Sophie Banat — Family law solicitors often manage difficult cases involving divorce, parental responsibility, and financial disputes, but they also handle more mundane work, such as writing wills, arranging probate, and setting up trust funds. The diversity of cases taken on by solicitors specialising in family law at least ensures that families are able to rely on a single law firm for most if not all of their legal issues. This means that the same group of lawyers can be used to arrange prenuptial agreements, divorce, conveyancing, and property disputes.One of the problems of relying on a single law firm to address various legal issues is that family law solicitors become excellent generalists. While there is nothing at all wrong with having a group of experts who are trained and experienced in a number of fields, complex disputes often require the involvement of specialists. When choosing a family law firm, therefore, an effort should be made to identify the practice's various areas of speciality.
Ground rules
Family law solicitors tend to build strong relationships with clients over a number of years. At all times, solicitors must ensure that this relationship remains entirely professional. Solicitors should also make every attempt to gain the trust of their clients. To this end, initial consultations ought to be conducted in person, while discussing issues over the phone is usually preferable to written correspondence (including e-mails), which is far more impersonal. In time, solicitors can loosen the reins a little, but an effort should always be made to ensure that the bond between solicitor and client remains strong.
Solicitors must also work in a way that is completely transparent, at least so far as their clients are concerned. Family law disputes often become messy, especially if divorce or child custody is involved. Lawyers can make matters worse if they fail to explain every step of the process in detail. A lack of transparency can erode the trust that ought to exist between a solicitor and his clients. Perhaps the most important factor to consider in this respect is money; family law firms should be completely open about billing. Clients must know when they are going to be charged and estimates provided by solicitors should be as accurate as possible. All bills should be itemised and, if possible, broken down into affordable payments.
What can clients expect?
As mentioned above, family law solicitors operate across a broad spectrum. While they are unlikely to be much help with criminal or commercial cases, they are capable of dealing with the majority of legal issues that cause problems for families and individuals; in fact, their role is so diverse that defining a family law solicitor is not exactly straightforward.
Home to numerous civil law, contract and personal injury solicitors, Liverpool is one of several major cities in the UK that has become a hub of activity for family law solicitors.
Clients can expect a great deal from family law solicitors, who ought to provide professional legal counsel on issues ranging from divorce and separation to parental responsibility and equitable trusts. Many family law solicitors also deal with conveyancing, while some might take on personal injury claims and cases involving land disputes or consumer rights. At all times, clients can expect solicitors to act with professionalism and expertise.