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Firm News
H & H Lawyers is delighted to announce the promotion of Reiko Reynolds from Senior Associate to Special Counsel, effective immediately. After more than a decade of exceptional service to our firm and clients, Reiko's promotion represents a natural progression in recognition of her outstanding legal expertise, unwavering dedication, and significant contributions to our practice. Since joining H & H Lawyers, Reiko has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of legal excellence, particularly in her specialisation areas of real estate and private client matters. Her expertise in real estate transactions, particularly in navigating the complexities of new property acquisitions, developments and sales, has made her a trusted advisor for both residential and commercial property clients. Her bilingual capabilities in English and Japanese have made her an invaluable resource for our diverse client base, particularly within the Japanese investors. What truly sets Reiko apart is her exceptional attention to detail – a quality that has become her hallmark across all areas of practice. Whether scrutinising property contracts or analysing complex family law settlements, Reiko's meticulous approach ensures nothing is overlooked. Her published insights on real estate law, including her detailed analysis of developer obligations and building defect schemes, as well as her comprehensive work on family law property settlements, demonstrate both her technical expertise and her commitment to precision that clients have come to rely upon. "Reiko embodies everything we value at H & H Lawyers – exceptional legal skill, cultural sensitivity, and genuine care for our clients," said Yukio Hayashi, Founding Partner. "Her meticulous attention to detail has saved countless clients from potential pitfalls in complex real estate transactions and family law matters. Whether she's reviewing a multi-million dollar property contract or analysing intricate family asset structures, Reiko's precision and thoroughness are unmatched. Her promotion to Special Counsel is well-deserved recognition of her decade-plus commitment to excellence and her integral role in our firm's success. We are proud to have her continue leading our real estate and family law practices and look forward to her continued contributions in this new capacity." In her new role as Special Counsel, Reiko will continue to lead complex real estate transactions and family law matters while taking on expanded responsibilities in practice development and client relationship management. Her promotion reflects not only her individual achievements but also H & H Lawyers' commitment to recognising and nurturing exceptional legal talent. Please join us in congratulating Reiko on this well-deserved promotion. We look forward to her continued success and the valuable contributions she will make in her new role.
27 Aug 2025
Private Clients
In Australia, domestic violence is a serious issue that affects both women and men, with one woman every 9 days and one man every month losing their lives to domestic violence. This issue is particularly prevalent among migrant communities, with victims of domestic violence being more common among migrants and those on temporary partner visas. This may be due to a range of factors, including concerns about their visa status, language barriers, lack of knowledge about government support, limited family networks, lack of alternative accommodation, or financial constraints that prevent them from leaving their abusive partners. Domestic violence includes not only physical violence but also psychological and financial abuse. If you are experiencing domestic violence, it's important to know that there are national and state helplines (service providers) that you can contact to seek assistance. These helplines can connect you with support services that can provide information, assistance, and referrals to local services that can help with safety planning, emergency accommodation, legal assistance, and counseling. Contact details can be viewed via below link. Support Services:respect.gov.au If you cannot speak English, you can request an interpreter to help you communicate with service providers. Some service providers can help you find short-term or medium-term accommodation to escape the violence, including accommodation where you can stay with your children. Qualified professionals such as social workers and counselors can advise you on available services that can meet your specific needs, and they will not force you to take any action against your will. By gathering information about available services, you can be empowered to act when you need to. Remember, domestic violence can happen to anyone, and seeking help is an important step towards ensuring your safety and well-being.
04 May 2023
Firm News
Reiko Reynolds was welcomed as a new member of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gold Coast Inc. at their New Year's party on January 20th, held at Lakelands Golf Club. During the event, she had the opportunity to introduce H & H Lawyers in a speech and meet Japanese business owners, professionals, and Consulate-General of Japan representatives based in Gold Coast, including Consul-General Mr. Masuo Ono, Deputy Consul-General Ms. Chieko Masuda, and Consul Ms. Harumi Narita.
06 Feb 2023
Firm News
H & H Lawyers is delighted to announce the following promotions. Congratulations to Tin-Lok Shea, Reiko Reynolds and Jeanie Lee.
01 Jul 2021
Private Clients
Can an ex-spouse claim against an inheritance received by the other spouse after separation? Naturally, you may think that an inheritance received after separation should be excluded from the rest of the parties’ pooled assets. However, the Court has to consider all of the parties’ assets which were acquired before the commencement of the relationship, during the relationship and after separation as well as the parties’ contributions (both financial and non-financial). Having considered all of the assets and the contributions, the Court has the discretion to do one of the following: Treat certain assets received after separation differently in the above determination; or Include assets acquired after separation in the asset pool for division between the parties. These issues were recently considered by the High Court and the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia. Singerson & Joans [2015] The Husband inherited about $3,000,000.00 shortly after separation. The wife made significantly more financial and non-financial contributions as a homemaker, child-carer and breadwinner. The Family Court noted that not only the 4 years of contributions between separation and trial but also across the entire 15-year relationship should be considered. It also acknowledged the initial contributions made by the husband and his post-separation inheritance. The Court determined that the wife is entitled to 47.5% of all the property including the inheritance. The High Court declined to provide guidelines for Family Law Courts in respect of post-separation “windfalls” and supported that family court judges’ discretion be exercised in every individual set of circumstances. Holland & Holland [2017] This case involved a 17-year marriage with two teenage children. The parties separated in 2007 and were divorced in 2012. Three and a half years after separation, the husband received an inheritance from his deceased brother worth approximately $715,000.00. The inheritance was excluded from the asset pool available for division and was regarded as a “financial resource”. On appeal, the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia held that as a matter of principle, an asset should not be excluded from being considered altogether in the overall property settlement. However, the Court stated that it may, in some cases, be appropriate to treat certain assets separately depending on the parties’ differing interests to such assets or the degree of contributions made by the parties to such assets. Calvin v McTier [2017] This case involved an eight-year marriage with one child. Four years after separation, the Husband received an inheritance of $430,000 from his late father. The inheritance was equated to about 32% of the total asset pool which was about $1,340,000. The Husband argued that the inheritance should be excluded from the asset pool available for division as it has no connection to the parties’ marriage. However, the Court held that the inheritance be included and that the Husband made substantial financial contribution after separation because of the inheritance which was assessed to be 75% and the Wife’s as being 25%. The Court then made an adjustment of 10% in favour of the Wife, taking into account the disparity of the parties’ income earning capacities. The final division was 65% to the Husband and 35% to the Wife. The above cases demonstrate that all of the parties’ assets must be identified before the Court can make orders for property settlement and that the Court retains discretion as to how each asset is to be treated in each case. If assets are received after separation, the Court has the discretion to place them separately from the rest of the asset pool depending on the facts of each individual case.
29 Nov 2018
Private Clients, Dispute Resolution & Litigation
When buying a home after marriage, there are many cases in which the purchase is made with the support of parents. If the marriage breaks down in such a situation, how does the court treat the funds received from the parents in the distribution of property? If there is any evidence such as a loan agreement that states that a fund is required to be repaid under certain conditions, a security deed or a record of a discussion between the parties that identifies the loan, the fund received from the parent is considered as a loan. If the money received is a gift from the parent, there is no obligation to repay it, and therefore, it is very likely that the money given to a couple in the long-term marriage will be regarded as a part of the common property. Considering whether the parent's funding was a loan or a gift, when calculating the total value of the parties' shared assets and determining their respective share, the court takes into account various factors stipulated in the Family Law Act. In many cases, it is not clear whether the parent's funding was a loan or a gift, and it often gives rise to a major problem during a divorce proceeding. For example, if a couple purchased a house for $800,000 with $400,000 in funding paid by their parents and has already paid out the loan, whether $400,000 was a loan or a gift is an important point in determining the total amount of common property. This becomes a more important issue if the amount of funding received by their parents accounts for a larger proportion in the total value. Accordingly, when considering funding a child, it is necessary to hire a lawyer in advance and to make the intent of the funding clear. Otherwise, the parents may be called upon their child’s divorce proceeding as a witness or required to submit an affidavit, which causes severe stress over a long period of time. Further, such proceedings will give rise to significant legal costs. In order not to spend too much money on legal fees during a divorce proceeding, it is recommended that parties start appropriate negotiations at an early stage for the settlement, so that things do not progress to the court due to property distribution issues.
15 Oct 2018