The grandmother in Horden who has had the children since the summer, the father in Consett who has not seen his daughter since a non-molestation order was made, the couple in Gilesgate who bought a house together and never married: these are the people who walk into family law solicitors in Durham, and none of them is getting divorced. Family law in County Durham is mostly about children, money and safety outside marriage, and the family court serving the county lists far more of those cases than divorces.
Children arrangements come first. Parents who cannot agree where a child lives or how the other parent sees them must attend a mediation information and assessment meeting before applying, and many County Durham disputes settle in mediation with the solicitor drafting a consent order. Where they do not, Cafcass reports and the court decides. Grandparents raising children, common across the former coalfield, apply for child arrangements or special guardianship orders. Durham County Council brings care proceedings when a child is at risk; parents in those cases qualify for legal aid whatever their means.
Domestic abuse is handled urgently. Non-molestation and occupation orders can be obtained within days, legal aid is available for them, and an alleged abuser can no longer question the other party in person. Cohabiting couples who separate find that the house is divided under trust law rather than by fairness, and that a declaration of trust made at purchase would have settled it. Prenuptial agreements are asked for by farming families in the dales and by second marriages.
Durham family solicitors generally offer a fixed-fee or free first appointment and hourly rates for contested work.
Family law firms around Durham are listed below, verified first and then by distance. Start with what family law covers and the general family law solicitors guide; married couples should also see divorce solicitors in Durham, and Wearside families family law solicitors in Sunderland.
