The Family Court Has Too Few Off-Ramps – And Families Pay the Price
One of the biggest problems in family proceedings is not simply that people end up in court.It is that once they are in, the system does remarkably little to help them get back out again.That sounds odd, doesn’t it? Family court is supposed to be there to help resolve disputes.But if you speak to enough […]
Why I Built the Family Court Support Service I Wish I’d Found Myself
When people ask how I came to do this work, the honest answer is very simple: I didn’t set out wanting to work in family law at all. I came into contact with the family justice system when my own marriage broke down. Like many people, I assumed that however painful separation might be, there […]
If Mediation Failed, Did It Need To? ThinkingCarefully Before the Next Step
When mediation breaks down, people often experience it as the end of the road.That is understandable. They have tried to be reasonable. They have sat in the room. Theyhave had the conversations. They may have gone into the process hoping that if they justexplained themselves clearly enough, or stayed calm enough, or gave it […]
Children Do Not Need Competition Between Parents — They Need Stability
There is a phrase adults often use during separation that sounds harmless enough on thesurface: “I’m fighting for my children.” Sometimes that is true. Sometimes a parent really is trying to protect a child from somethingserious. Sometimes intervention is necessary. Sometimes conflict cannot be wished away.But far too often, “I’m fighting for my children” is […]
You Are the Expert in Your Own Case – But That Doesn’t Mean Going It Alone
There is a phrase I often come back to when helping clients prepare for family proceedings:You are the expert in your own case. That should not be controversial, but in practice it often gets lost very quickly. The moment professionals enter the picture, many people start to assume they must handover not only the process […]
What Family Court Support Really Looks Like When Mediation Fails
A lot of people come to family court support at exactly the point they never wanted to reach.They tried to sort things out. They may have attempted mediation. They may have tried directdiscussion. They may have hoped that time, calm communication and a bit of goodwill wouldbe enough to get them over the line. And […]
Why Most Family Cases Do Not Need Full Service Lawyering From Start to Finish
There is an assumption built into the way many people think about family proceedings.Either you fully instruct lawyers and pay heavily for every stage, or you do it alone.That binary is one of the most expensive misconceptions in family law. Because the truth is that much of what happens in a family case is not […]
The Parent Who Can Still Hear Reality Is Usually the One Who Can Be Helped
One of the hardest truths in family conflict is this: Not everyone who asks for help is actually open to it. That may sound harsh, but anyone who has spent enough time around entrenched disputeswill recognise it immediately. Some people come looking for guidance. Others come lookingfor validation. They do not want clarity. They want […]
Stop Throwing Spears: A Better Way to Approach Child Arrangements Disputes
One of the biggest problems in child arrangements disputes is that people often start frompositions that sound definite, but are actually built on fear, anger or hurt. They say, I want 50/50.Or, I want full custody.Or, I m not agreeing to that under any circumstances. But when you take time to unpack what is really […]
Why a Barrister Beats a QLR (and Why Preparation Still Starts With You)
If you are a litigant in person facing cross-examination restrictions in family court, you will hear a phrase that sounds reassuring: “You’ll be appointed a QLR.” Many people take that to mean: “Great — the court is giving me a lawyer.”It isn’t. A Qualified Legal Representative (QLR) is not “your barrister by another name”. A […]