Village Family Lawyers

Village Family Lawyers is a specialist family law practice with offices in Mount Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula and in Malvern. Founded in 2019 by Lauren Wilson, the firm works exclusively in family law — divorce and separation, parenting arrangements, property settlement, binding financial agreements, and support through mediation.

The firm’s approach is built on resolving matters outside court wherever it is safe and sensible to do so, so that clients keep control of the outcome rather than handing it to a judge.

Partner Bryn Stevens and Special Counsel Anna Bulner are both Accredited Family Law Specialists with the Law Institute of Victoria.

Types of clients that Village Family Lawyers provide expert advice to

Village Family Lawyers primarily serves individual clients and families, including:

• Individuals navigating separation, divorce, or co-parenting arrangements.
• High-net-worth individuals and business owners requiring complex financial negotiations (e.g., trusts, corporate structures, property portfolios).
• Parents seeking clear, child-centric arrangements that prioritise children’s well-being and stability.
• Couples seeking to resolve matters out of court, through negotiation, mediation or a binding financial agreement.
• Residents across Mount Eliza, Malvern, the Mornington Peninsula, Bayside, Melbourne’s inner-eastern suburbs, and across Victoria by video.

Recognition and Reputation

• Accredited Specialists: Partner Bryn Stevens and Special Counsel Anna Bulner are Accredited Family Law Specialists with the Law Institute of Victoria – a credential held by a small minority of Victorian family lawyers.
• Single focus: Family law is the firm’s only practice area. Village Family Lawyers does not practise in any other field.
• Founded locally: Established in 2019 by Mornington Peninsula local Lauren Wilson, with offices in Mount Eliza and Malvern.

Client Feedback

Village Family Lawyers maintains a strong Google rating of 5/5 (based on 46 user reviews), last checked on 24/08/2026.

• Calm & Grounded Guidance: Clients frequently comment on the reassuring, clear, and empathetic tone maintained during high-stress life moments.
• Communication & Transparency: High praise for non-legalese explanations, regular progress updates, and clear cost estimates.
• Compassionate Efficiency: Appreciated for resolving complex property and parenting matters efficiently without driving up unnecessary conflict or court expenses.

Family Law Focused

Family law is the sole focus of Village Family Lawyers. The firm adopts a holistic and empathetic view, recognising that legal separation involves significant emotional and practical transitions alongside legal considerations.

Their practice prioritises:

• Child-Centred Outcomes: Ensuring children’s stability, safety, and long-term emotional health are paramount in all parenting disputes.
• Asset Protection: Safeguarding individual and family wealth through thorough, legally sound financial strategies.
• Minimising Court Involvement: Emphasising structured negotiation and mediation so that clients maintain control over their choices rather than leaving outcomes to a judge.

Highly experienced across a range of Family Law issues

• Divorce & Separation — separation, divorce applications, and the formal end of a marriage or de facto relationship.
• Parenting Arrangements — parenting plans, consent orders, child support and relocation. Often searched as child custody.
• Property & Financial Settlements — asset division involving property, businesses, family trusts, self-managed super funds and superannuation splitting.
• Binding Financial Agreements & Consent Orders — agreements made before, during or after a relationship, and orders that make an agreement enforceable.
• Mediation Support — preparation, advice during the session, and formalising the outcome. Village Family Lawyers does not conduct mediation.
• De Facto & Same-Sex Relationships — the specific statutory position for de facto and same-sex couples.

Mediation Support

• Village Family Lawyers does not conduct mediation. The firm supports clients around it – preparing their position and negotiation strategy beforehand, advising them through the session, and formalising the agreement afterwards through consent orders.
• A mediator is neutral and cannot advise either party whether a proposed settlement is fair or reasonable. That is the gap Village Family Lawyers fills: advice on your side of the table, before, during and after.

Approach

Out of court wherever possible. Village Family Lawyers prioritises negotiation and settlement so clients keep control of the outcome. Court is available when it is needed, and the firm will use it when a matter requires it.

Empathy with strategy. Emotional awareness combined with rigorous legal and financial analysis – clients get both, not one at the expense of the other.

Direct access to experienced practitioners. Clients work with the lawyer handling their matter, not a case number.

Main Office Locations

Village Family Lawyers operates from two physical office locations, making services accessible across coastal, suburban, and metropolitan areas:

• Mount Eliza Office: 1/24A Ranelagh Dr, Mount Eliza VIC 3930
• Malvern Office: 49–51 Station Street, Malvern VIC 3144 

Other Useful Information

Consultations: Initial consultations and pre-mediation conferences are available in person at either office, or by video anywhere in Victoria. Fee arrangements are confirmed in writing before any work begins.

Representation area: Mount Eliza, the Mornington Peninsula, Bayside, Melbourne’s inner east, and across Victoria by video.

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