Family Law Solicitors
Putting you and your family at the heart of the matter
If you’re going through family issues, it can be difficult to know where to turn for advice. That’s why our team of specialist family law solicitors will take the time to fully understand your personal circumstances, helping you to find practical, workable solutions.
Our family law solicitors are based in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, and work with families across the UK. We have decades of experience helping individuals and families deal with a wide range of issues, including divorce and separation, prenuptial agreements and cohabitation agreements, childcare disputes, domestic abuse and more.
With a focus on practical advice and non-confrontational dispute resolution, we aim to help you find fast, effective solutions to your family legal issues while keeping conflict to a minimum.
Get in touch with our family law solicitors in Bristol
To speak to our specialist family solicitors in Bristol, contact us on 0117 325 2929 or complete our online enquiry form.
Ready to make a start? Our online system allows you to get started anywhere, any time. Click here to make an immediate start online.
Our family law services
Our aim is to find the right solution for you, whilst minimising both the emotional and financial cost to your family. Our family lawyers offer expert legal advice on a range of family issues, providing a comprehensive service for your whole family.
Divorce and separation
We can guide you through every step of getting a divorce or separating. Our divorce and separation solicitors help to keep the process amicable wherever possible through methods such as collaborative law.
Our divorce and separation services include:
- Starting divorce proceedings
- Responding to divorce proceedings
- Making a financial settlement
- Making arrangements for children
Civil partnership dissolution
Our family lawyers offer support on the legal issues that arise when a civil partnership ends.
Our civil partnerships dissolution advice includes:
- Financial settlements for civil partnership dissolution
- Arrangements for children after the dissolution of a civil partnership
Divorce finance advice
We can help you reach a financial settlement when getting divorced, ensuring you achieve a fair settlement and financial stability for the future.
Our private financial advice services include:
- Negotiating a financial settlement
- Taking court action to achieve a settlement
- Taking court action to enforce a financial settlement
Legal advice regarding children
Our child law solicitors take a non-confrontational approach to resolving disputes over children wherever possible, protecting your rights and your children’s best interests while helping you to maintain positive relationships with their other parents and carers.
Our children law services include:
- Making childcare arrangements after divorce or separation
- Child contact and residence disputes
- Special Guardianship Orders
- Child abduction
- Social services and care proceedings
- Support for grandparents and other family carers
- Childcare disputes
Civil partnerships
We offer experienced support for all of the legal issues surrounding civil partnerships, allowing you to plan for the future and grow your family.
Our civil partnerships services include:
- Pre-registration agreements for civil partnerships
- Civil partnership dissolution
- Surrogacy, donor conception and fertility treatment
Cohabitation agreements and disputes
If you are living together without being married, our cohabitation solicitors can prepare a cohabitation agreement which protects both parties in the event of the relationship breaking down. We can also advise cohabiting couples on creating a Declaration of Trust which specifies how the property should be dealt with if you and your partner split up.
If your relationship ends without there being a cohabitation agreement in place, or it’s being disputed, our family lawyers can also advise on cohabitation disputes.
TOLATA claims
When unmarried couples can’t agree on property rights following separation, they can make an application to the court to decide under an area of law called TOLATA.
Our specialist TOLATA solicitors focus on non-confrontational dispute resolution, keeping conflict to a minimum when deciding on property rights.
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
If you are getting married or entering into a civil partnership, our family solicitors can help make sure your interests are protected for the future.
Our prenuptial and postnuptial agreements services:
- Creating prenup and postnup agreements
- Reviewing and amending existing agreements
- Ensuring your agreements meet the standard to be considered by a judge
Family planning and fertility law
Fertility law is complex, and so if you’re planning a family through surrogacy or with the help of a donor, our specialist fertility law solicitors are here to help. We can also advise on Parental Orders and surrogacy disputes.
Domestic abuse
If you or a loved one have been the victim of domestic abuse, whether physical or verbal, our solicitors can take immediate action to keep you safe and help you get the support you need.
Our domestic violence services include:
- Non-Molestation Orders (preventing your partner from threatening you, harassing you or coming near you)
- Occupation Orders (forcing your partner to leave your home)
- Taking action for breach of an injunction
- Referring you to appropriate support services
- Respondent representation
Child abduction
We can help you if you want to relocate to another country, or you are worried your child is at risk of abduction by their other parent.
Our child abduction services include:
- Ensuring you have parental responsibility for your child
- Applying for a Prohibited Steps Order (PSO) to prevent your child from being taken abroad
- Referring you to the appropriate services if your child has already been taken abroad without your consent
Collaborative law
We are specialists in non-confrontational family dispute resolution, also known as alternative dispute resolution. This can allow you to quickly and cost-effectively resolve family disputes without the need for court action.
Our collaborative law solicitors can help with:
- Divorce and separation
- Financial settlements
- Childcare arrangements
- Child contact disputes
- Disputes over grandparents’ access to grandchildren
Public law care proceedings
Our experience in public law care proceedings means we can ensure your rights are respected and your child’s best interests are protected.
Our public law care proceedings services include:
- Care Orders
- Supervision Orders
- Representation during care proceedings
Our family law expertise
When it comes to issues relating to your family, we adopt a friendly, sensitive approach, while still offering a swift, professional service. This way, we can help you resolve your legal issue efficiently and effectively with minimal stress.
Our family solicitors guide people all across the UK from our offices in Bedminster, Bishopston, Bristol city centre, Kingswood and Thornbury.
Our Family team is band 3 ranked in legal guide, Chambers and Partners UK and tier 3 ranked in Legal 500 UK for its expertise in family and matrimonial law.
Most members of our Family Law team are members of Resolution, an organisation committed to non-confrontational divorce and separation. Many of us are also trained collaborative lawyers. We’re also members of the Law Society Family Law and Children Law Panels.
Family law FAQs
In some areas of family law, we offer a complimentary initial telephone call of up to 30 minutes with a member of our family law team.
This complimentary meeting is designed for you to get to know your solicitor and to discuss your options. If specific advice is required and you’d like to continue past the 30 minutes, please let your solicitor know and you may be able to carry on into a more detailed consultation. This time will be chargeable, but your solicitor will tell you how much it will be.
To book a consultation with our solicitors in Bristol, call 0117 325 2929.
Mediation is an effective method of resolving disputes, without the need to go to court. It’s a voluntary process that involves an independent third party (a mediator) who helps both parties come to an agreement through discussion and negotiation.
As an alternative to court, we can refer you to family mediation. This is quicker, more flexible and helps you maintain control over the situation. Reaching agreement amicably is particularly beneficial when children are involved. Contact our family law team to book your consultation.
Payments for children are governed and administered by the Child Support Agency (CSA). They’ll calculate the payment due based on the absent parent’s disposable income and the number of children. For further information, visit the GOV.UK website.
Some payments are determined by the court, including school fees, step-children and disabled children. For advice on negotiating these payments, contact our family law solicitors in Bristol and South Gloucestershire for advice.
If you’re concerned that your child may be permanently removed from the country without your consent, you should contact us immediately. We can apply to the court for an order stating that your child cannot be taken out of the UK and can also request that your child’s passport is surrendered.
Contact our family law solicitors in Bristol to discuss your circumstances.
Fixed-fee packages
In some areas of family law, we offer clients a complimentary initial telephone call of up to 30 minutes with a legal expert in family law, as well as bespoke fixed fees on our family law services so you’ll know exactly how much you’ll pay from the start.
Our aim is to ensure all our fees are open and transparent.
Contact our family law solicitors in Bristol
To speak to a family lawyer about your personal circumstances, call us on 0117 325 2929, click here to make an immediate start online or complete our online enquiry form.