Children

Child Solicitors & Child Law Advice

There is nothing more important than your children and we understand it is difficult involving a stranger in your personal matters, when you do not know them and it involves something so precious to you. You will want to select a child solicitor who you can trust would fight for you as much as you yourself would. We pride ourselves on very quickly understanding what your needs and the children’s needs are. We do not assume anything, but listen to what you actually want. Our previous clients will say we are tenacious, passionate and determined.

Our solicitors are well able to present your case at Court and will fight tooth and nail for you. They are skilled in supporting victims of crime and have extensive experience with helping victims of domestic violence.  They ensure that each case is dealt with differently, there is no tick box approach used, but instead clients receive their utmost attention and excellent service throughout.

Our family department has extensive experience with handling family cases. Whenever possible, we represent our clients at court instead of involving barristers. Not only is this cost effective, but ensures the main file handler who understands your case inside out represents you with the passion your case deserves.

Our child solicitors will help you with all of the following:

Child Arrangements Application

This is an extremely common application which ordinarily deals with where a child should live and how often the parents see the child. Each case is different, but our focus is always the same; what is in the best interests of the children?

Prohibited Steps Order and Specific Issue Order

Our team have experience of dealing with all kinds of child arrangements disputes. On occasion, we may apply for other Orders at the same time as a Child Arrangement Order, namely a Prohibited Steps Order and / or a Specific Issue Order, depending on the circumstances.

A Prohibited Steps Order is an Order preventing a parent from doing something – for example changing schools or a child’s religion without a parent’s consent, or moving away from the local area.

A Specific Issue Order decides on a particular issue, for example which school a child attends, which religion they practise or whether they can be relocated abroad.

Every case, whether simple or complex is our concern and will be treated equally.

Child Relocation Cases

Our solicitors have experience in representing clients in relocation cases, both within the UK and abroad, concerning Hague Convention and Non-Hague Convention countries such as Zimbabwe, Sweden, China and Gambia.

In some cases, clients do not receive the result they deserve at Court. We are able to represent our clients throughout an appeal process and regularly do; ensuring that the errors are addressed in the most cost effective way as possible.

Parental Responsibility

Parental responsibility governs the legal rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority a parent has for a child and the child’s property. A person who has parental responsibility for a child has the right to make decisions about their care and upbringing.

Although the mother automatically acquires parental responsibility for their child, fathers do not. Increasingly, parents are now not married or are in a Civil Partnership and unless certain steps have been taken, the father may not be deemed to have parental responsibility for their own child.

It is also not always parents, who may need parental responsibility but also stepparents.

Please talk to us. Whatever the circumstance, we can advise on and apply for parental responsibility if required.

Financial Provision for the Children

Financial provision applications are particularly common in cohabitation disputes, whereby there is no financial relief for unmarried couples, but there are children to care for.

The unmarried parent of a child needs to seek financial provision for a child under Schedule 1 Children Act 1989 which empowers the Court to make financial orders.

These can be complex cases, in which we have vast experience. Please call us should you need our assistance in this area.

Adoption

There are upwards of 6000 children in the UK needing adoption each year. This is a staggering figure and does not include children within the family who you may want to adopt.

There is a clear adoption process in the UK which can appear daunting. We can easily help you with every stage of it, to ensure this is a happy, exciting and stress free time for you as you formally bring a child into your family.

For more information on any of the above, please get in touch with Kate Booth, Natasha Abel or Samantha Chater.