Family law

Family lawyers deal with all aspects of relationship breakdown, help clients solve financial problems and make arrangements for children. They also help people beginning relationships and can be involved in local authority care work.

Graduate careers in family law

Some family lawyers deal with all types of work but most practitioners specialise either in relationship breakdown (ie advising on arrangements for finances and children) or in public law, where children may be taken into care. They may advise clients about cohabitation agreements or pre-nuptial agreements, and many family lawyers apply for injunctions for those suffering from domestic violence.

Each client has their own particular issues that need to be addressed and with each set of finances comes a new raft of problems to be overcome. All family lawyers have to draw on their reserves of patience and understanding to help the client with what can be the most difficult experience they will go through in their life.

The procedural background to each matter is generally the same and divorce proceedings are relatively simple. The area that requires expertise is how to deal with the finances: most clients need to go through a disclosure process to ascertain how much money is involved so that lawyers can help the client negotiate a fair and reasonable outcome. Current law on matrimonial finances is ambiguous, so it takes experience to gauge what the right result should be and to advise clients as to what they should realistically expect.

You will need an analytical mind as well as a healthy dose of common sense. Discussing arrangements for children can be more fraught as emotions tend to run high. Much of this work involves negotiating with which parent the children will live and how often they should see the other parent.

It is a sad fact of life that family lawyers never run short of work. Different times of year can be busier than others, with school holidays often being quietest and the period after the new year notoriously being the busiest. Hours are generally demanding and family lawyers often have to travel to courts, both local and further afield. Many solicitors find court work stimulating, particularly when doing their own advocacy in front of a judge.

The best aspect of family law is the opportunity to interact closely with clients, so the ability to relate to people is essential – clients can be working with you for up to two years.

Is family law recession-proof?

Family work tends to be steady (save for seasonal peaks and troughs) whatever is happening in the economy. That said, we have seen a sharp increase in maintenance variation applications due to redundancies. There has been a dip in divorce instruction as property-owning couples are staying together to ride out the property downturn. We predict an upturn in divorce instructions as the property market improves, as witnessed after the 1990s recession.

What skills does a solicitor working in family law need to do the job?

• Being reactive as well as proactive.
• Attention to detail.
• Commercial awareness.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Negotiation skills.
• Patience.

What is it like doing a trainee solicitor's job in family law?

Trainees tend to have a varied experience depending on the type of law firm they are training in. Work ranges from researching relevant areas of law to attending client meetings and going to court to sit in on hearings. Some trainees cut their teeth running their own cases under supervision, perhaps doing a simple divorce or contact case.

Types of law practised

• Civil litigation – particularly the Civil Procedure Rules.
• Company.
• Family.
• Property.
• Private client.

About the author

MICHELLE MANN is a partner in the family team at FIELD SEYMOUR PARKES. She graduated from the University of Wales (Aberystwyth) with a degree in law.