Child Law Solicitors Oxford & London | Family First Solicitors

We help you if you are having problems sorting out arrangements for children or grandchildren.

Whether you are married, civil partners or unmarried, the law relating to children can be hard to cope with. You may feel bullied into agreeing things; controlled over every little bit of time you have with your kids, or beaten down by unkind, cruel manipulation. Don’t worry – we are experts in children and family law and child law advice.

We are with you every step of the way, whether you are:

Worrying about the right way to organise contact or residence of your children.
Trying to negotiate an agreement.
Looking for advice before/during mediation
Thinking about family courts proceedings
Dealing with the paperwork yourself but just want court representation or a bit of advice
A grandparent seeking contact with your grandchildren
Need advice because social services have written to you about your children or grandchildren

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What you need to know about children and family law…

… when you are separating

Children law is complicated but you know that your children and their welfare are the most important thing right now. Sometimes, you may feel as if your ex is not feeling the same way. We have all heard of awful couples with years and years of bitterness, endlessly struggling through the courts over their children, nearly bankrupting themselves in the process.

There is a better way.

Whether you are mediating, in court, or just starting out, we want you to put your children first. Sometimes that means telling you something you don’t want to hear, or that you don’t agree with. We won’t change our advice, just because you don’t like it, but you may need to change your lawyer if you don’t like our advice.

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… when you need to go to Court

We can help you with strategy for your case.
We can help draft powerful and incisive statements.
We can represent you, putting your side of the story forward as effectively as you would if you weren’t so nervous and intimidated by the process.

You might not need to be in Court

Think about mediation

Before you are entitled to issue court proceedings you have to find out about mediation. You will need to choose a qualified mediator to carry out a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting, or ‘MIAMS’. If you qualify for legal aid then your MIAMS and your ex’s MIAMS will be free. You do not need to do the MIAMS together.

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Is a MIAMS just a hurdle to you getting ‘Justice’?

Not really. Sometimes just communicating in a better way can stop the cycle of negativity that prevents parents getting on for the sake of the kids. You would be amazed at how mediating what seems a huge family law problem can shrink it down to size.

Mediation is a safe place to discuss parenting issues and the nitty gritty of bringing up kids. The mediator acts as a referee, staying neutral and guiding the discussion.

You can receive legal advice at the same time as mediation, we have a trusted list of mediators to support you, so please speak to us first.