Family law covers the legal side of relationships and children: divorce and dissolution, financial settlements, arrangements for children after separation, domestic abuse, cohabitation disputes, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, adoption and care proceedings. Few areas of law are as personal, and a good family law solicitor in London combines legal expertise with the judgement to know when to negotiate and when to go to court.
Most children and finance cases now start with mediation. Unless there has been domestic abuse or another exemption applies, you will need to attend a mediation information and assessment meeting before applying to court, and solicitors increasingly offer collaborative law and arbitration as alternatives to a contested hearing. Where court is unavoidable, London cases are heard at the Central Family Court in Holborn and at the East London and West London family courts, and urgent matters, such as non-molestation and occupation orders in domestic abuse cases, can be dealt with quickly.
London's diversity brings its own questions: couples with homes or family in more than one country, religious marriages that may not be recognised in English law, and unmarried partners who are surprised to learn that there is no such thing as a common-law spouse. A cohabitation agreement or declaration of trust, drawn up by a solicitor, can prevent painful disputes later.
Legal aid for family law is limited but still available for victims of domestic abuse and in care proceedings, and many firms offer fixed fees for straightforward work and a free or low-cost first meeting.
The solicitors below offer family law services within 20 miles of central London, with verified featured firms first and the rest ordered by distance. See our guide to what family law covers, our divorce solicitors in London page and the divorce process explained, or read about family law solicitors in general.
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