John Fawcett has joined the firm as Partner
Family Law is an area of law that deals with family related matters and relationships. It is an interesting and diverse area that has attracted many qualified practitioners keen on assisting people during one of the most difficult periods of their lives. It has, more recently, particularly with legal aid representation becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, attracted unqualified litigious individuals to promote themselves as experts in the field. It is important to use a qualified Solicitor who is a member of Resolution www.resolution.org.uk, whose members are committed to the constructive, non-confrontational resolution of family matters, in the best interests of any children of the family. The Resolution website is informative and provides useful guidance.
The Family Law field covers a broad array of matters, examples of which include issues relating to the residence and contact of children (now covered by the Child Arrangements Order), parental responsibility, adoption, abduction, care proceedings and Court fees. In addition pre marital agreements, divorce, finances on divorce (ancillary relief), cohabitation agreements and disputes where partners are unmarried, domestic violence and harassment. Family Law also interacts with a number of legal specialisms, including property law, criminal law and civil litigation and so the practitioner should have some knowledge of the matters relevant to the particular case.
There have been a number of recent changes in the area of family law and this has included the introduction of the unified Family Court, controlled timetabling in care proceedings (the Public Law outline), the new Child Arrangements Order to replace Residence and Contact Orders, the controlled use of experts by the court, increased court fees and increased emphasis on alternative dispute resolution including mediation and collaborative law.
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