach of Clarissa and the BFLC works in all divorce situations.

Clarissa is truly phenomenal in her expertise to negotiate with empathy while achieving the best possible outcomes.

The most accurate way I could describe Clarissa is a guardian angel for the modern world.

I was recommended to Clarissa by a friend who had recently completed her divorce under similar circumstances to mine; long term partner left suddenly for a new girlfriend, leaving a wake of financial and emotional mopping up for her and her children.

It can be hard, under such circumstances, to see which direction to sail your ship. You are desperately trying to keep it afloat as you are bailing out and patching leaks.

I arrived in Clarissa's office sleep deprived and distraught. She was able to provide compassion and understanding, but also a calm clear process to work through the mess in front of me. I felt listened to, supported and cared for at a time when I needed it most. My questions were always discussed with openness, accounts clearly explained, concerns addressed.

Throughout, Clarissa was able to support me in navigating a sensible financial separation without becoming mired in unnecessary acrimonious (and costly) arguments.

Thank you for your patience and help. I am ok. I’ve been through far worse in my life. I'm hoping this will be the beginning of happier times.

I have worked through my divorce with Clarissa Rayward as my lawyer over the past 18 months. During this protracted and often frustrating process Clarissa has provided appropriate advice and tactics to move proceedings as fast as possible under the circumstances. A particular asset is her ability to call on support from financial analysts with particular strengths in the family law area so that the financial settlement is addressed in a way mutually beneficial to both parties, with consideration to the requirements of the law. She looks beyond the useless percentages so many lawyers are fixed on. My outcome could have been vastly worse for me and my ex-partner.

I have just finished reading your fantastic book Splitsville and found it full of useful and logical information. I wish I had discovered it earlier on in my separation! I will no doubt be referring back to it as we continue through the process. I ordered the book for my former partner hoping it will help put us both on the same page and lead us to an amicable resolve. Thank you for your sound advice at this difficult time.

I’m reading Splitsville again and it’s awesome. This will be a book that people will read over and over as they go through the process. It has a nice message through out about being gracious and understanding to get the best outcome and I can see this working now. It also helps when you go back over things to remember that and keep it top of mind when you’re dealing with your ex or even speaking about it to friends or people involved like real estate agents. Thank you for this resource. Honestly I don’t know where I’d be without it and your guidance. While there have been trying times I never wanted my separation to be hurtful in any way and I feel I’ve done my best given my lack of experience in such a circumstance! I’m proud of that.

I don't think I ever really thanked you enough for what you did for me (and Lisa and our family).  I actually watched 'Marriage Story' today.  Don't know why I did it, but wow - how much more painful things could have been!

It's been 4 years since everything changed, but for quite some time now, life has been good.  We are still a family and Lisa and I can still have a laugh and talk about the good things we shared together.  The kids are growing up and I'm confident that they are happy and healthy with the way family life is.

 I hope you are well and are carving out time for yourself and your family amongst all the energy and wisdom you put into your business and share with people like me. 

We feel very fortunate to have met with Clarissa. Initially we met with another firm and were told we probably had no legal leg to stand on. However, after consultation with Clarissa and explaining the legal path we wanted to travel, she found a way for us to continue. We have found her to be extremely professional and yet approachable and easy to communicate with. The court process can be frightening, but after talking it through with Clarissa you can feel relieved and get on with the important stuff. After two years working with her, we reached our ultimate goal and are very happy we took that second opinion.

I met Clarissa Rayward after separating from my former husband. I felt comfortable with her immediately and was reassured by her friendly, down-to-earth and compassionate manner. Clarissa guided me through a traumatic experience using considered and strategic advice, which I believe had been carefully tailored to suit my personality and my situation, and I would have no hesitation in recommending her services to anyone seeking a professional, highly qualified and understanding family lawyer.

Clarissa was personally recommended to me by two completely unrelated people…..What I found most helpful was her honesty…..I didn’t want waffle or “buttering up”. I needed to know my best options and a course of action that would negotiate a speedy and equitable solution. I also liked the fact that clarissa was pro-mediation. Needless paperwork was kept to a minimum – correspondence was concise so I didn’t feel I was paying for useless rhetoric.

I thank you for the assistance you gave me, it was so helpful to have your knowledge and calm preserve at a challenging time for me. Everyone in the office, friendly and pleasant.

Thankyou so much for all of your help with my property settlement. Your relaxed manner made the whole experience bearable and non-threatening yet you were very strong and determined when you needed to be. I was very happy both with your conduct of my file, and with the result.

I couldn’t have asked for a better legal team and I know that you will always be there to support me 100% every time. Thanks again to your entire team for your professional and caring attitude.

It was indeed a fortuitous referral that my friend made when she suggested BFLC. You’ve restored my faith in the justice system… I just wanted to say thanks to the team for helping me to put an end to this…

I want to convey my thanks and appreciation for the work effort put in by the staff at BFLC

Thank you for all your help and support… it was much appreciated.

It’s been a really difficult phase of my life and although I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing you guys much, whenever I have, you have been so full of kindness and compassion.

Thank you for everything. I have loved working with you. I got great confidence from you… it’s nice to get to the other side still in one piece and look back and know that no relationships were damaged and probably not even bruised. That’s what I loved about you and the firm – it’s not just the dollar value of the property pool – you put such a high value on emotional wellbeing and being able to navigate the best way possible through the process and getting out the other side with everyone in good shape.

Where do I begin ? Thank you so much for my property settlement. You were certainly my strength when I didn’t have any. You are successful because of the passion you have, your ability to make those like myself believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel – for all this and more I thank you.

Thank you very much to BFLC for all your guidance and assistance through this process. I really appreciated your straight-forward advice. I sincerely hope we don’t have to meet again, but if ever I need advice again in the future, BFLC will be the first place I call.

At the conclusion of the first meeting my decision to appoint BFLC was an easy one. If the collaborative process fits with how you want to achieve a settlement outcome, I would have no hesitation in recommending Clarissa and BFLC.

Definitely read Splitsville sooner rather than later! I wish I had started this book the day after the breakup – it would have saved me from engaging in a few not-so-helpful text messages (you know the ones). Knowledge is power, and for those solo mums who are feeling threatened by their former spouses over legal issues, I think this book would significantly empower them.

To say Clarissa is an amazing “lawyering woman” is simply an understatement. Her passion, determination, expertise, compassion & humour steered us to the finish line in a very protracted & complicated matter with a result I deserve and am satisfied with. Her vision, generosity of spirit & enthusiasm for me as a client & her role in my matter was inspiring & reassuring during the most difficult and darkest time in my life to date. I am eternally grateful she took on my case at a time when I had lost faith in the collaborative process after two false starts with other Lawyers who weren’t the right fit.

Collaboration is definitely not “taking the easy way out” as evidenced by the many complicating factors that led us to the point of no return in our long marriage. It is the best option for the right people; those who really do want to attempt to divorce with their dignity intact, maintain their values and integrity and can manage to communicate despite the obvious difficulties a marriage breakdown brings to your life. At times, the sadness and tragedy of the broken relationship was lost in the money talk which practically speaking, in the end is what the negotiations focused on.

Lawyers are like a new pair of shoes. You need to try them on & see if the style is truly yours & the fit is comfortable and works for you. If not, you are entitled to change your mind. Clarissa Rayward was a perfect fit for me as a person & my case. It was still a roller coaster ride I would much rather not have boarded, but it was my unavoidable destiny. A new chapter now begins…..

“There are far better things ahead than what we leave behind” C. S. Lewis