Legal Project Management Plan & Checklist
Purpose of this Guide: Use this plan when representing an applicant seeking maintenance for a child who is turning 18 or has already turned 18. This guide helps the practitioner determine eligibility, comply with pre-action procedures, compile evidence, calculate proportional contributions, and file applications in the Family Court of Western Australia.
Jurisdiction: Family Court of Western Australia. This parent plan covers the general intake, mediation, and drafting procedures for adult child maintenance applications. Two forks address the specific statutory gateways: Married Parents (Cth Jurisdiction) and De Facto / Ex-Nuptial Parents (WA Jurisdiction).
The Process at a Glance: The matter begins with conflict checks and relationship status verification. The practitioner arranges mediation or prepares an exemption form. If unresolved, the practitioner issues a formal position letter with a 14-day response deadline. The practitioner compiles financial disclosure, calculates the child's financial deficit, drafts the Form 1 Initiating Application, Form 13 Financial Statement, and supporting affidavit, and lodges them via the eCourts Portal WA. After personal service, the practitioner monitors financial changes and represents the client through directions, conciliation, and trial.
Use this fork when the adult child's parents were married, invoking the Commonwealth family law jurisdiction for maintenance support. This guide covers specific marriage gateways, Section 66L Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) argument structures, and concurrent spousal maintenance claims.
Use this fork when the adult child is ex-nuptial or the parents were in a de facto relationship, invoking the Western Australian state jurisdiction for maintenance support. This guide covers geographical connections, relationship status gateways, and concurrent de facto partner maintenance claims.
Key Legislation and Case Law: Applications are governed by Section 123 of the Family Court Act 1997 (WA) for ex-nuptial children and Section 66L of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) for children of married parents. Pre-action procedures are mandated by Rule 22 and Schedule 1 of the Family Court Rules 2021 (WA). The duty of disclosure is codified under Part 13. Case names and neutral citations include In the Marriage of H (1981) 6 Fam LR 770 and In the Marriage of Wade (1993) 115 FLR 15, establishing the necessity and reasonableness tests for education support, and L and C (2018) FCWA 23 for relationship gateways. Online filing is executed via the eCourts Portal WA at https://ecourts.justice.wa.gov.au/eCourtsPortal/.
* Disclaimer: We're nobody's lawyer, because we aren't lawyers. You are, so you know better than to take legal advice from an app. We also aren't accountants or dog trainers - just digital spirit guides taking zero liability for any of this. This site exists to gather the collective knowledge of practitioners like you. Verify everything and submit your feedback on the Adult Child Maintenance (Applicant) - Western Australia matter plan to improve the playbook. THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, it's a request for input.
This legal matter plan provides a structured workflow for Family Law cases, outlining the standard Litigation process. Utilize these tracking templates to manage your legal cases efficiently.
| Field | Token | Type | Required | Defined in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matter(4) | ||||
| Matter numberⓘ | matter.matterNumber | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter title | matter.title | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter typeⓘ | matter.matterType | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter status | matter.status | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Client(1) | ||||
| Client name | matter.clientName | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
Complete client intake and identify any joint representation conflict risks.
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Ask in the practitioner Discord - edge cases, rule changes, and jurisdiction-specific nuances, all in one place.
Satisfy Rule 22 and Schedule 1 pre-action requirements before initiating litigation.
Build the necessary evidentiary schedules supporting child needs and parental capacity.
Verify and execute all court documents under oath, confirming full disclosure.
Securely file all court papers, pay or exempt fees, and serve the respondent.
Conclude the litigation process, distribute support payouts, and archive the file.