Family law

Experienced, compassionate family law solicitors here to support you

Our dedicated team of family lawyers will help you protect what matters to you and secure the future for yourself and your loved ones.

Whether you are splitting up with your partner, agreeing the terms of your current relationship, or looking after your children’s interests, it’s vital to find a solicitor with the right expertise to support you through the process. Our family law solicitors can help you plan ahead, formalise arrangements and resolve conflicts, however convoluted and complex.

Our highly experienced team can help you at any stage of the divorce process. We have expertise in the many sensitive areas that can make negotiations difficult and complex, such as custody of your children and settling conflicts about your money, including business interests.

Our clients come from throughout the UK and abroad. Our highly experienced family law team specialise in:

• All stages of divorce including financial settlements, however complex
• International divorce such as overseas marriage, jurisdiction divorce, relocating children an cross-border disputes
• Pre- and post-nuptial agreements
• Cohabitation agreements
• Specialist parenting law including surrogacy, conceiving with a donor and adoption.

Relationship breakdown

If your marriage or civil partnership has broken down, our divorce lawyers will advise and support you through this difficult time, with patience and sensitivity.

We will protect your interests and get tough when needed. We will also always act in your best interests by managing costs carefully and being fair, pragmatic and sensible in our decision making.

When divorce involves a business careful negotiation is needed to work out who is entitled to what. We have the knowledge and experience to help you navigate both the practical and legal challenges involved.

Divorce involving children

Your children are likely to be the most sensitive aspect in your divorce, and may lead to conflict between you, your partner and perhaps other family members. We understand that your children’s welfare is paramount, so we will always put their needs first, and do all we can to reduce the impact of the relationship breakdown on them.

Our divorce lawyers will always act in their best interests, whether we’re negotiating and formalising childcare arrangements, access and maintenance for you, or dealing with more complicated matters such as child abduction proceedings or surrogacy.

International divorces can add an extra layer of difficulty to negotiations; our team of family law solicitors has experience and expertise acting for families in disputes over custody, visitation rights, maintenance and relocation. We can also help if you are worried about your children being taken abroad without your consent.

Legal arrangements between couples

Whether you are soon to be married or have tied the knot already, our family lawyers can advise you on setting up a pre- or post-nuptial agreement. This is a sensible way to protect your pre-marital assets, including your business interests, and can simplify negotiations if you do sadly decide later to separate or divorce.

If you’re unmarried and living with your partner, we can advise you on setting up a cohabitation agreement. This will set out the financial arrangement between you and agree how your property and other assets will be divided if you split up at some time in the future.

Financial settlements

Divorce or separation are emotional times, which can make it very hard to agree on the best way to meet the financial needs of everyone affected. With financial settlements, there is no simple ‘rule of thumb’, as no two relationships’ finances are ever the same. This makes it tough to find a solution that suits everyone involved – including how to divide income and assets and setting up child or spousal support arrangements. If either or both partners have property or investment portfolios, overseas assets or business interests, things can become even more complicated.

Our divorce lawyers have a strong track record in this complex area and will help you reach the best possible financial settlement to secure your future.

Specialist parenting law

There are many ways to start or grow a family. Although the law has evolved to support a diverse spectrum of families, it must be navigated carefully to ensure parental rights fall to the intended people. It is also important to ensure that the expectations of all parties are aligned.

Our team of family law solicitors includes experts in parenting law who work with our clients to help them build their family. Our parenting specialisms include surrogacy, conceiving with a donor, co-parenting arrangements, adoption, assisted reproduction and fertility law, and family breakdown.

Who our family lawyers can help

Our family law solicitors can help people from all walks of life, especially those faced with complex or challenging issues.

The team acts for clients throughout the UK and overseas and has particular experience working with:

• Family business owners and their partners
• Entrepreneurs and their partners
• Agricultural businesses and farming families
• High net worth individuals and their partners
• Professionals
• International families
• Sports professionals and their partners.

Why clients choose our family law solicitors

• Member of Resolution – we fully subscribe to Resolution’s Code of Practice, which sets out the principles of a non-confrontational approach to family law matters.
• Highly rated specialists – we are acclaimed as leaders in the field of family law in The Legal 500 and Chambers UK.
• Focussed on collaboration – whenever it is appropriate, our trained collaborative lawyers and mediators will work with you, your partner and your solicitors to reach a settlement out of court.
• At the forefront of legal innovation – we have been instrumental in shaping new law, most notably in the case of White v White heard in the House of Lords.
• Breadth of expertise and experience – as a firm we have combined expertise across a broad range of family and family business matters including tax, Wills, trusts, wealth management, and company and property structures.
• Cross-border knowledge – if you live, were married or have assets overseas, we can help you navigate the divorce process in your, and your children’s, best interests.
• Cost competitive – our rates are extremely competitive and our tight control on time and cost ensures the desired outcome is achieved in the most cost-effective way.

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Contact a family lawyer today

If you need legal advice on divorce or any other family matter, call now on 0800 422 0123 or contact us online for a confidential initial consultation. We have family law solicitors ready to help in London, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Southampton and Taunton.