A father in Highfields discovers his children have been taken to visit family in Gujarat and are not coming back; a mother in Beaumont Leys wants to move to Birmingham with the children and the other parent objects. International and long-distance children cases are a regular feature of family law in Leicester, a city whose families stretch across India, East Africa, Pakistan, Somalia and eastern Europe, and they need a solicitor who knows the difference between a relocation application, a prohibited steps order and the emergency powers that apply when a child has been wrongfully removed.
Most family work is closer to home. Parents who separate are expected to try mediation, after a mediation information and assessment meeting, before asking the family court at Wellington Street to decide where the children live and how they see each parent, with Cafcass reporting on their welfare. Unmarried couples who part have no divorce to fall back on, and their rights to the house depend on whose name is on the deeds and what was agreed, which is why Leicester solicitors recommend a cohabitation agreement or declaration of trust at the start rather than a trust dispute at the end.
Where there is violence or coercive control, a non-molestation order or occupation order can be obtained within days, and a forced marriage protection order where that is the fear. Legal aid remains available for domestic abuse cases and for parents facing care proceedings brought by Leicester City Council or Leicestershire County Council.
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, adoption and special guardianship, and arrangements for grandparents complete the picture. Expect fixed fees for agreed arrangements, hourly rates for contested hearings and, at many firms, a free first meeting.
Family law firms serving Leicester are listed below, verified firms first. Read what family law covers and our guide to family law solicitors; for the divorce itself see divorce solicitors in Leicester and the divorce process.
