Katerina Petkovska

Katerina assisted a client reach a favourable financial settlement with their former spouse following the breakdown of their marriage. After entering a new relationship and planning for marriage, the client returned to Katerina needing a pre-nuptial Financial Agreement to protect the assets they fought hard to retain from the first divorce. Katerina prepared an agreement that will enable the client to retain the substantial real estate assets, shares, cash, and superannuation entitlements her client brought into the relationship in the event the new relationship breaks down in the future.

Similarly, Katerina has prepared Financial Agreements for clients who are receiving monetary gifts, family assets, or anticipate they will receive a sizeable inheritance. Katerina has negotiated and formalised agreements which will enable her clients to retain property and inheritances in the event of separation.

Katerina recently ran an atypical parenting matter for a client who wanted to remain in Australia with her child.

The client had unsuccessfully applied for a divorce and custody orders against her husband in China, and failed to obtain her husband’s signature for their child’s Australian Citizenship application. The husband was opposed to the child obtaining citizenship and insisted the child return to live in China, although the child had been living in Australia for the mother for several years and had little to no contact with the father. The child’s visa was due to expire within months meaning the child was at risk of being deported.

Katerina made an urgent application to the Court and involved a migration law colleague so that the orders sought at court would enable the client to secure the child’s citizenship and ability to remain in the country. Katerina successfully obtained all of the orders required by the client’s child to remain in Australia, and contemporaneously obtained a Divorce Order for the client.

Katerina has experience dealing with an array of parenting matters including cases with international aspects including relocation issues.

Some of the most complex parenting cases involve various issues of risk that give rise to concerns for a child’s wellbeing and safety. Katerina has acted for clients who have held concerns for their child being in the care of the other parent due to various risk issues, as well as for clients who have exhibited risk factors which required management to enable the parent to have meaningful time with their child.

In a recent matter, Katerina successfully secured time for a client with their child after the mother applied for an intervention order and refused to allow the father contact with the child. The mother made various allegations of risk so experts were involved in assessing the allegations and making recommendations about the child’s best interests. After obtaining the expert evidence to assist the client’s case, the Judge was convinced that the child should be allowed to spend time with the father.

Katerina believes in providing a holistic approach to these matters to ensure clients are connected with the right resources and supports to help them and their families move forward and enjoy better circumstances.

Katerina obtained a Warrant for Possession for the control of an apartment that was part of a $31 million development. Despite an Order directing the sale of the property, the client’s ex-wife opposed sale, refused to sign documents to enable the sale and refused to vacate the apartment in time for the settlement. There was a risk that the $31 million development deal would fall over due to the ex-wife’s refusal to cooperate with the imminent settlement.

Katerina made an urgent application to the Courts and obtained a Warrant for Possession to be executed by the Sherriff to remove the ex-wife from the property and enable settlement. The outcome also benefited 24 other unitholders in the apartment complex. Ultimately the sale was completed, and the units will be developed into a specialist cancer clinic.