Family law

If you are a member of the public who wishes to speak to or instruct a barrister directly please go to our Family Law Public Access page by clicking here.  If you are a solicitor please read on.

 

We are still awaiting the full impact of the reduction in legal aid provision which came into effect on 1st April.  As with all our colleagues across the region we wonder what changes this will bring to us all, particularly those clients who now miss out on legal aid provision.  We will, of course, continue to provide a service to everyone so please don't hesitate to contact Gemma, our team clerk, or Neil, Fraser or Alison, if there is a case or an approach that you would like to discuss with us.  Finally, we have produced a short survey and hope that you will give us the benefit of your views.  It is anonymised!  Please click here to activate the link.
 

 

Our family team covers both the public and private law fields.

 

Public Law

• Care proceedings
• Wardship

Those members who deal with public law matters have extensive experience in acting on behalf of individuals, guardians ad litem and local authorities. Some, in addition to their family work, also have experience in both prosecuting and defending sexual and child abuse cases.

 

Private Law

• Divorce and termination of civil partnerships
• Marriages with a foreign aspect
• Financial relief
• Contact with and residence of children
• Removal of children abroad
• Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975

Our private law group has a particular reputation for its handling of high level assets and big money ancillary relief cases, especially those involving farming, property and business interests.  In addition, specialist advice can be sought from other members of chambers on:

• the ability of a family member to realise tenanted property (e.g farmland or buy-to-let flats), interests in private companies, etc
• the planning potential of land owned by husband, wife or family company
• actual or potential insolvency issues
• family trusts and trusts of land

Through our association with a leading member of Gray's Inn Tax Chambers we can also provide advice on the tax consequences of a proposed financial settlement.

Contested probate and administration of estates, disputes about beneficial interests in trusts of land between unmarried couples, and proceedings before the Court of Protection involving the finances and/or personal care of those lacking mental capacity are handled by some of our civil practitioners (a number of whom may also be members of the Family team). Please consult the clerks for a choice of suitable counsel.

 

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