Family
The work of the Family team
The Family department provides specialist advice on all areas of family law. Most matters involve guiding a client through the negotiations, and possible litigation, necessary to resolve any financial disputes arising from a divorce. The department also provides expert advice relating to children (including issues of custody, contact and maintenance), civil partnerships and pre-nuptial agreements. The department has a market-leading reputation, consistently being placed in the top tier of firms by publications such as the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. Many clients have significant personal wealth and require tailored advice that extends beyond family law to incorporate domestic and international elements of trust law, company law and property law. This complexity means that the Family department works closely with the firm’s other departments as well as other family law firms across the world. A trainee’s responsibilities include taking minutes of meetings, drafting letters and court forms, preparing document files in advance of court hearings and providing general support to the other members of the team.
Patrick Bidder
University attending/attended: Cambridge
PgDL/LPC institution: BPP, London
Seats experienced: Real Estate, Family and Wealth
Planning (FITT)
My experience within the Family team
After only a few days in the Family law team, I had been given an international divorce case to manage on my own, attended a High Court hearing in relation to a sport star's child and telephoned the Ethiopian embassy to find out what was needed for a valid Ethiopian marriage. Although I have enjoyed the last six months mostly because of the complex and international aspects of the cases I have worked on, it has also been fascinating to meet such a variety of people and hear their (often shocking) stories. Personally, I have found the children cases with which I have been involved most rewarding, as the focus is on reaching agreement in the best interests of the child.
Training in London
- Overview
- Application process
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Training structure
- Overview
- Charities
- Commercial litigation
- Contentious Trusts and Succession
- Corporate (London)
- Corporate (Milan)
- Employment
- Estates, Succession and Trusts
- Family
- Funds, investments, tax and trusts
- Intellectual Property
- Property litigation
- Real Estate (Agricultural)
- Real Estate (Commercial)
- Real Estate (Residential)
- Wealth Planning, Family and Business
- Wealth Planning, International
- Training support
- Day in the life
- Career progression