FAMILY LAW SERVICES

You can trust Barretts lawyers to handle your matter with empathy and care

LEGAL SERVICES FOR FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS

We know that family matters require sensitive and compassionate handling.

When you need it most, the Barretts Family Law team is by your side.

Happy Family

WE PROVIDE ALL THE LEGAL SOLUTIONS A FAMILY COULD NEED, INCLUDING

  • Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements
  • Cohabitation Agreements
  • Divorce & Separation
  • Financial Agreements
  • Child Contact Arrangements & Orders
  • Domestic Abuse & Protective Orders

YOUR LEGAL TEAM

Specialists in all aspects of Family Law, our professional and empathetic team is here to guide you.

Farah Naz

Partner

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Tara Deslandes

Solicitor

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Phoebe Martin

Solicitor

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Zara Abbas

Solicitor

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FAQS

Is my contact with you completely confidential?

Absolutely. We handle all aspects of your matter with sensitivity, and that includes protecting your privacy.

Our first chat will establish your needs, and we’ll arrange a meeting at your nearest office to discuss your matter fully and in confidence.

If necessary, we can arrange to meet at an alternative private location.

We know that it can be daunting when reaching out to a Family lawyer, so we’ll call or email you back for free.

We’ll discuss your matter and our fee structure. You are in full control and there are no hidden costs.

When you instruct us to act for you, you can rest assured that we will do so with full transparency.

Yes. We understand that behind every legal issue is a family trying to find stability.

We are a supportive team who are committed to securing the best outcome for you and your whole family, especially where children are involved. So, we are always pragmatic.

You will be teamed with a specialist family lawyer who best suits your case, and who will use their expertise to pursue a healthy resolution.

Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements are valuable tools that allow couples to clearly define how their financial affairs will be managed during a marriage and, importantly, how assets may be divided in the unfortunate event of separation or divorce.

A prenuptial agreement is entered into before marriage, while a postnuptial agreement is created after the marriage has begun. Both serve to provide clarity, certainty and protection for each party’s interests.

In England and Wales, these agreements are not automatically legally binding. However, courts will give them significant weight where they have been entered into freely, at least 28 days before the marriage, with full financial disclosure and a clear understanding of their implications, provided the outcome is fair. Both parties also, need to obtain independent legal advice in respect of the terms of the agreement.

Properly drafted agreements can help safeguard personal wealth, business interests, and inherited assets, while also reducing the risk of costly and stressful disputes.
At Barretts, we provide expert guidance to ensure that any prenuptial or postnuptial agreement is carefully prepared, tailored to your circumstances and designed to stand up to scrutiny, giving you confidence and peace of mind for the future.

Sometimes viewed as unromantic, in actuality they can be a powerful sign of commitment to each other and give you the freedom to focus on building your relationship and/or family without concerns or misunderstanding.

A Cohabitation Agreement is a written contract between two people who live together but are not married or in a civil partnership. The Agreement details what should happen with money, property, and responsibilities both while you are together and if the relationship ends.

Creating a Cohabitation Agreement is a sound decision to safeguard the practical considerations of being or living together, as unmarried couples are not afforded the same automatic rights in UK Law as married ones.

You decide what is included in your Cohabitation Agreement, but it can include:

  1. who owns what, e.g. property, furniture, savings
  2. how bills are split, e.g. rent/mortgage, utilities, food and household necessities
  3. what happens in the unfortunate event that you break up, e.g. who remains in the home, how assets are shared, what happens to pets

A Cohabitation Agreement can be legally upheld if it is written comprehensively by a Solicitor, both parties understand, have had the benefit of financial disclosure, agree to it freely, and each party ideally receives independent legal advice. We can organise this for you.

We often hear about separation in the informal sense. Where a couple has decided to live apart or end their relationship, but they are still legally married or in a civil partnership, there is no formal paperwork required to separate. It can just be a mutual decision. You are no longer together, but the Law still sees you as a couple, e.g. often where finances and inheritance rules apply. Informal separation means a relationship ends in practice.

What few people know is that you can legally separate. Legal or Judicial Separation is a formal legal process that asks the court to recognise that you are separated without legally ending the marriage. Legal Separation can be a choice for couples in specific situations, for example in religious cases where divorce is forbidden, if you have been married for less than a year, or to keep financial benefits, like pensions, that stop after divorce.

Divorce is the legal process that officially ends a marriage. You apply through the court to legally dissolve the marriage. Once it is finalised, you are no longer married and are free to remarry. It also allows financial matters like assets, property and pensions to be formally settled. If you wish to record the terms of your separation and the division of any assets of your marriage, you can do so by entering into a Separation Agreement. The terms set out in the Agreement, can then be implemented into a consent order when divorce proceedings are issued. Divorce makes the marriage legally over.

In essence, these are three increasingly formal and permanent ways of dissolving a union. Only the latter two, Legal Separation and Divorce, provide legal support and protections.

Financial Agreements set out how finances are divided when a relationship ends.

Agreement orders between you and your partner/ex-partner are about:

  1. who gets what
  2. who pays what

This can cover:

  1. property, e.g. the family home
  2. investments
  3. other assets
  4. savings
  5. debts
  6. pensions
  7. ongoing payments (Spousal Maintenance)

Once an agreement has been reached as to how the matrimonial assets are to be divided, it is entered into a Consent Order, which prevents both parties from bringing financial claim against the other in the future, e.g. a Clean Break Order.

Child Arrangements Orders are about which parent the child lives with and how much time the child gets to spend with the non-resident parents after a separation. They can include:

  1. where the child lives
  2. when they see the other parent
  3. how contact happens (in person, phone, video calls, holidays, etc.)

In cases where parents can’t agree, the court can make a Child Arrangements Order to determine who the child lives with and contact time. These orders are made under the Children Act 1989 and seek to ensure that decisions are made in the “best interests of the child”. Child welfare comes first, and we always aim to pursue “whole family” solutions.

Parents can also apply to the Court for a Specific Issue Order to deal with more pressing matters, such as whether or not a child should undertake a medical procedure or a Prohibited Steps order so the child can be safely returned to the care of the parent.

Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Domestic Abuse is not just physical violence. It can include:

  1. emotional or psychological abuse, e.g. threats, humiliation, controlling behaviour
  2. physical violence, e.g. hitting, pushing, etc.
  3. sexual abuse
  4. financial control, e.g. preventing someone from having access to money
  5. coercive or controlling behaviour, e.g. making someone feel trapped or dependent

Essentially, it covers any pattern of behaviour used to control, intimidate or harm someone in a close relationship.

In the event of such behaviour, Protective Orders are court orders that help protect someone from abuse or harm, including:

1. Non-Molestation Order
This stops someone from harassing, threatening, or contacting you, and can also prevent them from coming near your home. Breaching it is a criminal offence.

2. Occupation Order
This decides who can live in the family home. The purpose is to remove an abusive person from the home and allow you to stay in the home safely.

3. Orders or combination of orders that arise in your particular matter.

This is a guide to questions you may wish answered in order to clarify your next steps. However, it is always best to seek professional advice. Our Family Law specialists are just that, experienced in handling the unique aspects of Family Law with sensitivity and empathy.

How to Book an Appointment

Simply click “Enquire Now”. There you can:

  1. Complete our enquiry form
  2. Request a callback, return email, or local meeting

We will:

  1. Respond to your enquiry in a timely manner
  2. Help you arrange a mutually convenient meeting

To preserve confidentiality, we can:

  • Return your call within a specified time window
  • Avoid leaving voicemails
  • Meet you at a confidential venue or any of our offices

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