Relationship Property Lawyers

Turner Hopkins is proud to be one of the few New Zealand law firms accredited by JustFund, Australasia’s leading family law litigation finance provider.

What is litigation funding?

The JustFund model allows clients of our firm to obtain loans specifically designed to meet their legal expenses. This means that clients can now obtain legal representation without any upfront cost. Payment of the legal fees is ultimately met from the relationship property recovered once settlement of any disputes and all relationship property matters has been resolved.

This opportunity removes the financial barriers that can often restrict clients from obtaining the best legal representation. It allows people experiencing the difficulties of a relationship breakdown and dispute with an ex-partner to focus on their case and other more pressing issues—including their children and moving forward in their lives—rather than the pressure of mounting legal bills.

The application process is straightforward, taking only a few minutes, and approval is usually affirmed within a matter of days.

Funding through JustFund

JustFund litigation finance is available where the following criteria are met:

• The legal matter must involve the division of relationship property.
• There needs to be sufficient equity in the relationship property pool to meet JustFund’s criteria. Funding can usually be offered up to a value of 25% of the anticipated relationship property entitlement.
• Real estate funds held in solicitors’ trust accounts and independently valued businesses can be considered part of the asset pool.
• To determine eligibility, JustFund considers the estimated legal costs, the likely settlement outcome and the applicant’s financial position.
• Financial support from JustFund is available not only for legal fees but also for associated costs, including expert fees, living expenses, school fees and settlement funding.

Applying for litigation funding

• You can apply at any stage of a separation process or family law dispute.
• You repay your legal fees only when the dispute has been resolved and all matters have been settled, with payment coming from your relationship property settlement.
• Eligibility is based on your circumstances and is not dependent on your income or employment situation.
• The JustFund model has been specifically designed to support people going through the difficulties of a separation, giving them confidence to move forward and secure a fair outcome.

Interest rates and fees

Interest rates stated in the original Turner Hopkins article range between 9.9% and 12.9%, depending on the category of the case. Credit application, legal assessment and administration fees also vary depending on the level of legal costs involved. These amounts are payable only upon resolution of the relationship property matters.

How Turner Hopkins can help

The Turner Hopkins Family Law team understands how stressful and costly family law and relationship property disputes can be. Our partnership with JustFund can help clients receive strong legal representation without the pressure of incurring significant costs at a time when they may be least able to do so.