law

Elizabeth McCallum, who is a family barrister and co-founder of Children in the Middle.

Family barristers commend report calling for a change in approach to divorce and separation

Authored by Reporters
Posted: Tue, 12/08/2020 - 11:41am

BARRISTERS at a Westcountry-based law service specialising in family and child law is supporting a new report that calls for parental breakdown to be moved away from a ‘justice’ response.

A 123-page report by the Family Solutions Group said that a legal response to parental disagreements over their children is inappropriate for many, and actively harmful for some.

Family barrister, Elizabeth McCallum, who co-founded Children in the Middle® with fellow Exeter barrister Sarah Evans, says: “The new report from the Family Solutions Group calls for a rethink of society’s...

Top tier rankings in this year’s Legal 500 for law firm Ashfords

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 10/02/2020 - 9:47pm

Following the publication of the Legal 500 2021 directory, Ashfords has once more been positioned as an outstanding leading law firm with rankings in 37 practice areas.

The Legal 500 provides comprehensive coverage on the best law firms and legal professionals, assessing the strengths of law firms in over 100 jurisdictions. The firm has received top tier rankings in eight practice areas: Corporate and Commercial, Employment, Insolvency & Corporate Recovery, Contentious Trusts & Probate, Shipping, Sport, Social Housing and IT & Telecoms.

Ashfords' London...

Elizabeth McCallum, who is a family barrister and co-founder of Children in the Middle.

Education and wellbeing of children remains as important as ever after lockdown

Authored by Reporters
Posted: Mon, 09/07/2020 - 12:25pm

A WESTCOUNTRY legal practice which specialises in child-focused family law says a youngster’s education and wellbeing is now more important than ever after the COVID-19 lockdown (September 2020).

It was recently revealed by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) that children from wealthier families were spending more time studying during the pandemic than poorer children.

Family barrister, Elizabeth McCallum, who co-founded the legal service, Children in the Middle®, with fellow Exeter barrister Sarah Evans, says: “Understandably, parents have had a lot to worry about...

Stephens Scown

Law firm’s private wealth expertise recognised

A South West law firm has been recognised for its private wealth expertise in a prestigious guide to the best private wealth lawyers in the UK.

Stephens Scown LLP has been ranked in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide. The guide, which has just been published, is based on feedback from clients and other specialist industry professionals. Stephens Scown’s private client and inheritance and trust disputes teams are praised in the new guide. Stephens Scown is described by a client as “one of the absolutely top firms in the South West”. Private client partners Phil Reed...

Some parents are using the lockdown to inflict emotional abuse on children warn family barristers

Authored by Reporters
Posted: Tue, 05/26/2020 - 9:38am

A LEGAL service giving separating/divorcing parents direct access to barristers says it’s seeing an increase in emotional abuse during the lockdown and is worried about the damage it’s causing children.

Children in the Middle says it wants to raise awareness of parental alienation to ensure it’s recognised, so youngsters at home under COVID-19 restrictions are less vulnerable to it.

Elizabeth McCallum, who is a family barrister and co-founder of Children in the Middle, along with fellow Exeter barrister Sarah Evans, explained: “If, following divorce or separation, a child,...

Legal practice says risks to children need to be managed as domestic abuse cases rise during COVID-19 outbreak.

Legal practice says risks to children need to be managed as domestic abuse cases rise during COVID-19 outbreak

Authored by Reporters
Posted: Thu, 04/30/2020 - 11:58am

A WESTCOUNTRY legal practice says children are at risk of harm as cases of domestic abuse rise during the COVID-19 outbreak (May 2020).

UK domestic abuse charity, Refuge, reported a 700% increase in calls to its helpline during the crisis. Experts at Children in the Middle say there may need to be applications to the courts to manage risks to children.

Family barrister, Elizabeth McCallum, who is the co-founder of the legal service Children in the Middle, along with her fellow Exeter barrister Sarah Evans, said: “As it has been widely reported recently, cases of domestic...

WBD shortlisted for Planning Law Firm of the Year following Supreme Court win in village green case

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 04/29/2020 - 9:20pm

Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has been nominated for Planning Law Firm of the Year at the 2020 Planning Awards. The awards recognise excellence in professional planning work including outstanding work by councils, consultants, developers, lawyers, voluntary groups and other important players in the UK planning system.

WBD's national planning team was shortlisted on the back of its expertise advising public and private sector clients on a range of high profile projects. There are two matters of note.

The firm advised NHS Property Services Limited (NHSPS) on a...

Protection and care of children remains as important as ever during COVID-19 outbreak

Protection and care of children remains as important as ever during COVID-19 outbreak

Authored by Reporters
Posted: Wed, 04/08/2020 - 4:53pm

A WESTCOUNTRY legal practice says during these uncertain times the protection and care of children remains as important as ever (April, 2020).

As of March 24, it was confirmed by the Government that children can move between separated parents during the current coronavirus restrictions.

Family barrister, Elizabeth McCallum, who is the co-founder of the legal service Children in the Middle, along with her fellow Exeter-based barrister Sarah Evans, said: “During these uncertain times, it’s important to maintain your child’s routine as much as possible and the Government...

Picture of solicitor

Likely increase in domestic violence as a result of Coronavirus – what you can do

Suggestions that there will be a surge in domestic violence in the region as families self-isolate and schools face long closures has prompted a response from The Family Law Company.

Director Jane Chanot who is part of the Children, Child Abduction and Domestic Violence Team, says “I have real concerns that we’ll see an increase in situations where families are kept inside together for long periods of time, with likely financial worries as well.

“I believe we have a moral responsibility to provide services for vulnerable people at this time and I want people to know that we...

New Arrivals at Rundlewalker

Exeter Solicitors Rundlewalker are delighted to announce the appointment of new director Jenna Hamilton-Pursglove who is heading up their Conveyancing Department. And to extend a warm welcome back to two members of the team who missed the friendly atmosphere so much, they couldn’t wait to return.

Jenna originally studied English and Public Relations at Sheffield Hallam University, but it was a summer job in an Exmouth Solicitors that gave her a taste for law. She then went on to study law via distance learning with CILEx, qualifying as a Chartered Legal Executive.

‘CILEx is...

Pages