When a Walthamstow couple separate, one of them usually wants to move: to Essex, where the money goes further, or back to family in another part of the country. Family law solicitors in Waltham Forest handle more of these relocation disputes than most, because the borough sits exactly where London prices push families outwards. A parent cannot simply take the children to Harlow or Norwich if the other objects; the court weighs the children's relationship with both parents, their school and their friends against the reasons for the move.
Most children's cases start with a mediation information and assessment meeting, and a good number end in mediation too, with the agreement written up by solicitors into a consent order. Where the court is needed, the East London Family Court in Canary Wharf decides where a child lives and how time is divided, with Cafcass reporting on welfare. Grandparents, of whom Chingford has many, can apply for permission to seek contact of their own.
Domestic abuse cases are handled urgently. Non-molestation and occupation orders can be in place within days, legal aid is available for them, and the same evidence opens legal aid for related children and finance proceedings. Care proceedings brought by the council carry non-means-tested legal aid for parents and run to a strict timetable.
Waltham Forest's many unmarried couples face a harder road. There is no common-law marriage in English law, so the house is divided under trust principles and financial support for children comes through a separate claim; a cohabitation agreement signed while the relationship is good avoids most of the argument.
Most firms offer a fixed-fee first meeting and hourly rates for contested work.
Family law firms serving Waltham Forest are listed below, verified firms first. Read what family law covers and the general family law solicitors page; for the divorce and the finances see divorce solicitors in Waltham Forest and the divorce process.
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