Conflict is common in families and it revolves around various types of issues, such as divorce and separation, children, inheritance, family businesses or partnerships, and many others. The type of family conflict will, in most cases, determine the manner in which it can be resolved. While some cases may be arranged through simple negotiation and working with a team of family dispute solicitors, such as our experts, other cases involving custody may require court involvement.
Family disputes can be highly stressful and emotional, and our practitioners work to solve these cases in a quick cost-efficient manner that is as seamless as possible for all the parties involved.
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Types of family disputes
We have extensive experience in dealing with many types of family disputes and we help families in conflict whilst paying attention to de-escalating the conflict and assuring each party of their rights and how their demands will be best met after the process.
Some of the areas in which our family dispute solicitors specialize include the following:
- Divorce and separation: once a marriage ends, the former spouses will likely have many issues to agree upon and some of these can cause disputes; property, finance and children issues are common;
- Wills: dealing with a loved one’s financial affairs after he or she has passed away can be a source of conflict in a family; our family dispute solicitors can assist you whether or not a will is in place;
- Violence and abuse: disputes can also arise as a result of domestic violence and abuse or rape; if you are a victim, it is crucial to seek help immediately;
- Children’s issues: child maintenance after the divorce can be a source of conflict and so can be the relocation of a minor child outside of the UK (when only one parent agrees on this);
- Others: disputes may also arise in relation to the care that is provided to the elderly, the rights of the grandparents, or manners of treating family businesses and partnerships.
When problems arise, both parties are required to know their rights and that they can seek specialized legal aid, such as the services provided by our family solicitors in London. Whatever the issue, our team is here to answer your questions.
Ways to solve family disputes
- Mediation: is a process that allows the parties to negotiate an agreement with the help of a mediator – an impartial third party who helps the individuals reach an agreement; the result is not binding and it can be put into an agreement with the help of our family lawyers in London;
- Arbitration: the Family Arbitration Scheme allows parties to use this alternative dispute resolution method in family disputes; in family matters it can be used for financial or property disputes and it relies on the arbitrator’s bounding decision;
- Going to Court: the family justice system is sometimes the adequate solution to solve disputes in front of a judge or magistrate.
Our team of family solicitors in London recommends out-of-court procedures whenever possible. However, complex cases do require specialized ruling by a judge that will hear the case. Family law cases can be either private (such as those involving divorce or separation) or public (between a parent and a local authority regarding child custody).
Different types of disputes are solved by the:
- High Court: all cases relating to children; appeals from family proceedings courts are also heard by Judges in the High Court;
- Circuit Judge: issues orders for adoption, the supervision, protection and care of children;
- District Judge: presides over most family disputes such as divorce, financial and property issues, adoption;
- Magistrate’s Courts: magistrates are especially trained to sit in the Family Proceedings Court as well as the Youth Court.
The above is only a summary of the Family Law Courts. For more details, please reach out to our family dispute solicitors.
If you wish to sort family conflict by using an alternative dispute resolution method, our family dispute solicitors can give you more information on mediation and arbitration, including the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators.
According to the quarterly Family Court Statistics issued by the Ministry of Justice, there has been a decrease in the number of cases started in England and Wales for the analysed period (January to March 2020). Our family dispute solicitors highlight the following data:
- 65,553 new cases were started in Family courts between January and March 2020;
- this is a 3% decrease compared to the same period in 2019;
- 29,540 divorce petitions were filed within the same period, also down 3% compared to the equivalent quarter in 2019;
- The number of domestic violence remedy order applications increased by 12% compared to the same period in 2019.
Contact our family dispute solicitors if you need specialized legal aid in solving any type of conflict with your family or former spouse.
