The letter arrives from Merton's children's services inviting a parent to a meeting, with a note that they are entitled to bring a solicitor and that legal aid will cover it. That letter, the start of the pre-proceedings process, is where family law solicitors in Merton can do the most good: care proceedings can still be avoided, and a parent who turns up with advice and a plan is treated differently from one who does not. Legal aid for parents at this stage is not means-tested, and nobody should attend that meeting alone.
Most family work in the borough is less stark. Separated parents in Raynes Park and Morden need arrangements for where the children live and how holidays are shared, and nearly all must attend a mediation information and assessment meeting before a court will consider an application. Grandparents who have lost contact after a divorce can ask the court's permission to apply. Couples who never married, a growing group in the flats around Wimbledon and Colliers Wood, discover that the house belongs to whoever is on the title, and that a declaration of trust made at the start would have settled it. Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are increasingly asked for by second marriages in Wimbledon Village and are respected by the courts when properly made.
Where there is domestic abuse, non-molestation and occupation orders can be obtained within days and legal aid is available. Contested children and finance cases run through the family court serving south-west London, with Cafcass reporting on the children's welfare.
Most Merton family solicitors offer a fixed-fee or free first meeting and hourly rates for contested work, with fixed fees for agreements.
Family law firms serving Merton are listed below, verified firms first. See the article on what family law covers and the general family law solicitors guide; for the divorce itself go to divorce solicitors in Merton, and the family law solicitors in London page covers the capital's family courts.
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