Family & Matrimonial
Seeking advice about divorce, relationship breakdown and family matters can difficult. Under normal circumstances, family and relationship matters are deeply personal - and entirely private between you and those closest to you.
However, when things go wrong and you're seeking legal help, you need to share your personal life with others, discussing events and circumstances that may well make you feel very hurt, angry and upset.
You can be sure that you'll receive genuine understanding, empathy and support when you consult Gorvins about divorce, relationship breakdown or other family matters. Protecting your feelings and well-being will be our prime concern, and we'll guide you gently through the procedures you may have to consider when dealing with marriage, civil partnership or relationship breakdown, divorce, the arrangements for children or division of family assets.
The Gorvins family team specialises in all areas of private matrimonial law including divorce, civil partnership dissolution, ancillary relief and private children applications.
Over the last twelve months the team has also represented a number of professional clients in their family disputes including surgeons, doctors, teachers, barristers, accountants, professional footballers and business owners.
Cases have included acting for 'high net worth' individuals in ancillary relief cases and cases involving business interests, property portfolios and property abroad.
Children cases have included residence and contact disputes and a case in the High Court involving international jurisdictional issues.
All members of our Family & Matrimonial team belong to Resolution, which is an organisation of specialist family lawyers committed to negotiation, mediation and co-operation so that, wherever possible, disputes can be resolved without going to court.
We also offer a process known as 'Collaborative Law', which is led by you, the client, and focuses upon building a structured settlement around your needs and the other party to your relationship or marriage. Again, this process doesn't need to involve the court, though it can result in a court order which is legally binding on all participants.
If an appropriate agreement can be reached and formalised in a court order or other formal settlement, it can be a far less time-consuming and far less costly way of reaching an agreeable result - and in our experience, it can considerably reduce trauma and upset so as to make the whole business more easily bearable and manageable.
Specifically, we can handle:
- Divorce - when you're the 'petitioner' requesting a divorce
- Divorce - when you're the 'respondent' being divorced by your partner
- Dissolution of civil partnerships
- Arrangements for the children following relationship breakdown; such as who the children live with, what contact they will have with the other parent and other issues which may arise such as where they will be educated and what child maintenance is payable
- Financial aspects of divorce/dissolution - including distribution of assets and property, payment of maintenance and pension sharing
- Cohabitation disputes; for example in relations to property ownership following a relationship breakdown
- Pre-nuptial agreements
- Living together agreements
Here are some frequently asked questions:
Legal 500 says:
"The team at Gorvins is committed to constructive negotiation as promoted by Resolution. The firm specialises in family law advice to Police Officers"
Our Clients say:
"I wanted to thank you for the work you've done I know it has been a long and arduous case. I appreciate the way you dealt with this and also the way you have kept me informed. I am also very grateful that you have helped to carry me through this very difficult period as both my solicitor and a friend, so thank you again for that."