In England family work encompasses divorce and civil partnership dissolution, separation, financial remedy work, private and public children’s proceedings, adoption and surrogacy, non‑molestation and occupation orders, and related disputes between unmarried partners. A family solicitor drafts divorce petitions and Form E financial disclosure, negotiates and drafts consent orders and financial remedy proposals under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, applies for injunctions and occupation orders under the Family Law Act 1996, and represents clients in the Family Court and at hearings involving local authorities and children’s guardians under the Children Act 1989. Cases proceed under the Family Procedure Rules and, since the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, no‑fault divorce.
Where a solicitor protects your position
Key protective acts are securing a child arrangements order, a financial consent order or an occupation/non‑molestation order; these decisions determine parental responsibilities, property entitlement and immediate safety. A solicitor prepares the precise courtroom paperwork, ensures statutory financial disclosure is completed (for example Form E), applies for urgent injunctions where needed, and represents the client at interim and final hearings so those orders are properly made and executable.
