Family
Family Law covers a wide range of issues.
Children (Private)
Children (Private) cases are bought by individuals and are often connected with the parents’ divorce or separation. They may cover parental responsibility, financial applications (eg for maintenance) and agreeing where a child should live, as well as arrangements for seeing the other parent. Private Law also covers parents wishing to move with the child to another country (removal from the jurisdiction), and special guardianship – where a guardian is given legal responsibility but without removing responsibility from the parents.
Children (Public)
Children (Public) cases start in the Family Court. Public law cases are usually brought by the local authority (or another authorised body concerned with children’s welfare), and include care orders (where the local authority takes over parental responsibility), supervision orders (where the local authority has supervision of the child) and emergency protection orders (concerning the immediate safety of a child)
Civil Partnership and Cohabitation
Family Law also covers Civil Partnership and Cohabitation, where a separating couple is not married, and usually involving disputes over shared assets (eg property); and Divorce and Matrimonial Finance where you are legally married and need to agree distribution of assets acquired during (or before) your marriage as well as future financial arrangements for any children.
Injunctions
Family Injunctions can be required as part of cases concerning the areas above, or may be stand-alone.
Many of our barristers are experienced in dealing with all aspects of Family Law, and we have particular expertise in:
- Adoption
- Applications under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (Cohabitants)
- Care Proceedings – representing grandparents and other family members who have interests in the welfare of a child but who are not entitled to Legal Aid
- Contact and Residence Disputes -child arrangement orders dealing with which parent a child should live with and what time they should spend with each parent
- Dealing with the financial aspects of divorce arrangements
- Financial Provision for Children
- Freezing Injunctions and Urgent Applications
- Inheritance Act Claims
- International Child Abduction Applications for leave to remove from the Jurisdiction
- Occupation and non-molestation orders
- Paternity Disputes
- Protection from Harassment Act Proceedings
- Wardship – where the court takes over responsibility for a child