Family law solicitors in Dudley

Family law is full of things people are told confidently that turn out to be wrong. That living together for long enough gives you rights. That a father automatically gets half the time. That whoever leaves the house loses it. That once you are divorced, that is the money settled. Every one of those is wrong, and acting on any of them costs people real money and real time.

What we try to do first is get you to an accurate picture. Not a comforting one and not an alarming one, just an accurate one, because almost every decision you make from here depends on it being right.

We advise on arrangements for children, separation where you were never married, divorce, financial settlements and protective orders where somebody is at risk. We act for people across Dudley, Netherton, Sedgley, Brierley Hill, Kingswinford, Halesowen, Stourbridge and the surrounding Black Country.

If something is urgent, say so when you call. Some of what we do needs to happen in days rather than weeks.

Arrangements for children

Who the children live with, how often they see the other parent, holidays, schools and what happens when one parent wants to move away or stops sticking to what was agreed. There is no automatic split and no default formula. The court asks what is in that child's interests, and it strongly prefers parents to reach an arrangement between themselves. Most do. More on arrangements for children.

Separating when you were never married

An area where people are often misinformed. There is no common law marriage. Living together for twenty five years and raising children together gives you no automatic claim on a house in your partner's sole name, and no maintenance for yourself. What you may have is a claim based on what was agreed, what you paid towards or what you were promised. Take advice before you agree to anything or move out. Joanne Vernon, our Head of Family Law, handles this work for our Dudley clients. More on separating from an unmarried partner.

Divorce

No fault, no blame and no defending it. The application is made online through the national service, and a straightforward divorce usually takes at least seven to eight months. It is largely paperwork. The thing to understand is that the divorce itself settles nothing financial. Without a separate court order, a former spouse can bring a financial claim against you years later, including against money you earn after the marriage ends. More on divorce and separation.

Financial settlements

Dividing the house, the mortgage, pensions, savings and debts. In most Dudley cases the house and the pensions are the whole picture, and the hard question is not how to divide things fairly in theory but whether there is enough to rehouse two people instead of one. That is a practical problem before it is a legal one, and we would rather work through it honestly with you. More on financial settlements.

Protective orders

Where there is abuse or a real risk of harm, the court can make a non-molestation order or an occupation order, and can do it quickly, sometimes the same day and sometimes without the other person being told in advance. If you are frightened of someone, this is not a last resort and you do not need to wait until something worse happens. More on domestic abuse and protective orders.

Our office is at Unit 10, Castle Court 2 on Castlegate Way, just off the ring road and close to the Castle and the Zoo, with the retail park either side. It is easy to reach by car from Netherton, Sedgley, Brierley Hill, Kingswinford, Halesowen and Stourbridge, and well served by buses into Dudley town. Opening hours, directions and the people based there are on the page for our Dudley office.

Two things come up more often at this office than at our other offices, and they are worth naming because both are areas where people are routinely given bad information.

The question that decides many Dudley settlements is whether the money stretches. In a good number of cases the equity in the house will not fund two homes. When that is the position we would rather say so at the first appointment than three months in. If you are frightened of someone, say so when you call. Protective orders are treated as urgent, not queued.