Olivia Grobtuch
Olivia is a founding partner of Kennedy Partners. She enjoys an excellent reputation as one of Melbourne’s leading family law practitioners and his highly regarded for her expertise in complex litigation her financial acumen and for excellent negotiation skills.
Olivia is recognised annually by the Doyle’s Guide to the legal profession and has been described as a “real standout”. She has been described by Legal Profiles as “great-excellent”.
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Biography
Olivia has been practising in family law for over 30 years and obtained her specialist accreditation in 1990. She has served on various committees of the Law Institute of Victoria including sub-committees dealing with family law reform. Olivia is regarded in the legal education and professional development sphere, has presented numerous papers and regularly participates in family law conferences in both the national and international arenas. Most recently, Olivia presented a workshop on ethics in multi-disciplinary family law at the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts conference in August 2019.
Throughout her career, Olivia has had the principal conduct of several landmark or ground-breaking decisions in the appellate jurisdiction of the Family Court of Australia and the High Court of Australia. She is best known for her work in Kennon v Spry ([2008] HCA 56), now the seminal legal authority for the treatment of discretionary trusts in family law.
Olivia is a member of the Law Institute of Victoria and the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia. She has been a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers since September, 2016.
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Expertise
Olivia’s skills and experience covers every facet of family law practice including major property disputes, difficult parenting matters, technical legal argument and financial agreements. Apart from Kennon & Spry, notable cases include Levy & Prain ([2012] FamCAFC 92) and Trevi & Trevi ([2018] FamCAFC 173). She has worked extensively on international family law matters including multi-jurisdiction agreements, relocation and the recovery of children and property disputes including parties or assets located outside Australia.
Olivia prides herself on her strategic approach and obtaining the best possible outcomes for every client.