Family Law

If you and your partner plan to get married or enter into a civil partnership, you may want to make certain legal arrangements beforehand. A prenuptial agreement protects your finances and property in case of separation.

If the relationship breaks down, the agreement will outline who should get what and how assets should be divided.

The breakdown of a relationship. Our family team have the skill and experience to navigate through the process of legal separation, to negotiate a fair settlement and to the satisfaction of all parties.

A good divorce solicitor can minimise the stress and upset involved, taking the weight off your shoulders.

Financial matters are something which many people choose to keep private. When going through a divorce, however, it is vital financial disclosure of the marital assets takes place. Without it, it would be impossible to make sure that the financial settlement upon divorce was reasonable and fair.

Being dishonest about your financial situation or failing to provide information about some of your assets, could cost a great deal of both time and money further down the line.

This refers to couples who live together but aren’t married, who want to lay out what should happen to property and assets if they should split up. This is called a cohabitation agreement, it protects the rights of unmarried couples, especially those who have been in a relationship for a long time and have many shared assets.

If you have been in a relationship which featured domestic abuse you may need to take steps to protect yourself and/ or your children.

You may hear the words such as Occupation Order or Non-Molestation Order, these are both types of injunctions that maybe utilised to help and protect you.

We recognise that these are very stressful and confusing times, and you may be unsure on what to do next. Please contact the team to discuss your options available to you.

Know your rights and what you are entitled to

When a relationship ends, you and your partner will need to sort out how your assets such as property will be divided. Property can be a hugely complicated issue in legal terms, so it’s important to have an expert on your side. Contact Rachael Revitt, Claire McKenning or Ellis Tolan to help you untangle your shared assets and work out who has the legal right to property you own together. This can be based on who contributes the most to the mortgage payments or who cares for the children (depending on the size of the property) who live in the house. Our family lawyers can also help to arrange the division of property and assets of a couple who own a business together, as well as private property.

If a dispute over property has turned nasty and you’re concerned that you may not reach a resolution that is fair to you seek advice from our family law experts.

This is usually one of the biggest issues in any separation. Where will the children live? Who will look after them? How will child arrangements be split or shared? Speak to our team about obtaining a child arrangement order.

This refers to the legal rights, duties and responsibilities a parent has for a child. If you want to have a say in the important decisions in your child’s life, from where they go to school and where they live, you will need to establish parental responsibility. Birth mothers have automatic parental responsibility, the father does if named on the birth certificate. You can also obtain parental responsibility through a court order. If you have any questions please contact or team today who can talk you through the process.