Family Law Partners

Family Law Partners are a specialist firm dealing exclusively with family law in the South East, in Brighton, London, Horsham, Tunbridge Wells, Ascot, Chelmsford, Eastbourne, Fleet, Petersfield, Winchester and Lewes. We always look to work collaboratively with clients and fellow professionals to achieve the best outcome for our clients and their families.

We have a team of 27 qualified lawyers: Sarah Jelly, consultant (qualified 1978); Robert Williams, director (qualified 1994), Alan Larkin, director (qualified 1997), Jayne Llewelyn, consultant (qualified 1989); Hazel Manktelow, consultant (qualified 2003); Lisa Burton-Durham, director (qualified 2004); Kate Elliott, director (qualified 2006); Gemma Hope, director (qualified 2006); Louise Buttery, consultant (qualified 2011); Chris Maulkin, director (qualified 2011); Polly Dallyn, senior associate (qualified 2017), Charlotte Plowman, senior associate (qualified 2016); Emily Pain, consultant (qualified 2011); Rachel Nicholl, director (qualified 2013); Mimi Hadley, solicitor (qualified 2020); Alice Scambler, director (qualified 2008), Raj Patel, solicitor (qualified 2019); Amanda Phillips-Wylds, Director (qualified 2009); Eleanor Pollard, solicitor (qualified 2020); Sarah-Jane Riddell, senior associate (qualified 1993); Craig Yeung-Williams, associate solicitor (qualified 2010), Lucy Naish, senior associate (qualified 2017);  Zoë Summers, consultant (qualified 2009); Hannah Gumbrill-Ward, associate solicitor (qualified 2019); Victoria Burrows, senior associate (qualified 2004); Katy-Louise Allen, senior associate solicitor (qualified 2010).

We are committed to non-court dispute resolution (DR); presently offering thirteen mediators, eleven collaborative lawyers and an arbitrator. The willingness to provide and signpost to DR options (including arbitration) is fundamental to our practice and in the “DNA” of all the team, as evidenced by the commitment we make to train the team in DR disciplines.

Types of work undertaken: In all our work we look to ensure the client has the right team in place to support their needs.  This may include specialist counsel, pension experts, financial experts, forensic accountants, counsellors and family consultants.

Divorce, judicial separation and dissolution: our team of divorce solicitors are highly experienced and will work with our clients to make an informed decision as to which option is appropriate and if so when it would be in their interests to start the process.

Mediation: our mediation team are all experienced family law specialist comprising Kate Elliott, Gemma Hope, Amanda Phillips-Wylds, Hannah Viet, Sarah-Jane Riddell, Polly Dallyn, Charlotte Plowman, Katy-Louise Allen, Sarah Jelly, Jayne Llewelyn, Hazel Manktelow, Louise Buttery, Emily Pain and Alice Scrambler. As a wider team, we advise clients on how mediation can be used as an effective way of resolving family law issues, including arrangements for children.

Financial issues: our family solicitors are highly experienced in complex financial issues and approach their advice holistically and strategically to ensure cases are dealt with in the most appropriate, sensitive and cost-effective way. We aim to adopt a non-adversarial approach to resolving matters and encourage the use of mediation, round table meetings and the collaborative law model. Even when involved in litigation we remain issue focused to ensure the best outcome is achieved in the most cost-effective way.

Cohabitation: we look at all the issues that may impact our client and advise how to address these in the most appropriate, sensitive and cost-effective way. We aim to adopt a non-adversarial approach to resolving matters and encourage the use of family mediation, round table meetings and the collaborative law model.  When cases require it we will litigate but we do so in a solution-focused way.

Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements: we prefer to facilitate pre-relationship agreements using round table meetings or the collaborative model if possible so there can be honest and open discussions, and issues can be explored and reality checked.

Children: we take a solution-focused approach to arrangements for children, involve third party support to improve communication and parenting differences and we work with our clients to find lasting outcomes.

Agreeable: In 2022 we launched Agreeable - an experience where one of our specialist mediators who is also a qualified family lawyer works together with our family consultant to offer a new model where one lawyer acts for both parties. The service is ground-breaking and was borne out of our many years’ experience in mediation and listening to what clients want.

Surrogacy: our specialist surrogacy team are experienced in advising on the different aspects of surrogacy.  We help same-sex and heterosexual couples both married and unmarried and from diverse backgrounds and cultures. We can assist with surrogacy planning, parental order applications, surrogacy disputes, international surrogacy issues, immigration and British nationality for children born abroad.

Offices
Brighton (Sussex)
Horsham (Sussex)
Ascot (Berkshire)
London
Tunbridge Wells (Kent)
Fleet (Hampshire)
Petersfield (Hampshire)
Winchester (Hampshire)
Chelmsford (Essex)
Lewes (Sussex)
Eastbourne (Sussex)

Number of directors: 10
Number of additional lawyers: 17