What is the "Discrete Property List"?

 The ‘Discrete Property List’ (‘DPL’) is a process introduced by the Federal Circuit Court designed to make family financial matters quicker and easier. The DPL aims to make family financial cases as efficient and cost-effective as possible. But how does it do this?

Specialisation is a key asset of the DPL. Matters listed under the DPL only involve property and financial settlements. This means that any complicated matter involving parenting orders, child support, or where children are involved in any other capacity will not be eligible to be listed under the DPL. Because of this specialisation, it can be expected that moving through the DPL will take less time than moving through a list of varying types of family legal matters.

The DPL also seeks to ensure that cases progress quickly. Registrars hearing DPL matters have been instructed to aim to keep the length of the matter within 90 days. There are several guidelines offered to lawyers as to how long they should take to complete particular steps. This focus on efficiency not only means that matters are finalised quicker, it also often means that costs are lower for the client.

Finally, the DPL keeps a closer watch on the progression of cases and only moves them to the next stage when they are ready to do so. For example, the registrar hearing the matter will not refer matters to mediation until they are satisfied that both parties have completed their financial disclosure obligations. This higher level of management over cases means that unnecessary costs will be less likely to be incurred by the client.

The main goal of the DPL is to reduce wait-times in finalizing financial family matters and reduce costs of running such cases. It specialises on financial matters and ensures that each party meets their obligations, allowing quick progression through the stages of a family law case.

If you need help with you family law matter our experienced family lawyers at Frank Law would love to hear from you. Make sure to give us a call on (02) 9688 6023.  

If you have further questions, please contact us at frank@franklaw.com.au.

This is not legal advice.