Family & Childcare Law

Our experienced family Team is well equipped to advise and represent you in all areas of family law. We provide cost effective, crystal clear advice under a range of funding options, including fixed fees. This enables us to help you achieve the very best solutions for you and those dear to you. We are members of the family lawyers’ group Resolution. All our lawyers follow the Resolution Code of Conduct so that wherever possible we take a non-confrontational, solution-focused approach. We always consider the importance of mediation or other solution-based approaches to reach an agreement without the stress and cost of court proceedings.

Why choose a Slee Blackwell Family Law Specialist?

We boast some of the most well-respected family lawyers in the South West. Our Family Law Team have many years specialist experience in their chosen areas of practice, including financial settlements, children and protection orders and emergency injunctions

What Specialist areas can we help you with?

Our family law specialist lawyers can advise you in relation to the full range of family law services including the following:

• Divorce and Judicial Separation
• Separation and separation agreements
• Financial Remedy Settlements
• Children
• Maintenance
• Domestic Violence
• Living Together and Cohabitation Agreements
• Pre-marital, or Pre-nuptial Agreements
• Mediation
• Pre-Civil Partnership Dissolution Agreements (“Pre-Civs”)
• Civil Partnership Dissolution
• Joint Ownership of Family Home and Wills Advice
• Matrimonial Home Rights Notice
• Change of Name Deed

How much will it cost?

We undertake work on a private client basis, with fixed fees where suitable. We can also deal with cases under the Legal Aid system.

Private Client

We are always happy to work within your budget and can give you an overall indication of what it is likely to cost at the outset. The tailored hourly rate service is more often than not the best way to ensure that our clients have the peace of mind of knowing they are fully supported through what is often one of the most traumatic times of their life.

However, in addition to the traditional tailored framework we can also offer:

1. An initial fixed fee consultation for £100 plus VAT
2. A range of fixed price services

Fixed Fee Consultation

Our specialist family lawyers can meet with you (outside normal office hours if required) for a fixed fee of £100.00 plus VAT.

The consultation can be arranged at any one of our six offices across Devon and Somerset. To make an appointment call us free on 0808 139 1606 or email paul.jordan@sleeblackwell.co.uk. In appropriate circumstances we can also offer home visits.

During the fixed fee consultation we will assess the legal issues and provide you with guidance on the action we recommend you should take.

The fixed fee is payable 7 days in advance of any appointment.

Fixed Price Services

All fees quoted are exclusive of VAT and disbursements

Legal Aid

Legal Aid has been severely cut by the Government but it is still available in limited circumstances.

For instance, some cases concerning children are considered so serious (for example care proceedings) that parents and children are entitled to free representation under the LegalAaid scheme whatever their circumstances.

In other instances, Legal Aid may be available, although the scope of funding has now been limited by the Government to a fairly narrow range of services.

Legal Aid remains available for:

• Public law proceedings (usually applications made by local authorities for care or supervision orders)
• Protective injunctions – eg orders protecting individuals from domestic violence
• Representation of children
• Orders to prevent the unlawful removal of a child from the UK, or the return of an unlawfully removed child

Legal Aid is also available for:

• Divorce, finance and applications relating to children where the applicant can demonstrate that they have been a victim of or are at risk of domestic violence* and prescribed supporting evidence is produced; and
• Applications relating to children where the child who is or would be the subject of the order is at risk of abuse from another individual against which risk of abuse the order is to provide protection and prescribed supporting evidence is produced.

We can provide you with further guidance about the supporting evidence required in each case.

Legal Aid is also available for specialist legal advice in support of clients who are participating in family mediation.

Qualification for most forms of Legal Aid is subject to an assessment of means. There are exceptions however. For example, Legal Aid is available in care proceedings irrespective of the applicant’s financial circumstances.

[*”domestic violence” for this purpose is defined as – “any incident, or pattern of incidents, of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (whether psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between individuals who are associated with each other.”]

Useful Websites

• Resolution - www.resolution.org.uk
• Women’s Aid - www.womensaid.org.uk
• Men’s Advice Line (Support for male victims of domestic violence) - www.mensadviceline.org.uk
• The Law Society - www.lawsociety.org.uk
• North Devon Family Mediation – www.northdevonfamilymediation.co.uk
• Devon Family Solutions – www.devonfamilysolutions.co.uk
• Citizens Advice Bureau - www.citizensadvice.org.uk
• South West Mediation - www.southwestmediation.co.uk