Kathryn Price

Introducing our new Associate Solicitor, Kathryn.

Worcester Family Law Practice is proud to introduce our new Associate Solicitor, Kathryn!

This year we welcomed a new member of staff to our legal team.

Kathryn Price, an experienced Family Solicitor with 15 years of valuable experience, joined our ranks as an Associate Solicitor at the Worcester Family Law Practice. Following a highly successful 18 months since Susan Humes and Marisa Hackett succeeded as management, and the busiest January in the last 6 years at the firm, we found ourselves in a very fortunate and encouraging position, both for us and for our clients.

With no immediate plans for expanding our workforce, it was a pleasant surprise to be in a position to take on another solicitor as soon as we have.

In order to continue offering an exceptional and personalised service for potential future clients, as well as maintaining good relationships with our current ones, we wanted to ensure that we had adequate – excuse the irony – “manpower”.

As a well-renowned and highly competitive, all female firm in Worcester, we pride ourselves on providing security and support for both modern and traditional families embarking on often problematic and stressful life changes. New financial and familial commitments are complex matters, and there is certainly no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” solution.

If you are going through a family breakdown and wish to make legal preparations for separation, divorce or child contact arrangements, we can accommodate you.

If you require security for your financial interests within partnerships, marriages and the family home, Worcester Family Law Practice can offer you reassurance and support there too.

Contact us today to find out more.

Solicitors with a wealth of experience in important family matters. Securing your home, your financial needs and the basic framework to help you build and secure your future.

Living Together Agreements, Pre and Post-Nuptial agreements, Financial Remedies, Divorce, and our specialist training in Collaborative Law, has made us the go to Worcester Law Firm for many, in and around Worcestershire.

A good reputation with the family courts has ensured us longevity and success, making us a reliable mouthpiece for our clients and respected among our peers and competitors.

We have had some fantastic feedback from clients who we have assisted in various aspects of family law, and, looking ahead for the company’s future prosperity, we know how crucial it is that we grow at a pace that suits the clientele we continue to cater for.

To us, it will always be important that we maintain our appeal as a small and independent company brand and that we never lose sight of our ultimate aim:

To be an approachable, down-to-earth legal companion, an empathetic but realistic guide through difficult times.

Contact us today to find out more.

Parenting through divorce: How can I protect my kids?

Divorce with children

Going through divorce is one of the most difficult experiences you will ever have to manage and, although as adults we are usually able to rationalise our feelings, are we truly aware of how it is affecting our kids?

Even when separation is the best option for you and your family, it doesn’t necessarily make the process any easier to deal with, or your decisions any easier to make.

Although, your children will not understand how you feel, it is really important that you try to understand how what you do makes them feel. Keeping the emotional welfare of your children at the forefront of your mind, particularly during the legal process, can often help you make better decisions for yourself as well as for them.

Children can often feel betrayed by their parents’ divorce, their family unit – no matter how dysfunctional – was their home and their fundamental understanding of life, love and security through their family relationships – it’s all they know.

So much change is difficult for anyone to adjust to. Children can feel like their life has been turned upside down, and these feelings are often exacerbated by the physical changes that occur as a result of divorce.

Many children have to move homes and change schools, as well as adjust to a lifestyle that caters for a lower, single-parent income. Taking all this into consideration, you, as a parent, must be prepared for how they might act out, either at home or at school, and maintain communication and comfort as best you can. Some may not show their turmoil on the outside, but may be deeply suffering with it on the inside.

In cases where families have experienced issues with domestic violence, it is not always easy for a child to accept that it is better for their parents to live apart, even when they themselves have been hurt or are potentially in danger.

Conflict is damaging, and your children are witnessing conflict between the two people they love the most.

As a parent going through divorce, it is important that you acknowledge how much more complex your child’s emotions can be towards your situation than you might think. Try not to assume that you know how they feel or that they agree with the decisions you make, even when you know that what you are doing is best for them.

Discussing your decisions with your children in an age-appropriate manner can help reassure them that they are loved and cared for by both parents, even now you have chosen to live apart.

Just making them feel safe, loved and considered can help alleviate the heartache that inevitably follows a family breakdown.

How we can help

At the Worcester Family Law Practice, we will encourage you to put your children at the centre of your decision-making and provide you with advice and guidance to assist you in this difficult time.

As members of Resolution, we believe that Collaborative Law is the best solution. Seeking a more amicable outcome through a less confrontational, and more personal, approach to resolving family conflict.

Contact the Worcester Family Law Practice to discuss the multiple benefits of Collaborative Law with our collaboratively trained and certified solicitors and visit the Resolution website for further reading about how to keep your children’s best interest at heart.

Collaborative Law, working together

What is Collaborative Law? Divorce with dignity.

Collaborative Law, working together

 

Collaborative Law is based on the premise that effective communication provides a more favourable and less confrontational approach to divorce.

It allows the separating couple to express their expectations, objectives and concerns, setting the tone for a more amicable process where they both understand each other and are committed to resolving their differences outside of court.

No one knows what you want from divorce better than you and your ex-partner do. We believe that if you are to live with the consequences of your legal separation, it should be you that determines the agenda of your divorce proceedings and at what pace the process moves along. What better way than to collaborate rather than fight for a desirable outcome?

Collaborative Law requires solicitors who are specifically trained for these proceedings. It is a face-to-face approach to divorce that we believe brings the couple’s needs to the forefront of the legal process.

Your divorce will focus on your needs and desired outcomes and you will work together to achieve what you both want.

Everything is open and transparent and, initially, you will discuss what both of you deem as the most important outcome for you as individuals. The collaborative meetings allow you to take more control of your divorce and you are much less likely to get swept up in the momentum of disagreement and demands, consequently making it less likely for you to make decisions that you later regret.

Your lawyer’s role is to assist and guide you through the process, providing legal advice where it is needed and keeping you focused on your main objectives. They will oversee the process and keep your feet on the ground so there are no unrealistic expectations but you’re made fully aware of what you’re entitled to.

No court case, no pressure.

There is no timeline for the overall process, however, the average proceedings consist of about three or four meetings organised in a way that fits around your timetable. You don’t just set the agenda, you set the pace and the frequency of your meetings. With no court date looming over your head, you are free to think about what you are ready to discuss rather than feeling under pressure to do what is demanded of you.

As we have explained on our Collaborative Law Page, we encourage people to use the collaborative process where possible. We believe that it provides the appropriate framework for a resolution that looks forward to your future from the start, rather than reacting to the often misconstrued and impersonal process of written communication.

Sometimes you make decisions in life that don’t turn out the way you had hoped or the way you had expected. Collaborative law can provide you with the fresh start that you both need in order to walk away from your marriage knowing that the terms set, were done so by you.

You have to live your lives following the outcome of your divorce. It makes no sense that a stranger should have the final say. This is also true for unmarried couples and, even more so, when the separation involves children.

Next month we would like to discuss why the way in which you conduct your divorce can determine how your children are affected and what you can do to help minimise the damaging effects that it can have for the future of your family following separation.

 

If you would like to enquire about Collaborative Law or anything else that you have seen on our website, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01905 730900 or email us at family@worcfamilylaw.co.uk and someone from our team will be on hand to assist you.

 

Divorce, family law

Getting a divorce: What to expect and how your solicitor can help.

Divorce, family law

People can carry the heavy burden of wanting to get a divorce for years before they feel ready to do anything about it. Often, even just walking into the solicitor’s office for the first time can be a highly emotional experience as the gravity of their decision hits home and becomes a reality. It can be overwhelming and confusing, and this is why we believe it is so important to be selective and to find the right solicitor to work with you.

At the Worcester Family Law Practice, we don’t believe that having a solicitor with the correct qualifications is necessarily enough. To successfully advise and represent you, we want to encourage a successful solicitor/client relationship that will help you achieve what you want to achieve in the best way and with the best outcome and it is their responsibility to guide you and to listen to you.

It’s about having a solicitor you feel comfortable talking to, someone you feel comfortable confiding in, and someone who will give you sound advice about your situation.

Dealing with divorce is like going through a process of bereavement.

The first couple of appointments can be quite tearful encounters, and the client isn’t always prepared for how emotional they will become.

It may surprise you to know that separating from your partner is similar to dealing with bereavement. Whether you’re the one who is filing for divorce, or you are the recipient of divorce papers from your partner, there is a fundamental sense of loss that you must begin to process and it can be extremely difficult to come to terms with. It is the start of an emotional journey.

For some, emotions can lie dormant for a long time before surfacing, consequently taking you by surprise even when you thought that you were coping. Furthermore, it is common that you and your partner will experience different emotions at different times during your divorce and it is important to take this into account when discussing the correspondence between you and your partner with your solicitor as everybody is different.

We are here to give you solid, professional and empathetic advice that will help lead you towards the fresh start that you deserve.

Act in haste, repent at leisure.

As long as you take time to consider your options, we will support your decisions. We encourage clients to fully communicate with us, their solicitor, about how they feel, as this is highly relevant to the decisions we help you make. A good solicitor will be able to judge what you need them to do next in order to sufficiently support you without telling you what to do. Only you can truly know the answer to that, but we can be a voice of reason throughout this process.

Sometimes you need a little help feeling confident with a decision that you need to make. Divorce can significantly affect your self-confidence and it is important that your solicitor is by your side to reassure you.

Your decisions will determine the trajectory of your new life following divorce so we would like you to trust us when we say that this is not something you should rush.

We want what’s best for you as our client.

We don’t believe in making decisions for you, or even pressurising you into making decisions that we think are best for you. This is bad practice and can have extremely harmful consequences. Our solicitors will always discuss things with you face-to-face, advising you on the next step in the proceedings, following up with written confirmation of what we discussed in order to give you time to think, process, and then help you make an informed decision that is your own. We do this because we understand that sometimes clients don’t absorb all of the information in the first instance. If it is the right decision, it will still feel like the right decision tomorrow, and the next day, so there is no need to act in haste, your have too much time ahead of you to regret, let’s avoid that where we can. Your instinctive decisions aren’t always the right ones, but we will proceed with your decisions when you are confident that you’re happy to move forward.

Don’t forget to pay attention to your health.

It is important that you take care of your health as you embark on the emotional rollercoaster that lies ahead. Eating well, exercising and having a good social support network are all important elements for coping as best you can with divorce.

There are days when you will feel like you’re on top of the world, but these days can be quickly followed by a struggle to get out of bed in the morning. This is a completely normal reaction and we want you to know that it is not only acceptable but also expected. Just make yourself aware and don’t give yourself a hard time for how you feel.

When you are carrying an emotional burden like divorce and any kind of family breakdown, your health is paramount in order for you to give yourself the best grounding for making important decisions and functioning in the way that you need to for you and your family.

We believe that it is the solicitor’s job to know what to look out for in regards to the emotional wellbeing of our clients and to act and advise accordingly.

At the Worcester Family Law Practice, we don’t want to be like other firms who guide you through the motions of divorce and just get the job done. We want to be a valuable asset to all of our clients going through hardship and use all elements of our experience to be a good influence on you at a time when you are at your most vulnerable.

While we are not counsellors, we are part of your professional support system and your emotional wellbeing is of the utmost importance to us in order to make sure you are making decisions that you won’t regret later on.

There is no algorithm for a perfect and pain-free divorce.

Unfortunately, there is no checklist or approved instruction manual for what you need to do to come out of divorce completely unscathed. The psychological hardship of going through a divorce effects people, and materialises, in many different ways.

That’s why it’s so important that you have a solicitor who is flexible and who understands that every client is unique and will require help from them in different ways. You are not a case number to us, you are a person who needs our help and we will do what we can to support you, even when that means recommending someone else who is more suited to giving you what you need.

Be kind to yourself and remember, it won’t always be this hard. You are taking important steps towards a life you believe will be better for you and your family. Don’t let the fear of the unknown hinder your decision to do what you feel is right for you. Come and talk to us.

For more information about what to expect and how to take care of yourself during divorce and separation, please visit the Resolution website as a recommended resource.

If you are contemplating divorce or have legal questions for our family solicitors, feel free to call our office in Worcester on 01905 730900 between 9am and 5pm, Monday – Friday to arrange a chat with either Susan or Marisa who will be more than happy to discuss how they can help you in your situation.

Worcester Family Law Practice giving the company a fresh face to legal advice to reflect the recent changes to the firm.

Worcester Family Law Practice is under new management. From associate solicitors to leadership duo, Susan Humes and Marisa Hackett step up to the director’s plate, offering guidance and legal advice to settle all family conflicts.

susan-humes

Established back in 2003 as the first niche Family Law Firm in Worcester by former company owner, Paul Kemp – now running the Worcester Family Mediation Practice – the Worcester Family Law Practice has recently undergone a company reshuffle. With over 30 years experience in family law between them, the co-directors aspire to become the go-to Family Law practice for Worcestershire and beyond. With confidence in their success and experience in family support, they look forward to continuing to provide the best legal advice for family breakdowns and disputes in the West Midlands.

With a personalised approach to their work, both Susan and Marisa are clear about their vision for the future of the firm.

With only minor ambitions for company expansion, both solicitors agree that it is important for them to keep in touch with the day-to-day dealings within the practice and to remain as the core advisors and legal representatives for their clients and the company. With the company rebrand, they wish to demonstrate how their business reflects the modern realities of marriage, divorce and having children in contemporary Britain, but to remain as the reliable, approachable and cooperative practice for new and existing clients that they have always been.

marisa-hackett

Family legal advice that you can rely on for comfort, guidance, and compassion.

Both solicitors take active roles within the community, Susan Humes, on the board of trustees for Asha Women’s Centre, Marisa Hackett, an integral member of the school governors at the school in which her children attend, and both are trained Collaborative Lawyers and members of Resolution.

Determined to define the practice as a pioneer within the field of Family Law expertise and collaborative conflict resolution, both partners agree that their experience allows them to efficiently guide their clients towards a resolution for the comfort of their future. They aim to provide peace of mind and to achieve a dignified result for their clients, ensuring that they achieve a reasonable outcome that also benefits their family, particularly in the cases involving vulnerable people and children.

 

For more information, call us now on 01905 730900 and talk to one of our solicitors or send us an email, family@worcfamilylaw.co.uk.

We look forward to hearing from you.