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How Cath Karlin Family Law Compares

Value for money

This firm - 87%
National Average
Poor Competitive Excellent

Excellent does not necessarily mean ‘cheap’. It means that clients thought that the level of service received was Excellent for what they paid.

This score has been calculated using up to the last 300 reviews left by clients of Cath Karlin Family Law on ReviewSolicitors.

As part of our review questionnaire we ask reviewer questions about the value for money they felt they received by using Cath Karlin Family Law. These questions include:

  • Value for money (a rating of 1-5)
  • How much were you initially quoted or how much did you expect to pay?
  • Approximately how much did you end up spending for the legal services provided (ignoring disbursements and court fees)
  • Did you think this was underpriced, overpriced or about right?
  • Overall experience

We use data science to amalgamate the answers to these questions and create a ‘ReviewSolicitors score’ out of 100. The above chart representation score is a simple percentage representation of the averaged score across those who have reviewed this law firm.

Underpriced 0%
Overpriced 20%
About Right 80%

If you would like to read more about how we work with our review data please see our Transparency section.

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Would recommend to
friends and family

This firm - 88%
National Average
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

ReviewSolicitors uses our community data to show you how many clients used Cath Karlin Family Law and have had a satisfactory experience where they have indicated that they would recommend the services of the law firm to their friends and family.

You can use this data to see how Cath Karlin Family Law performs against other law firms nationally. A score close to 100% indicates that this firm is highly valued by their clients.

As part of our review questionnaire we ask the question:

"Would you recommend this firm to somebody else?"

The reviewer can select either “Yes” or “No”.

The above score is a simple percentage representation of the total amount of clients who selected the “Yes” option:

Yes 88%
No 12%

If you would like to read more about how we work with our review data please see our Transparency section.

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Satisfied with
outcome of matter

This firm - 88%
National Average
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

ReviewSolicitors uses our community data to show you how many clients used Cath Karlin Family Law and were satisfied with the outcome of their matter. Being satisfied with the outcome of your matter is an important consideration to have in mind.

You can use this data to see how Cath Karlin Family Law compares to the national average of clients being satisfied with the outcome of their matter after instructing a solicitor.

As part of our review questionnaire we ask the question:

"Were you satisfied with the outcome of your case?"

The reviewer can select either “Yes” or “No”.

The above score is a simple percentage representation of the total amount of clients who selected the “Yes” option:

Yes 88%
No 12%

If you would like to read more about how we work with our review data please see our Transparency section.

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Rankings by area of expertise

The rankings below show the areas of expertise that Cath Karlin Family Law offers to clients. You can see how good the service offered is in comparison to all other law firms nationally.

Data shown above is based on the reviews and client feedback collected by ReviewSolicitors over the last 12 months.

Review Sources

Client Reviews

4.4/5

Reviews summary

  • Excellent

    13
  • Very Good

    2
  • Average

    0
  • Poor

    0
  • Awful

    2

Overall experience

  • Value For Money
  • Communication
  • Initial Impressions
  • Approachability
  • Documentation Accuracy
  • Legal knowledge
Beth

Beth

November 18, 2024

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The most expensive mistake I ever made - hiring Cath

£60k Cath took from me, achieved nothing except wrack up debt and exacerbate my divorce and child conflicts. I dropped her representation and did better in court alone.

I was a domestic abuse victim with a 1 year old and she was incredibly triggering. She literally told me she wanted to control me and was reluctant to return my daughter’s passport to me which she should never have been keeping.

She advised me to do everything that put unnecesssery money in her pocket. Including expensive documentation, hidden fees and sending emails I was charged for and pushing me to have expensive hearings which achieved nothing. When she knew I had no money left she literally told me to take out loans to continue to pay her.

She didn’t represent my interests, she picked routes where she could easily win to make herself look good, rather than fight for what I wanted and told me it was impossible for me to get a relocation order - which it wasn’t because I got it myself without her.

She stalked my hearings after I dropped her, threatened me and served me to appear in court as she went back on an agreed payment plan when I dropped her representation. Meaning unless I was trapped paying in an expensive cycle where she wracked up more debt, she would hit me with a huge bill to pay immediately instead of stick with our payment plan. I took out high interest loans just to be free of her and got rid of her.

Avoid and save yourself a lot of money.

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Joseph

Verified review

This review has been left by a verified client who used Cath Karlin Family Law.

Matter Type:

Child contact

Joseph

October 14, 2024

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Collected on:

Great Solicitor

I reached out to Cath, after having the worse solicitor imaginable! What a breathe of fresh air Cath was. She gave me clear advice, was a pleasure to deal with and was very knowledgeable!

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Janet Ashcroft

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This review has been left by a verified client who used Cath Karlin Family Law.

Janet Ashcroft

October 12, 2024

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Collected on:

Recommend this service

Very polite and gave all information clearly

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Sabrina

Verified review

This review has been left by a verified client who used Cath Karlin Family Law.

Matter Type:

Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements

Sabrina

October 11, 2024

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Collected on:

Pre Nuptial Agreement

Hi,

My case was complex and timelines were tight.

Cath was efficient, forthright and knowledgeable.

She went the extra mile and high lighted quickly what other things needed to be in place to ensure the agreement was fit for purpose.

She is truly a caring individual who strives to do her best for her clients.

All questions were answered in a timely manner.

I would not hesitate to user this practice again.

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Chris

Verified review

This review has been left by a verified client who used Cath Karlin Family Law.

Chris

October 04, 2024

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Collected on:

A refreshing approach to a stressful and tumultuous period.

Finding myself needing a family lawyer came as quite a shock, and finding a lawyer with emotional intelligence, sensibility, and professionalism seemed like a tall order. Cath made the whole situation that bit easier. Her approach is refreshingly straightforward and keeps the importance of family at the forefront of your mind, while knowing that you have someone with you and your children’s best interests in hand.

Her communication is clear, you have full understanding of what’s happening. You know when you need to act, and, more importantly when you don’t.

My personal situation turned out to be quite a lengthy process from start to finish and I can’t thank Cath enough for guiding me through it.

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Reviews collected from

Allan

Allan

May 02, 2025

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Collected on:

Allan

Cath Karlin and her team were fantastic in dealing with me and my divorce. Kindly and patiently dealt with and never made to feel anything but top priority. I couldn't recommend the company more highly. Thank you again.

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Rist

Rist

February 27, 2025

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Collected on:

Rist

Cath was essential in guiding me through what was a very difficult process. She is a great communicator and promptly answers to any emails or calls. She was also the only solicitor that bothered answering my initial query in great detail and took the time for a call to discuss the possibilities forward, whilst others left me in a very difficult situation. I can highly recommend her.

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Caroline

Caroline

December 11, 2024

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Caroline

From our very first meeting back in 2015, Cath has been an absolute pleasure to work with even in very upsetting and stressful circumstances.

Cath is professional, intelligent, determined but handled my case and my concerns with friendliness and care. She is extremely understanding and easy to talk to as well as very supportive. She is highly intelligent, thorough and quick thinking. Yes, legal fees are expensive but Cath was always very transparent and her knowledge and hard work was worth every penny! I have recommended Cath to many others and will continue to do so. Thank you Cath for all of your help over the years!

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Beth

Beth

November 17, 2024

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Collected on:

Beth

Lol no idea how Cath got my review removed but still over a year later I’ve come to check it remains and rewrite one since I’m never forgetting what she did.

£60k she took from me and I dropped her representation and did better in court alone.

I was a domestic abuse victim with a 1 year old and she was incredibly triggering. She literally told me she wanted to control me and was reluctant to return my daughter’s passport to me which she should never have been keeping.

She advised me to do everything that put unnecesssery money in her pocket. Including expensive documentation, hidden fees and sending emails I was charged for and pushing me to have expensive hearings which achieved nothing. When she knew I had no money left she literally told me to take out loans to continue to pay her.

She didn’t represent my interests, she picked routes where she could easily win to make herself look good, rather than fight for what I wanted and told me it was impossible for me to get a relocation order - which it wasn’t because I got it myself without her.

She stalked my hearings after I dropped her, threatened me and served me to appear in court as she went back on an agreed payment plan when I dropped her representation. Meaning unless I was trapped paying in an expensive cycle where she wracked up more debt, she would hit me with a huge bill to pay immediately instead of stick with our payment plan. I took out high interest loans just to be free of her and got rid of her.

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Harry

Matter Type:

Family law

Harry

October 24, 2023

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Collected on:

Harry

I instructed Cath to sort out a dispute I had with my ex partner.
She was really easy to talk to and very responsive.
She even dealt with an issue I was having when she was on holiday.
Her staff are also really helpful on the rare occasion you can’t immediately speak to Cath.
I thought Cath's fees were really reasonable given the standard of service I received.
Her service was night and day compared to my first lawyer.
Recommended!

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Cath Karlin Family Law are accredited by

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About this branch

Description

Cath Karlin family law is a niche, highly specialist family law practice based in Edinburgh. I have offices which are centrally located in Edinburgh (51 William Street). I am a highly respected family lawyer with years of experience and expertise. I have been at the forefront of family law in Edinburgh for 25 years. Over the years I have been the lead partner in a number of ground breaking family law cases. I have also been at the forefront of introducing new modes of dispute resolution to Scotland such as Collaborative Practice and other positive initiatives such as parenting after parting classes for parents going through separation and divorce. I am ranked in both Chambers and the Legal 500. You can also read my reviews and what my clients think. I am a CALM mediator, Collaborative Lawyer, FLAGS arbitrator and have been accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a Family law specialist for more years than I care to remember! If you need think I can help with your situation, feel free to contact me If you’d like to arrange a consultation or find out if I can help you. I understand that being able to budget for costs is really important so I make sure my costs don’t cost the earth. Get in touch to request a quote.

Regulated by

Solicitors Regulation Authority

Legal services

Personal areas of law

  • Family Law
    • Adoption, Surrogacy, Care and Special Guardianship
    • Change of name
    • Child Abduction
    • Child Access
    • Child Arrangements Following Divorce
    • Child Custody
    • Child Law
    • Child Maintenance
    • Child Relocation After Divorce
    • Child contact
    • Children
    • Children Act proceedings
    • Civil Partnership Dissolution
    • Civil partnerships
    • Cohabitation agreements and disputes
    • Cohabitation and Unmarried Relationships
    • Collaborative Law
    • Divorce
    • Divorce Mediation
    • Family Mediation
    • Family law
    • Fixed Fee Divorce
    • Grandparents' Rights
    • High Net Worth Divorce
    • Injunctions
    • International Divorce
    • Marriage and civil partnerships
    • Matrimonial finance
    • Out Of Court Divorce
    • Parental responsibility, paternity disputes, surrogacy
    • Pension and property advice
    • Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements
    • Separation
    • Separation Agreement
    • Social Services
    • Unmarried Couples' Rights
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