A Hackney tenancy is in one name, the relationship has ended, and the partner whose name is not on it is being told to leave with the children. It is one of the most common situations a family law solicitor in Hackney meets. The family court can transfer a council or housing association tenancy between separating partners, married or not, and can make an occupation order that keeps one of them out of the home in the meantime. Where there has been abuse, a non-molestation order can be obtained within days, and legal aid is available for it.
Children's cases follow. Separated parents must normally attend a mediation information and assessment meeting before applying to court, and Hackney's mediation services and solicitors settle many disputes without a hearing. When one is needed, the East London Family Court in Canary Wharf decides where a child lives and how time is shared, with Cafcass reporting on welfare. Care proceedings brought by the council move on a tight timetable, and parents facing them qualify for legal aid regardless of income.
Hackney's communities shape the work. Stamford Hill families often prefer to resolve disputes within the community, but only the family court can make binding orders about children, and a solicitor who understands religious schooling and observance can draft arrangements that both parents will keep. The borough's many unmarried couples discover on separation that there is no common-law marriage: the house is divided under trust law, not family law, and a cohabitation agreement or declaration of trust made earlier would have prevented the argument.
Most Hackney family solicitors offer a fixed-fee first meeting; contested work is charged by the hour.
Below are the family law firms serving Hackney, verified firms first. See what family law covers, the general family law solicitors page, the divorce process and, for the divorce and its finances, divorce solicitors in Hackney.
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