Our Team

At Empower Family Law we understand the pressure our clients are under and the distress they feel. We work diligently to navigate them through to better times.

We take pride in offering our clients expert advice tailored to their situation and empowering them to achieve the best possible result.

Meet the Empower team

Stephanie Reid

Director and Principal

Renishka Naidoo-Weisse

Special Counsel

Vicki Zrajko

Solicitor

Stephanie Pearce

Practice Manager

Ann Marie Elenius

Senior Legal Assistant

Emily Waghorne

Finance Manager

Speak with us

Your first 30-minute consultation is free. Call (03) 7020 6542 or contact our team to discuss your circumstances and next steps.

Who does what

The team combines legal practitioners with practice support, and it helps to know which is which before you call.

Legal advice comes from the firm's lawyers. Stephanie Reid is the Director and Principal and has practised solely in family law since 2008, acting in complex financial and property disputes, agreements directed at asset protection before, during and after a relationship, and high-conflict parenting disputes. Renishka Naidoo-Weisse is Special Counsel, with more than 20 years in the Victorian legal profession and practice since 2002, working across advice, negotiation, alternative dispute resolution, mediation and litigation in matters affecting married and domestic partners. Vicki Zrajko is a Solicitor who has practised exclusively in family law since her admission in 2021, working on separation, parenting arrangements and financial settlements, with an approach particularly valued in matters involving family violence.

Practice support does not provide legal advice. Stephanie Pearce is the Practice Manager, with over 13 years in private law firms and more than five years specialising in practice management, focused on workflow, policies and team operations. Ann Marie Elenius is a Senior Legal Assistant with 25 years in the legal industry, 22 of them in family law, supporting the firm's lawyers and the clients working through property, family violence and parenting matters. Emily Waghorne is the Finance Manager, with more than 20 years managing teams, focused on keeping the client experience central to how the practice runs.

Who to contact, and about what

• Advice about your matter, or a first appointment — call the firm and you will be directed to the appropriate lawyer. Which lawyer handles your matter depends on its nature and complexity.
• Accounts, invoices and costs questions — these are handled by the practice rather than by your lawyer directly, though your lawyer can explain any item on an invoice.
• Urgent situations — if there is a risk to safety, a child about to be removed, or assets about to be dealt with, say so when you call rather than waiting for an appointment.

What to expect from a first appointment

Initial appointments usually run for 1 to 1.5 hours, with the first 30 minutes at no charge and the balance charged at the lawyer's hourly rate. You will receive advice on your rights, entitlements and options for settlement, and leave understanding your options, your estimated legal costs and what to expect. A Costs Agreement follows, setting out the terms of your engagement and an estimate of your total legal costs.

Appointments can be conducted remotely by Microsoft Teams, including initial consultations, which is often the quickest way to get advice if travelling into the Melbourne CBD between work and family commitments is difficult.

The firm also works with a network of barristers, financial specialists, valuers, psychologists, family consultants and other support professionals, drawn on where a matter calls for expertise beyond the practice.

How a matter is usually handled

Family law matters are rarely the work of one person. A lawyer takes carriage of the matter and provides the advice, with support from the practice for the substantial administrative work a file generates — correspondence, court documents, disclosure material, subpoenaed records and scheduling.

That structure matters to you in two practical ways. Most of the routine contact about documents, appointments and court dates will come from the support team rather than from your lawyer, which keeps costs down because that work is not billed at a lawyer's rate. And questions about advice, strategy or the merits of a proposal should go to your lawyer, because nobody else in a practice is in a position to answer them.

Where a matter needs expertise beyond the practice, we work with a network of barristers, financial specialists, valuers, psychologists, family consultants and other support professionals. Identifying early which of those a matter needs tends to shorten it, because negotiations built on contested figures rarely settle.

What you can expect from us

The firm's approach is to give clients control over their family law dispute by arming them with expert advice, strategy and representation, and to navigate them through separation with care and attention to detail.

In practice that means regular updates, clear advice, prompt replies, and an advocate who understands your position. It also means being transparent about costs: a tax invoice at the end of each month or on the conclusion of a significant event or court hearing, detailing the work undertaken, and a willingness to discuss costs whenever you have a concern about them.

Inclusive practice

We take the right of LGBTIQA+ people to receive expert advice, practical strategy and representation seriously. We work with married and de facto couples, parents and carers across a wide range of family structures, and provide advice tailored to each client's circumstances.

If there is anything that would help you participate more effectively — a remote appointment, written confirmation of what was discussed, a longer or shorter meeting, or an adjustment around safety — tell us when you make contact rather than waiting until it becomes difficult.