A relationship breaking down and ending, whether through divorce or separation, can be one of life’s most traumatic experiences. but no matter how daunting and uncertain things may seem, our specialist family lawyers will support you throughout.
Working with us, you can have absolute confidence that you will have an expert team dedicated to achieving the very best outcome for you and your family:
- Our first meeting is free, no matter how long it takes to make sure we completely understand your circumstances and what you want to achieve.
- Everything we talk about throughout the time we spend working together will always be totally confidential.
- Our teams are top ranked by the legal directories, so you can be sure that you are being guided by specialist experts in all areas of family law and divorce and separation.
- Our partners and lawyers have decades of experience, an excellent reputation and over the years have built up strong relationships with other lawyers, Judges and professional bodies.
- We have teams in Beverley, Lincoln and York, and work with clients across East and North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the East Midlands.
Offering expert advice and guidance, we will recommend a path that helps you take control of the situation and leads to a resolution that works for the situation you find yourself in.
Whatever your reason for coming to us, our first step is always to listen with patience so that we understand what has happened before and what you want to happen next. Rest assured that there are very few stories that we haven’t heard before or challenges that we haven’t previously overcome.
Using our knowledge and experience we guarantee that we will be able to give you a range of options, with a detailed overview of the likely process, outcomes, timescales and costs.
The recommendations we make will always be specific to you, so whether you are dealing with issues of children, finances, property, or something else, our family team will help you come up with a plan that works.
What we do and where we specialise
The actual process of becoming legally divorced is, in most cases, relatively straightforward. It is typically the issues of dividing assets, sorting children arrangements, future financial support, living arrangements and other related issues that are difficult, stressful, and time-consuming.
We have worked with people from a variety of backgrounds and professions, all of whom have a unique list of concerns and want support with specific issues in relation to their individual circumstances. In all cases we have been able to give them sensitive and practical advice, helping them make informed decisions and representing them when they are ready to proceed.
We are one of the few firms that has dedicated, specialist expertise advising people with more complicated and complex situations. As part of this we regularly advise a range of high net worth clients, including farmers and landowners, entrepreneurs and business owners, and armed forces personnel to protect their wealth during divorce and separation.
In particular we are known for:
- Farming divorces, where we work closely with our specialist agriculture team on issues such as the division of estates and business assets.
- Divorces with an international element, where we have extensive experience of dealing with both child and financial aspects of cross-border separations on an international basis, advising on cases in countries as diverse as China, Bulgaria, Panama and Bermuda amongst others.
- Working with high net worth entrepreneurs and business owners to protect business, property, investments and pension assets.
- Advising armed forces personnel, using our experience of working with officers in the army and RAF, as well members of the Special Forces and security services. We have specialist expertise in the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, Forces Help to Buy Scheme and Early Departure Payments, all of which can add a degree of complexity that other firms cannot navigate through.
How we work
If you are thinking about separating or getting divorced, seek advice as soon as possible to give you a clear picture about your rights and options.
The first stage for us is to meet with you, free of charge, to listen and understand the situation you are in.
We understand that family law proceedings can be difficult and emotionally draining. While some firms limit an initial discussion to 30 minutes, we will speak to you for as long as it takes us to build a complete picture of what the solution might look like for you and your family.
When we have that clarity, we will outline the process, explaining the likely timescales, key milestones and costs, as well as the team that will support you. The team will always be led by a partner, aided by more junior team members. We know from prior experience that this will give you the right mix of skills, knowledge and value.
Litigation is not always the answer. If you are feeling hesitant about divorce, there are other effective, conflict-free routes that may work for you, such as mediation.
A voluntary and confidential process, mediation provides an open forum to discuss options face-to-face with the benefit of an impartial mediator, and without being legally bound to any statement, unless you choose otherwise. This freedom makes it easier for people to find a solution themselves, rather than it being dictated by a court.
As mediation also encourages you to work together to find solutions together, it will help you communicate effectively with each other in the future; this is particularly beneficially where children are involved. We have qualified mediators in our team who can give you the right support and guidance, as well ensuring complete control of your solution, from start to finish.
Our family lawyers are also supported by colleagues from other teams to can provide complementary advice on topics such as wills, trusts, inheritance tax and property. You can rest assured that we will have your best interests at heart, from start to finish, in a way that gives you comfort and control over every aspect of divorce and separation, as well as what comes after.
Our experience and credentials
We have recently provided advice in respect of:
- A family business owner during complex High Court proceedings, advising on how to protect their £30m business and substantial other assets in the UK and overseas.
- A wife in a complicated farming divorce valued at £2.5m, which included issues surrounding third party intervenors, enforcement and civil proceedings relating to a partnership dispute.
- A husband whose former wife was attempting to renege on the terms of a settlement before the court approved the consent order, successfully obtaining an order that upheld the pre-established agreement.
- The owner of a family accountancy practice, successfully negotiating a financial settlement to protect various pre-marital and family assets.
- A wife who was pursuing a claim against a property portfolio and complex structure of business assets that were held in the husband’s sole name, including an application for a legal services order and complicated by issues relating to the husband’s capacity.
Client feedback in Chambers and Partners describes our team as “polite and courteous, smart and efficient, kind and caring, and extremely competent – the lawyers gave me a great sense of being in the right place for the job in hand”, also saying that “they have strength in depth and handle the whole spectrum of family law from high net worth financial remedy work through to children cases.” Additional feedback commended us as being “client-focused and sensitive to their clients' needs, but also robust.”
