1. We Act with Honesty and Integrity

If it’s our professional opinion that the approach you’d like us to take to your case won’t ultimately work in your favour, we will tell you so early on. It’s our professional duty to act in your best interests, even when that means telling an uncomfortable truth. We can’t tell you what to do but we will advise you as to your options, according to what we believe will bring you closest to your aims.

This also means we will tell you our best estimate of the cost to handle your matter from our first meeting. This will include any court or submission costs and the price involved with hiring other professionals where necessary as well as our fee.

2. We will Respect and Listen to You

It’s easy to feel out of your depth or like no one is listening to you when you’re going through a relationship breakdown or another stressful legal situation.

We understand that, although legal assistance is our profession, our clients are real people dealing with what can be confusing and emotionally charged circumstances. For this reason, each one of our solicitors knows the importance of truly listening to our clients and responding with empathy and respect, as well as good legal advice.

Many clients who find themselves involved in legal matters surrounding relationships and family have not had much experience with solicitors or using legal terms before. As a result, we try to make your options and their possible repercussions as clear as possible and are always open to questions about the process.

We strive to meet you where you are in terms of your experience and understanding of family law matters and will never make you feel ashamed for not knowing something.

3. We Never Introduce more Conflict than Necessary

Matters concerning children or the end of a relationship can be difficult, emotional, or contentious and we try to leave room for our clients to feel whatever they feel during the legal process.

However, we believe people are able to come to the best practical, long-term agreements about their and their family’s future when conflict is carefully managed rather than encouraged.

Many of our solicitors specialise in collaborative law, where all parties need to be able to reach some common ground, and ideally seek a fair, dignified resolution for all involved. Even outside this, we are great believers in mediation and negotiation and will generally advise against extraneous court action which may take decisions out of your control.

4. We Keep you Informed

From the very start, we will give you clear, detailed information about the different legal paths you can take with your matter and where they might lead, including any long-term financial or emotional repercussions.

As you work with us, we’ll make sure to keep you in the loop with your case, checking in with you frequently and giving you a clear picture of what’s coming up next and the likely time frames of resolving your matter.

5. We Encourage Families and Prioritise the Needs of Children

Like the family courts, we take the best interests of any children involved in your case extremely seriously. Especially with older children, we’ll aim to take their wishes and feelings into account when deciding on matters such as child arrangements and to conserve their relationship with both parents if possible.

We’ll also try to make sure children have access to the security and resources they will need going forward when parents decide the split their assets.

As well as supporting families and individuals through the legal process, we can make links with trusted counselors and therapists if desired to help with what can be a difficult time of transition.