Breaking up is hard to do
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do is a podcast about the human drama behind family law — and the court system that is asked to manage it. Hosted by Michael Brown, a Sydney solicitor with decades of experience, the series explores love, separation, parenting disputes and property battles, alongside the bigger story of how Australia’s Family Court and family law have evolved over the last fifty years. Each episode mixes legal history, real-world insight and thoughtful conversation to examine what really happens when relationships end — and how the law tries (and sometimes struggles) to deliver justice.
Breaking up is hard to do
Latest Episodes
Marriage , then and now- an interview with Stephanie Coontz
Even in the 21st century marriage enjoys overwhelming popularity. But why? Is it for love, children, property, sex, social stability, or all of the above?In this episode of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, Michael Brown talks wi...
Islamic Law and Family Law part 2
How does Islamic family law operate alongside Australia's legal system? What role do imams play when Muslim couples separate? And what happens when religious and civil understandings of marriage and divorce do not align?In this episode o...
Chief Justice Elizabeth Evatt and the dream of the helping court
In this episode of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, Michael Brown speaks the Hon Elizabeth Evatt, first Chief Justice of the Family Court about the creation of the court, the introduction of no-fault divorce, and the social changes that resh...
Lionel Murphy: Heresy to Orthodoxy — Michael Kirby Reflects
In this episode, I speak with The Hon Michael Kirby about the life and legacy of Lionel Murphy—architect of no-fault divorce and a transformative figure in Australian law.Murphy’s role in creating the Family Law Act 1975 reshaped how Aus...