Family law business valuation in Melbourne

Remotely, and in the same order as any other: a conflict check, a written scope and fixed fee, a document checklist, the analysis, a draft for factual review, then the final report. Melbourne and Sydney keep the same time all year, so the published phone hours, 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (Sydney time), are the same hours in Melbourne.

A business valuation does not depend on the valuer being in the same city as the business. It depends on the financial statements, tax returns, management accounts and ownership documents, and on understanding how the business earns its income and how far that depends on the owner. If the valuer needs to see premises, plant or stock to form a view, that is raised at the scope stage, before the fee is confirmed.

Family law property matters in Victoria are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, which sits in Melbourne. The Family Law Act 1975 is Commonwealth legislation, so the framework for a property settlement in Melbourne is the same one that applies in Sydney, and a valuer does not need to be based in Victoria to value a Victorian business.

For negotiation and mediation, the Settlement Valuation is the report. Where the value of the business is to go before the Court, the Family Law Expert Valuation is prepared for proceedings. Your lawyer will advise which your matter needs.

Not every valuation is tested at a hearing. Where a Family Law Expert Valuation is, and the expert is required for cross-examination, attendance is charged separately from the fixed fee: remote attendance is $650 + GST per hour, four-hour minimum, and attendance in person in Melbourne is $6,500 + GST per day, plus travel and accommodation at cost. Those rates are published on the fees page so the cost of a contested hearing is known before the report is commissioned.