Family law does not operate only in legislation, courtrooms and legal documents. It operates in homes, school handovers, businesses, bank accounts and the conversations taking place between two people whose family is changing.
That reality sits at the centre of Gabriella Pomare’s work as a Partner and Sydney family lawyer at Norton Law Group.
Having practised exclusively in family law for more than a decade, Gabriella advises clients in complex parenting disputes, property settlements, high-net-worth financial matters, international family law and cases involving family violence or urgent court intervention. Her legal experience is complemented by her work as an author, podcast host, speaker and media commentator examining co-parenting, separation and modern relationship dynamics.
It is this intersection—between technical family law expertise and a contemporary understanding of how people and families actually live—that has established Gabriella as a modern voice in Australian family law.
Families Have Changed—and Family Law Must Understand Them
Modern families do not always fit within traditional structures.
They may include children living across two homes, blended families, same-sex parents, new partners, stepchildren, international careers and relatives spread across multiple countries. Parents may be managing demanding professions, shared businesses, substantial assets or irregular working arrangements while attempting to establish a new parenting relationship after separation.
Technology has also changed the way families communicate and the way disputes develop. Parenting communication may occur through text messages, email, parenting applications or video calls. Social media posts, digital assets, online businesses and electronic communications may become relevant to parenting or property proceedings.
A contemporary family lawyer must understand the law, but must also understand these practical realities.
For Gabriella, effective family law advice begins by looking beyond the immediate legal dispute. It means understanding what the client is trying to protect, how the proposed arrangements will operate in everyday life and what the family may need in six months, five years or even longer.
A Sydney Family Lawyer With Courtroom and Judicial Experience
Gabriella began her legal career in a leading Sydney family law practice before working as Associate to the Honourable Justice Watts of the Family Court of Australia.
Working within the Court provided a valuable perspective on judicial decision-making, the preparation of evidence and the way complex parenting and property cases are assessed. It also reinforced the importance of credibility, careful preparation and ensuring that the evidence supports the outcome being sought.
Since returning to private practice, Gabriella has represented clients in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia across a broad range of family law matters, including:
- Complex parenting disputes and parenting arrangements;
- Matters involving allegations of risk or family violence;
- Urgent parenting applications;
- Relocation and international parenting cases;
- Property settlements and asset division;
- High-net-worth and complex financial matters;
- Companies, trusts and business interests;
- Spousal maintenance and child support;
- Binding Financial Agreements, including prenuptial and postnuptial agreements; and
- International and cross-border family law disputes.
Gabriella has acted for clients with connections to the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, providing advice where a client, former partner, child or asset is located overseas.
Complex Parenting Matters Require More Than a Schedule
Parenting disputes are frequently described as disputes about time: where children will live, when they will spend time with each parent and how holidays will be divided.
In reality, complex parenting matters are rarely only about a schedule.
They may involve concerns about safety, family violence, parental conflict, substance misuse, mental health, relocation, school selection or a child’s additional needs. They may also require consideration of how parents will exchange information, make decisions and respond when children’s circumstances inevitably change.
Gabriella’s approach is strongly child-centred. This does not mean overlooking risk or avoiding difficult legal issues. It means ensuring that the strategy remains directed towards the children’s safety, developmental needs and long-term wellbeing.
Court orders can establish a framework, but parenting orders do not, by themselves, create co-parenting skills. They cannot create trust, improve communication or remove the emotional history between separated parents.
Where it is safe and appropriate, effective family law advice should therefore consider both the orders required and how those orders will operate in the family’s daily life. Where there are genuine safety concerns, the strategy may instead require protective arrangements, structured communication or urgent intervention from the Court.
High-Net-Worth Property Settlements Need Legal and Commercial Strategy
A family law property settlement is not simply an exercise in dividing a balance sheet.
Complex financial matters may involve companies, trusts, business interests, property portfolios, inheritances, overseas assets, taxation consequences or disputes about financial disclosure. The ownership shown on a document may not tell the complete story, and an asset’s stated value may not reflect its liquidity or practical value to the client.
Gabriella works with clients and, where required, accountants, valuers, financial advisers and other experts to identify and understand the asset pool and develop an appropriate settlement strategy.
That strategy must extend beyond a proposed percentage division. It should consider questions such as:
- Can a party refinance and retain a property?
- Can a business continue operating following the settlement?
- What taxation or transaction costs may arise?
- Is the proposed settlement sufficiently liquid?
- How and when will any adjustment payment be made?
- What will the outcome mean for each party’s future housing and financial security?
For clients seeking a family lawyer for a high-net-worth property settlement in Sydney, experience in litigation is important—but so is commercial judgement. A settlement that appears favourable on paper may provide little value if it cannot be implemented or creates unnecessary financial consequences.
Resolution Where Possible, Strong Representation Where Necessary
Not every family law matter needs to proceed to a final hearing.
Many disputes can be resolved through negotiation, mediation or collaborative family law, allowing the parties to retain greater control over the outcome while reducing delay, cost and uncertainty.
Gabriella is formally trained in Collaborative Law and is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She supports dispute-resolution processes where they are appropriate and where both parties are able to participate meaningfully.
However, resolution should not be pursued at the expense of safety or a client’s legitimate interests.
There are matters in which urgent court orders are required, disclosure must be compelled, assets need to be protected or one party will not engage in genuine negotiations. In those circumstances, Gabriella’s litigation experience allows her to take decisive action and present the client’s case strategically.
The ability to resolve a matter and the ability to litigate it are not competing skills. A leading family lawyer should possess both—and understand when each is required.
Co-Parenting, Communication and Life Beyond the Courtroom
Gabriella’s work extends beyond traditional legal practice.
She is the author of The Collaborative Co-Parent, a practical guide to helping separated parents reduce conflict and create more sustainable family relationships across two homes. Its central philosophy is that separation does not have to mean the end of a family; it can instead mean creating a new family structure with new rules.
Her work emphasises keeping children at the centre of decision-making, rather than placing them in the middle of adult conflict.
Gabriella is also the host of Before It Breaks, a podcast exploring modern relationships, conflict, separation, repair and the conversations people often avoid until a relationship reaches breaking point.
Her second book, Before It Breaks: A Modern Guide to Love, Conflict, Repair and the Conversations That Change Everything, will be published by Simon & Schuster on 2 March 2027.
This broader work informs her understanding of the human dynamics that frequently sit beneath a legal dispute: resentment, communication breakdown, power imbalance, financial dependence, mental load, identity changes after parenthood and the difficulty of separating a former intimate relationship from an ongoing parenting relationship.
A family lawyer is not a therapist, and legal advice should never be confused with therapeutic support. However, understanding these dynamics can help a lawyer communicate more effectively, identify obstacles to resolution and develop arrangements that are more likely to work in practice.
A Recognised Family Lawyer, Author and Commentator
Gabriella has been recognised across the legal profession for her work and leadership, including being named among the Australasian Lawyer Elite Women Top 50 in 2024 and 2026 and being selected as a finalist in the Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year Awards and Women in Law Awards over multiple years.
Her thought leadership has also received international recognition, including at the American Business Awards and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
As a family law and relationships commentator, Gabriella has contributed to media discussions across Australia and internationally, including appearances or features with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, The Guardian, The Australian, Forbes, The Today Show and The Morning Show.
Media recognition does not replace legal expertise. Its value lies in extending important conversations about separation, parenting and relationships beyond legal offices and courtrooms—and helping more people understand when early advice or better communication may prevent a problem from becoming more damaging.
What Should Clients Look for in a Sydney Family Lawyer?
People searching online for the “best family lawyer in Sydney” are rarely looking for a title alone. They are looking for the lawyer best suited to their circumstances.
That requires more than rankings, awards or marketing claims.
When choosing a family lawyer, clients should consider:
- Whether the lawyer regularly practises in the relevant area of family law;
- Their experience in matters of comparable complexity;
- Whether they can explain the law and process clearly;
- Their approach to negotiation, mediation and litigation;
- Whether they identify both the strengths and risks of the case;
- Whether their proposed strategy reflects the client’s priorities;
- How the matter will be staffed and supervised; and
- Whether the client feels heard, respected and able to trust the advice provided.
The right family lawyer should not simply tell a client what they want to hear. They should provide clear, realistic advice and a strategy designed for that client’s particular family, financial position and future.
Experience and Modern Thinking at Norton Law Group
Gabriella’s work is part of the broader expertise of Norton Law Group, a specialist family law firm based in Sydney CBD.
The firm is led by Senior Partner Franco Pomare, who has practised family law for approximately 35 years and has been a Law Society of NSW Accredited Specialist in Family Law since 1994.
The team also includes the Honourable Louise Henderson, a former Justice of the Family Court of Australia, who brings more than 36 years of family law experience to her work as a mediator and, where appropriate and subject to professional obligations, provides strategic insight to the family law team.
Together with Norton Law Group’s broader team of lawyers and professional staff, this creates a practice in which decades of specialist family law experience, former judicial insight and contemporary thinking can operate alongside one another.
A Modern Approach to Family Law
Modern family law requires technical knowledge, strong advocacy and detailed preparation. It also requires emotional intelligence, commercial awareness and an honest understanding of how families live now.
For Gabriella, the objective is not to create conflict for its own sake. It is to give clients clarity, protect what matters, manage risk and develop a pathway towards a workable future.
Families have changed. Relationships have changed. The law continues to evolve.
The way family lawyers advise and represent their clients must continue to evolve with them.
Speak With Gabriella Pomare
Gabriella Pomare is a Partner at Norton Law Group and an experienced Sydney family lawyer advising clients in complex parenting disputes, property settlements, high-net-worth financial matters, international family law and urgent court proceedings.
To arrange a confidential consultation with Gabriella or another member of Norton Law Group’s family law team, telephone (02) 9560 6811 or email reception@thenortonlawgroup.com.au.
Norton Law Group
Level 30, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney NSW 2000
