Family law solicitors

A family law solicitor specialises in cases relating to family law, including issues such as divorce and separation, child arrangements, marriage and nuptial agreements, civil partnerships, cohabitation, and financial arrangements.

It is a family law solicitor’s job to represent their client throughout legal proceedings, providing important legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances, as well as gathering all relevant information and evidence for your case, handling any negotiations, meditations and court proceedings.

A family lawyer has a responsibility and duty to advocate for their clients’ best interests. At Slater and Gordon, we understand how complex family matters can be and take pride in working hard to resolve your case as amicably as possible for both you and your family. However, there are times when matters may require formal court proceedings, and we will continue to safeguard your rights and best interests throughout.

It is not a legal requirement to use a family law solicitor to handle legal matters relating to your family, though it is strongly recommended.

Using a solicitor in a family law case can help minimise what can be a particularly stressful and challenging personal situation and ensure you achieve the best possible outcome for you and your family.

A specialist family law solicitor has an intimate knowledge of family law and will provide expert advice on your circumstances, the process and matters you may not have considered, guiding you through the process and using the law to advocate for your best interests.

Many family law issues in the UK can be resolved without going to court, however more complex family situations may require the court’s intervention. Rest assured, our solicitors will support you throughout the journey, providing you with the expert family law legal advice you need.

We aim to achieve the best outcome for you and your family, with minimum hassle, stress and cost, where possible. In doing so, we encourage you to attempt alternative methods of dispute resolution to resolve your family law issues outside of court, for example, reaching an agreement through solicitors or via mediation.

While it is not a legal requirement to instruct a family lawyer, it is strongly recommended that you do so if you are taking matters to a family court.

A specialist family lawyer will be able to advise you on a variety of different and complex legal matters, as well as providing expert representation for you and advocating for your rights before a judge in family court.

Instructing a family lawyer means it is much more likely that you’ll achieve a favourable outcome at court and can make proceedings less confrontational by enabling a more pragmatic and amicable approach.

If you are thinking about pursuing a family matter at court, speak to our dedicated family lawyers today on 0330 041 5869 or online to find out how we can help you.

The general rule is that each party is responsible for paying for their own costs. The court can however, order one party to pay the other party’s costs in exceptional circumstances and whether to make such an order would be at the discretion of the Judge.

There are several factors to consider when choosing a family law solicitor. While cost will be a key consideration, it is important to consider a solicitor’s experience and the types of cases they have previously worked on. It is also crucial that you feel comfortable discussing personal issues with your solicitor, and you should think about how to make this work best; for instance, would you prefer face-to-face contact or are you happier with video or phone calls?

To learn more about Slater and Gordon’s industry-leading family law solicitors, and how we can support you to get the best possible outcome for you and your family, get in touch with us today on 0330 041 5869 or reach out online.

If you are pursuing a family matter, whether divorce and separation, child arrangements, financial agreements, or cohabitation matters, it is crucial that you have the right support at your side.

This is why it is important that you understand a family lawyer’s experience and strategy for handling matters such as yours before you instruct them. You can do this by asking them the right questions, such as:

• How much experience do you have dealing with family matters such as mine?
• How have you resolved issues like mine in the past?
• Who will be handling my case day-to-day?
• How will the progress of my case be communicated to me during proceedings?
• What are the potential outcomes of my case, and do you think there will be any particular challenges?
• How long do you think it will take to resolve my case?
• Do you have an estimate of how much my case will cost?
• How is your billing calculated?
• Do you foresee any additional expenses that I should be aware of?

When you reach out to our family law team, we’ll discuss your case with you in detail, answering all your questions with transparency and understanding so you and your family can move forward in confidence.

No, in the vast majority of cases, one family lawyer cannot represent both parties in a family law matter due to a conflict of interest.

It is the responsibility of your family law solicitor to advise you of how the law pertains to your own circumstances and to advocate for your best interests. However, since both parties involved in a family law dispute will often be required to negotiate with one another in an attempt to reach a resolution most favourable to them, it is impossible for a single lawyer to impartially and effectively represent both sides.

There are other reasons why one family lawyer cannot represent both parties, including confidentiality and the potential for a case to reach court proceedings. The lawyer could not receive sensitive information from the first party if it could help them advocate for the second party, yet not having access to that information could mean they fail to represent the first party effectively. It is also not possible for a family lawyer to represent both parties in court, where they would be required to argue for one party against the other before a judge.

You can change your family lawyer at any time during legal proceedings, no matter how far along in the process you may be. It is your legal right to choose your own representation, and if you feel you are not receiving the advice or support you need to achieve the best possible outcome, you can speak to our family law solicitors about switching to Slater and Gordon today.

You will still need to pay money owed for services rendered to date, after which you will need to sign a form of authority for your files to be released to your new family lawyers.

To find out more about switching to Slater and Gordon’s industry-leading family law team, call us on 0330 041 5869 or get in touch online.

We’ve supported a diverse range of family structures and recognise the emotional turmoil divorce proceedings can have and we ensure we work hard to achieve the best possible results for our clients, and their family members, no matter how complex the circumstances.

Our experts recently helped a police officer retain his pension and inheritance after going through a divorce. We work with you to achieve the outcome you desire while minimising any unnecessary difficulties.

In family law, a consent order is a legally binding document approved by a family court that details an agreement between two parties. Once approved, the agreement becomes legally enforceable and is designed to protect both parties from any future claims, allowing them the peace of mind to move forward.

Consent orders can be used in a number of family law cases, including child arrangements, though they are most frequently used during a divorce. A typical consent order may include details such as how assets should be divided in a divorce, or information about how much time a child should spend with each parent when settling child arrangements.

A consent order should be drafted by a legal professional before being supported to the court, alongside any evidence to support the agreement reached. A family court judge will then review the order and evidence, before deciding whether to approve the document.

In some cases, if a judge doesn’t believe the agreement is fair to all parties involved, they may reject the consent order and either instruct parties to provide further supporting evidence or revise the terms.

Family law arbitration is a form of dispute resolution that does not require any input from a family court. It involves both parties in a dispute appointing an impartial arbitrator to act as a neutral authority and who will make a final and binding decision on the matter.

Parties then submit evidence in their favour to the arbitrator, who may make their decision based on documented evidence alone or hear each side argue their case. Arbitration can be used in a range of family law matters, including divorce and child arrangements.

While arbitration can be faster and cheaper than instructing a family law solicitor to handle your matter through the courts, it is important to remember that it has crucial restrictions. Most importantly, arbitration is not a negotiation-based process, which means if you disagree with the decision the arbitrator has made, you cannot negotiate for better terms.