Services
Children
Matters involving children are among the most significant a family can face. Whether you are seeking to establish clear arrangements for where your children live, resolving a dispute about schooling or medical care, or navigating an international relocation, we act with care, resolve and the child's welfare always at the fore.
What this covers
Specialist work across children.
Child Arrangements Orders
Determining where a child lives and the nature and frequency of contact with each parent, including enforcement of existing orders.
Specific Issue & Prohibited Steps Orders
Seeking court direction on a child's schooling, medical treatment, religious upbringing, or preventing removal from the jurisdiction without consent.
International Relocation & Leave to Remove
Acting for parents seeking to relocate abroad with a child, or opposing such applications, including urgent Hague Convention proceedings.
Special Guardianship & Adoption
Advising extended family members, foster carers and prospective adopters on Special Guardianship Orders and formal adoption applications.
Our approach
How we approach children matters
In all proceedings concerning children, the court applies one overriding principle: the welfare of the child is the paramount consideration. Our role is to translate that principle into clear, workable legal orders that reflect your child's best interests, achieved with as little disruption as possible.
Where parents can agree, we support negotiated arrangements through solicitor correspondence, mediation or the collaborative process. We approach these routes seriously, not as a preliminary formality before litigation, but as a genuine and often superior means of reaching durable outcomes.
Where agreement is not possible, we are experienced litigators who present each case clearly and compellingly at every stage of proceedings. We prepare meticulously for hearings and work with expert witnesses, CAFCASS officers and counsel of the highest calibre.
For international matters, including leave-to-remove applications, the return of children wrongfully removed from England and Wales under the Hague Convention, and cross-border contact disputes, we coordinate with leading counsel and overseas lawyers to deliver a single, coherent strategy wherever the proceedings take place.
Process
What to expect
Initial advice
We listen carefully, assess the current position and help you identify clearly what outcome you are seeking and what is achievable.
Pre-application steps
We explore correspondence, MIAM attendance and genuine attempts at negotiated resolution before issuing proceedings where possible.
Court proceedings
We issue applications, attend all hearings and directions appointments, and manage every stage of the proceedings on your behalf.
Final order
A legally binding arrangement is made that both parties are required to comply with, providing certainty and stability for the children.