Family Law

Shepherd & Co. can assist you in family law with services including divorce, child contact, financial settlement and pre-nuptials. Our friendly team will help you to make an informed decision to get you through this difficult time.

We aim to provide practical solutions to resolve family related issues promptly and as amicably to keep costs at a minimum. We make an effort to understand your situation and guide you through this difficult time. We aim to minimise your stress whilst dealing with your matter as quickly as possible in the most cost effective way.

We pride ourselves on our understanding and dedicated team who are here to help you. We aim to give you a professional service and provide continued support and helpful advice throughout the process.

Contact us to discuss your circumstances and we can assist you with any queries you might have.

Divorce

Going through a divorce is often a very stressful and emotional circumstance for all parties involved. We are here to help you through this difficult time and guide you through the divorce process. While dealing with the breakdown of a relationship, we can helpyou to deal with other important matters such as the division of finances and care of the parties’ children.

 

We can work closely with you throughout the proceedings and reduce the stress by deal with the legal aspects of the breakdown of your relationship, allowing you to focus on the things that matter.

Contact us to discuss your circumstances and we can assist you with any queries you might have.

Child Contact

We can assist you with Child Arrangements Orders (CAO) under the new Child Arrangement Programme (CAP). 

All parties are now required to engage in Mediation when there is dispute concerning children. Mediation is available to provide opportunities for families to work in a positive and constructive way. If mediation fails, then the parties are permitted to make an Application to the Court for determination of any issues concerning the children. We can guide you through the mediation process and ultimately assist you at Court to ensure your views are properly represented meaning that you get the best possible outcome for your children and you.  

It helps greatly to have an impartial solicitor on hand to guide you through every step in a cost effective manner. 

Contact us to discuss your circumstances and we can assist you with any queries you might have.

Financial Settlements

Upon the breakdown of a marriage the Court has wide discretion to order payment of maintenance, a payment of a lump sum, the sale of the family home or the transfer into the sole name of one party and to make orders in relation to pensions, even though they may not be payable for many years.

 

The ideal situation would be that there would be enough money to cover the needs of both parties but this is, of course, not often possible and so it is usually a question of doing the best with the money available to the parties. Our advice can assist you to achieve a quick, cost effective and amicable outcome for you in your circumstances.

 

Our team are experienced in this area and would be more than happy to talk things through with you.

 

Contact us to discuss your circumstances and we can assist you with any queries you might have.

Pre-Nuptial Agreements

Following a landmark decision in October 2010, in which the Court gave recognition to prenuptial agreements, we have seen a marked rise in the number of clients contacting us about pre-nuptial agreements.

Prenuptial agreements are considered to be rather unromantic and as everyone going into a relationship does so because they all love and trust each other, they often consider a prenuptial to be a taboo. From our perspective, we see prenuptials as a way of preserving assets brought into the marriage, particularly for those who are on a second marriage and need to look after their children’s inheritance.

It is important to note that prenuptial agreements are still not legally enforceable in England and Wales – at least for now. However, judges are attaching more weight to prenuptial agreements and are more likely to uphold them.

If you are considering a prenuptial agreement, or you have signed a prenuptial agreement and would like advice, our qualified and experienced solicitors can help. Contact us for further information or to make an appointment.

Contact us to discuss your circumstances and we can assist you with any queries you might have.