Family Law Services
Children Law Services
Our child law services team is made up of highly experienced legal professionals who pride themselves on achieving solutions for children.
Our team of family solicitors based in Brighton provides professional and helpful children’s law services throughout East Sussex.
Overview of our Children Law Services
Family Law Services
Our guiding principle is that whatever else may be at stake, the interests of your children must come first, and we pride ourselves in putting children at the forefront of our minds at all times.
It is all too easy for children to become unwilling pawns in a warring relationship or for their feelings to be suppressed or ignored. The days of “custody” and “access” battles should be numbered. We will do everything we can to reduce the impact of separation on your children and, where necessary, we can help you find additional help from organisations that specialise in supporting families through troubled times.
Our primary focus will always be to encourage you to reach a negotiated resolution, either through direct agreement, Mediation or the Collaborative process, our child law team has considerable experience in securing Orders within the Court process to include complex areas such as children’s relocation.
Child Arrangements Order – Child arrangements orders replaced residence and contact orders and before that custody orders. The new order sets out who a child should live, spend time or otherwise have contact with. Such contact may take place as direct contact, overnight staying contact, supervised contact and indirect contact through letters or cards. In rare circumstances where the best interests of the child dictate, the Court can order that there is no contact.
Prohibitive Steps Order – Preventing a parent from doing something e.g. removing a child from the UK or preventing a change of name.
Specific Issue Order – To deal with issues such as schooling, surname, or one-off issues such as medical treatment, consent for holidays etc.
Parental Responsibility – Giving a person status to decide on matters such as school and consent for medical treatment.
Financial Orders – maintenance, lump sum and property for the child’s benefit.
Direct Agreement – We will attempt to help you reach an agreement directly with your partner through our initial advice and perhaps a referral to someone such as a Family Consultant.
Mediation – Mediation provides a forum for couples to meet with a trained mediator to try to resolve issues in dispute between them. It is designed to encourage cooperation and prevent conflicts from intensifying. Mediators are neutral and are trained to facilitate discussions and offer information to the parties to ensure that everyone’s viewpoint is heard and dealt with fairly.
Collaborative Law – The process involves a series of joint meetings involving the couple and their collaboratively trained lawyers. An Agreement is signed confirming the mutual intention of reaching a fair and equitable settlement and, not to go to Court other than by agreement. The process is future-focused and ideally suited to discussing childcare arrangements.
Court Proceedings – There are occasions when parties cannot reach an agreement on their own or through dispute resolution, and there is no alternative but to have childcare arrangements determined by the Court. At Court, there will be an opportunity for both parents to discuss their differences with a Child Reporter (Cafcass Officer). The Cafcass Officer’s task is to establish the wishes of the child and to make recommendations as to what orders the Court should make having regard to what is in the best interest of the child.
A solicitor can advise you in relation to difficulties with child arrangements and how best to resolve them. If necessary the team can refer you to mediators and family consultants who also help parents to come to agreements.
Factsheets
Browse and download
Children Factsheeet
Considering your children when separating Factsheet
Your Family Law Experts
Get to know those who are here to help you
Jennie Apsey
Solicitor, Family Department
Areas of Specialism
Jennie is a Solicitor in the Family team, who advises in relation to Children Act litigation (private law), Financial Remedies on divorce, cohabitation agreements and disputes, and protection from domestic abuse/injunctive relief.
- Child arrangements orders
- Children – specific issue and prohibited steps orders - temporary or permanent removal from the jurisdiction, enforcement
- Financial remedies on divorce / dissolution of civil partnership - pension sharing, litigation and financial conduct
- Pre and Post-nuptial agreements
- Separation and cohabitation agreements
- Domestic violence injunctions
Recent Client Matters
- Jennie regularly represents parents in private children law proceedings where mental health issues, substance misuse, and allegations of domestic abuse are a feature.
- Jennie has recently successfully defended a Specific Issue application by a mother to remove a child from the jurisdiction and secured a Port Alert Order. She has also acted for the Applicant in a Specific Issue application to permanently remove children from the jurisdiction.
- Jennie has experience of acting for parents in Children Act proceedings that include Fact-Finding hearings.
- Jennie has experience of acting for clients in both long and short marriages and recently acted for the Applicant Husband in Financial Remedy proceedings following a very short marriage of 7 months’ duration where all the assets were in the wife’s name including the Family Home. A very successful outcome was secured for the client which enabled him to rehouse and settle significant liabilities.
- Jennie is often instructed to prepare Financial Consent Orders following agreements reached between parties directly, in mediation, or as a result of solicitor-led negotiation.
Qualifications, Membership
- Solicitor (PGDL)
Qualifications, Membership
Legal 500 “Star in the making”
Julian Hunt
Partner, Family Department
Areas of Specialism
Julian is a highly experienced family practitioner who heads up the Family Department. Julian is a trained Collaborative lawyer and Mediator. Julian is Top Ranked in the Chambers Legal Directory with testimonials including “a really good lawyer, experienced, calm and can fight his client’s corner with flair and creativity without making the dispute intractable.”
Julian’s focus is on resolving, not creating conflict, encouraging negotiation, and finding solutions. Julian is adept at bringing a calm, focused and if necessary, robust approach to contentious and complex financial situations. Julian will bring empathy and solutions to child related matters. Julian will strive to find the approach which will best benefit the individual and to prepare them for life after separation.
Julian’s specialties :
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advising on high net worth and complex separations, involving businesses, Trusts, and pension issues
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dealing with cases using the Collaborative model
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resolving childcare disputes
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advising on pre and post nuptial agreements
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advising on cohabitation disputes
Recent Client Matters
- Acted for a Wife in Financial Remedy proceedings overcoming Husband’s refusal to provide full financial disclosure and comply with the Court timetable. Secured Penal Notices and multiple Cost Orders against the Husband and an excellent outcome for the Wife.
- Acted for a Wife in Financial Remedy proceedings that involved 5 hearings including obtaining a Legal Services Order. Secured significant lump sum for housing, repayment of debts and spousal periodical payments throughout the child’s minority.
- Acting for a Husband following a long marriage where Wife has issued Financial Remedy application. Included instruction of a single joint expert to value a company in which both parties are shareholders, a dispute in relation to matrimonial and non-matrimonial assets and the treatment of foreign assets. Successfully resolving matters outside of the Court process.
Qualifications
- Solicitor BA (Hons)
- Member of Resolution
- Founding member of Brightpod ( Collaborative Group) & Sussex Family Solutions (inter-disciplinary network of family professionals)
Recognition
Chambers ranked No 1 in Family/Matrimonial - “extremely experienced, sensible and really resolution-focused.” ‘Julian is one of the toughest negotiators but one of the most charming men you will ever meet.’
Legal 500 Ranked – “an experienced practitioner who is well known and respected by opponents and the judiciary.” “straight talking, trustworthy and well respected locally.”
Sarah Phillips
Partner, Family Department
Areas of Specialism
Sarah is a Partner in the Family team, who specialises in complex Children Act litigation (private law), Financial Remedies on divorce, cohabitation agreements and disputes, and protection from domestic abuse.
- Child arrangements orders – living and spending time arrangements
- Children – specific issue and prohibited steps orders - vaccination, education, name change, temporary and permanent removal from the jurisdiction, enforcement, parental alienation
- Children – contact to grandparents
- Financial remedies on divorce / dissolution of civil partnership - business and trust assets, pension sharing, litigation and financial conduct
- Pre and Post-nuptial agreements
- Separation and cohabitation agreements
- Domestic violence injunctions
Recent Client Matters
- Sarah regularly represents parents in private law proceedings where mental health issues, substance misuse, and allegations of coercive control, narcissism and parental alienation are a central feature.
- Sarah negotiated a financial settlement in which the client received an 80% share of the equity in the family home, and maintenance for five years to provide the client with time to attain financial independence without undue hardship.
- Sarah recently represented a father at a Fact Finding hearing in which findings were made against him, but following engagement in a DVPP, parenting courses and therapy, the father was able to secure an order for shared care of the parties’ two children.
- Sarah regularly settles financial remedy cases by way of advice during mediation, voluntary disclosure and solicitor-led negotiations, avoiding the cost and stress of contested proceedings for her clients.
Qualifications, Membership
- Solicitor (PGDL) City University
- Resolution Accredited Specialist Family Lawyer – Complex Financial Remedies
- Resolution Accredited Specialist Family Lawyer – Children Law Private
- Resolution qualified Collaborative Lawyer
- Member of Resolution
- Chambers - Legal 500