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Divorce and Family Law Solicitors in London

The award winning and Legal 500 ranked team of Solicitors at OTS Solicitors successfully advise and represent their clients on Family Law, Child Care Arrangements, Cohabitation, Divorce and International Family law matters.

Our team of family solicitors in London are dedicated to providing the best family law services in the UK and abroad. We achieve this by focusing on the client and their family, working closely with them to resolve family law matters in a non-confrontational way and achieving workable solutions that families can commit to long-term.

Our family and divorce lawyers in London are headed by Senior Solicitor and Advocate, Behzad Sharmin and Tia Rose. The team is made up of Solicitors, former Judges and barristers. Behzad Sharmin leads the team with a high degree of precision and expertise in every matter. Her clients are made up of a broad range of family law matters, including complex Child Arrangement matters, Divorce matters with financial settlement, and International family law matters. Mr Paul Gulbenkian, has extensive experience with family law related matters; Senior Solicitor Mr Hans Sok Appdu also provides divorce related and international family law advice and representation for his clients.

To speak to our top Family Law, Child Care Arrangement, Cohabitation, Divorce and award winning International Family law team of solicitors based in the City of London, please contact us on 0203 959 9123, or contact us through our online contact form.

For more on how our Family team can help you, visit our dedicated Family Law site.

Whether you are dealing with divorce, dissolving a civil partnership, legal separation, arrangements for children, prenuptial, postnuptial or cohabitation agreements, domestic violence and emergency injunctions, you can rely on our supportive, practical advice. Our team of Family law solicitors can assist client from London, UK and internationally with the following list of legal services:

All Divorce Matters

Adultery and Divorce
Agreed Divorce
Civil Partnership Dissolution
Annulment
Contested Divorce
Divorce Guide
Divorce Rights
Grounds for Divorce
Divorce Costs
Separation First Steps
General Family Law Matters
Mediation Support
Domestic Violence
Injunctions
Non-molestation Orders
Occupation Orders

All Children’s Law Matters

Surrogacy and Parental Orders
Adoption in the UK
Child Care Proceedings
Child Abduction
Child Relocation in the UK
Contact and Child Arrangement Orders
Custody and Child Arrangement Orders
Special Guardianship Orders
Grandparent rights and contact with grandchildren
Parent rights and Parental Responsibility
Specific Issue and Prohibited Steps Orders
Step Parent rights
Mediation support and Children Arrangements

All Financial Settlement Matters

High Net Worth Divorce
Divorce and Prenuptial Agreement
Divorce and Postnuptial Agreement
Cohabitation and Unmarried Partner
Cohabitation Agreements
Divorce Finances
Companies, business valuations and Divorce
Divorce Financial Consent Orders
Freezing Orders
Maintenance and Child Support
Pensions and Divorce
Property and Divorce
Cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Divorce
Trusts and Divorce
Mediation Support and Financial Settlement

All International Family Law Matters

International Adoption
International Children’s Law
International Divorce
International Prenuptial Agreements
International Surrogacy Arrangements
Mirror Orders
All Family and Immigration Law matters

Behzad and the team have advised and represented clients in high-net-worth divorce cases involving complex financial settlements, overseas relocation cases, child arrangement negotiation and mediation, and domestic violence matters. OTS Solicitors is also a member of Resolution, an organisation of 6,500 family lawyers who follow a strict Code of Practice designed to resolve family law matters in a constructive, non-confrontation manner. Resolution members also campaign for improvements to the family justice system.

Our team of family solicitors are committed to helping couples resolve family law disputes in a non-confrontational manner. As with all the best divorce lawyers, one of the primary objectives of our service is to avoid couples ending up in court unless absolutely necessary. This is achieved by entering into round-table negotiations and mediation, both of which Behzad and her team have an abundance of expertise.

We understand that when you come to see us about a child arrangement, divorce or other family law matters, you may be under significant emotional pressure. When you instruct our family law solicitors, you will quickly be reassured, not only by their sensitive, compassionate manner but also by how they focus on reaching long-term, workable solutions. We will also help you manage any conflict with your partner or other family members and ensure that the needs of any children are kept at the forefront of any conflict resolution.

If attending court is the only way to resolve your family law dispute, we will robustly represent you in court. Our family law team has developed strong relationships with some of London’s top family law barristers who can appear in court on your behalf. We will ensure that you are kept informed throughout the proceedings and are flexible in our responses to allow for the rapid change in circumstances that can often occur in family law cases.

Our Family Law Services

We provide advice and representation on the following family law matters:

Children and Childcare Arrangements

Legal matters involving children and childcare arrangements require expert, caring legal advice from a good family lawyer who understands the processes involved. We can assist you with reaching an agreement regarding which parent your children will live with and visiting rights for the non-custodial parent in a non-confrontational manner, using alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation.

Cohabitation and Unmarried Family

Cohabitating couples do not enjoy the same legal protection as those who are married or in a civil partnership. Our London-based family lawyers can advise you on your legal rights if your cohabited relationship breaks down and advise on and draft comprehensive cohabitation agreements.

Divorce and Separation

Divorce and legal separation are harrowing events to go through. Our family law solicitors, based in central London, will work with you throughout the divorce or separation process, helping you make clear, pragmatic decisions about your financial future and arrangements for your children. Our aim is to ensure your best interests are protected and provide you with the tools to work out arrangements for apportioning your property and assets and making arrangements for your children outside of the courtroom. If litigation becomes inevitable, we will provide strong support, advice, and legal representation.

Dissolution of Civil Partnership

If your civil partnership has ended, our family law solicitors can provide you with sensitive, pragmatic advice on dissolving your civil partnership, reaching a financial settlement and making arrangements for your children.

Financial Dispute on Divorce

We have an abundance of expertise in negotiating financial settlements in divorce and separation cases. Our family law solicitors also manage high-net-worth divorce cases and can instruct forensic accountants and wealth management advisors when required, to support you when making your settlement claim.

Family Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution

It has long been a policy of the English family law system to encourage couples and families to settle disputes outside of the courtroom. It has been proven that by allowing families to take control and work out arrangements between themselves, the solutions they reach are more likely to last long-term.

We can support and advise you on all types of alternative dispute resolution methods, including guiding you through how methods such as Mediation Information & Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) work.

Injunction and Emergency Remedies

If you are a victim of domestic violence and/or abuse, the safety of you and your children are our first priority. We can act swiftly to obtain a non-molestation order and/or an occupation order and provide advice on accessing community support so you can protect yourselves from harm.

Pre-Nuptial and Post Nuptial Agreements

Although they are not legally binding, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements can carry a lot of weight, should you and your spouse separate in the future. Our family law solicitors can draft pre-and post-nuptial agreements for you. If you have been asked to sign a pre-or post-nuptial agreement, we can provide practical guidance on its implications for your future.

Declaration of Trust

A declaration of trust is an important document in which ‘trustees’ are appointed to hold property for ‘beneficiaries.'  We can draft a bespoke Declaration of Trust and advise trustees on their responsibilities, including the overriding duty to act in the best interests of the beneficiaries.

Further services and support for family law clients

We are a niche firm, specialising in family, Immigration, commercial and employment law. Our family solicitors collaborate with other teams to ensure clients receive the best possible advice and support.

Our commercial solicitors can assist you if your divorce means that a family business must be transferred. Not only can they advise you on the sale of the business, but they can also collaborate with our employment law solicitors to ensure you are compliant with the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE).

Our Immigration law team can also assist EEA and non-EEA nationals on family law matters which fall under Immigration law. These may include:

Retained rights of residency for EEA nationals following a divorce
Indefinite Leave to Remain for domestic violence victims
Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights matters (including obtaining a grant of Discretionary Leave for migrants involved in ongoing family law proceedings)

At OTS Solicitors you will find a London law firm that is committed to providing comprehensive family law advice in a caring, compassionate manner. We will always put your needs first and act in your best interests at all times. We are completely transparent regarding our fees and will provide open, honest communication throughout the duration of your case.

By instructing us, you can be confident that your family law matter is being managed by solicitors who are experts in their field and genuinely care about you and your children.

For a more detailed discussion regarding your case, or to book an appointment with a member of our family law team, please call us now on 0203 959 9123 or contact us here.

Your Questions and our answers about Divorce and Family Law

We are sorry to hear about your relationship difficulties.

Firstly, you should not leave the family home without taking legal advice.

As you jointly owned the property with your partner, you do have legal rights. The extent of your interest in the property will depend upon a number of factors. We need a lot more information from you to advise you on your legal rights in relation to the property.

If you do leave the property you will retain your legal rights over the family home but leaving the property may not be in your interests or those of your daughter. It may be possible to look at ways that your partner could be asked to leave the property. Again, we would need to see you to discuss your situation in more detail before being able to advise you on those options and legal remedies.

There are a number of ways in which the family team at OTS Solicitors can help you. Please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.

The family team at OTS Solicitors

Thank you for your enquiry.

Unless you have a residence order or a child arrangements order in place, you will need the permission of your former wife to take your son abroad on holiday. If your former wife will not agree to your taking your son abroad on holiday, you can make an application to the court for an order giving you permission to take your son abroad on holiday.

We would recommend that you take advice now as it can take a little while to secure a court order to give you permission to take your son abroad on holiday. If your ex-wife will not agree and does not have any valid reason to object to your going on holiday then the court is likely to make an order giving you permission to take your son on holiday after assessing what orders are in your son’s best interests.

The family team at OTS Solicitors can represent you in court proceedings if your ex-wife continues to object to your taking your son abroad on holiday. Please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.

The family team at OTS Solicitors

Thank you for your enquiry.

You may need to start financial court proceedings so that there is a court timetable in place to help you reach a financial settlement, and if you cannot reach an agreement, a judge can make a financial court order.

If you have what is known as a beneficial interest in the buy to let property you could warn any potential purchasers of your potential beneficial interest in the property by registering your interest with the land registry. If you do not have a legal or beneficial interest in the property, you still have a financial claim because of your marriage to your husband.

If you think that your husband is going to sell or dispose of the buy to let property in order to defeat your financial claim then you could apply for what is called a section 37 injunction order. This application may not be necessary if there is other secured money that will satisfy your financial claims, such as the equity in the family home or savings.

Another option would be to agree that your husband should sell the buy to let property and for your husband to agree that the proceeds of sale of the property should be retained by his solicitor until you have reached an agreement with your husband or a judge makes a financial court order.

You do need family law advice on starting financial court proceedings and applying for a section 37-injunction order. We would therefore ask you to call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you. Please call us.

Family law team OTS Solicitors

Thank you for your enquiry. We would recommend that at the time of the divorce proceedings you reach a financial settlement with your husband. The financial settlement can be sorted out by agreement with your husband and the agreement can then be converted into a financial court order.

As you have separated amicably from your husband and anticipate being able to enjoy a good business relationship with him then one option would be to continue in business together. This could be achieved after you divorce by the preparation of a financial court order and shareholder agreement. These documents could put measures in place to protect both of you from future fallouts.

Another option is to explore one of you buying the other’s shares in the business. You mentioned affordability of this but with expert advice you may find that this option is affordable through one of you getting more of the other assets, such as the equity in the family home or pension. Alternatively, it may be possible to raise money on the value of the business so one of you can get a business loan to buy the other’s shares.

Divorces involving family businesses and shareholdings can be complicated so it is important that you get expert advice.

You do need family law advice on the business and your financial settlement options. We would therefore ask you to call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you. Please call us.

Thank you for your enquiry. We are pleased to hear that you have reached a financial agreement in family mediation.

The mediator is right when she says that a Memorandum of Understanding is not a family court financial order. The Memorandum of Understanding is a document that is prepared by a mediator to record the agreement you discussed in mediation. The Memorandum of Understanding is not a binding legal agreement. You therefore need to convert the Memorandum of Understanding into a financial court order and ask a family court judge to approve the financial court order.

Unlike the Memorandum of Understanding, a financial court order is a legally binding document. That is why it is so important that a financial court order is obtained to give both you and your wife financial security.

If a financial agreement has been reached you and your spouse should not need to attend a court hearing in order to secure the financial court order. A family solicitor can draw up the paperwork for you.

To discuss your situation and the obtaining of a financial court order we would need to see you. We can give you family law advice and advise you on the best way forward. Please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.

Thank you for your enquiry.

If your separation is amicable, you and your husband should talk about what you want to do with the joint savings account. If the separation is amicable and you take all the savings or half the money out of the joint savings account without first discussing your plans with your husband then this may make it harder to reach an agreed financial settlement.

As your savings account is a joint account, either you or your husband could take the savings from the bank account. In addition, if the account has an overdraft facility potentially either of you could take money out on overdraft. This means that if your separation is not amicable your husband could withdraw all the money. If money is taken out on overdraft then because the account is a joint one you and your husband are both jointly and severally liable for the whole of the overdraft.

Accordingly, if there are trust issues between you and your husband and you are worried that the account has an overdraft facility on it you could ask the bank to freeze the account. That means neither one of you could take any money out of the account nor use the overdraft facility until the account is unfrozen.

Whether you should take out money from the joint savings account depends on your detailed personal and financial circumstances. You should therefore take legal advice on your separation, including whether you are both going to continue living at the family home during the divorce proceedings and your financial settlement options. This discussion will help determine what steps you should take about the joint savings account, although if you fear that your husband will quickly withdraw the money without his discussing it first with you then you could chose to freeze the account to preserve the funds and then take legal advice.

You do need family law advice on starting divorce proceedings and your financial settlement options. We would therefore ask you to call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you. Please call us.

Thank you for your enquiry.

It is possible to start divorce proceedings without including your address in the divorce petition or in any of the court paperwork sent to your husband by the divorce court.

If you need to resolve financial claims, for example ownership of the family home or maintenance for yourself or a share of your husband’s pension, it is possible to start financial court proceedings without having to disclose your address to your husband.

If you have ongoing domestic violence or harassment concerns, you could also consider the option of applying to the family court for an injunction order. This type of court order is called a non-molestation injunction. The injunction order would prevent your husband from harassing you.

If you have children and are worried about their safety or welfare then the family court can also make orders to protect your children.

As you do need expert divorce advice we would ask you to call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment with a member of the family law team to discuss your divorce options and to see how we can help you.

Thank you for your enquiry.

If the house is owned in the sole name of your boyfriend then he is the legal owner. This could be changed as he could agree to transfer the property into your joint names. At the same time as the transfer of the property into joint names, the two of you could draw up a cohabitation agreement to set out the percentage of the equity in the house that you would each receive if you split up and the house is sold or transferred into your sole name or back into your boyfriend’s sole name. The percentage split in the cohabitation agreement could reflect the amount of equity in the property at the time of the transfer into joint names and the amount that you will both contribute towards the mortgage or home improvements.

If the property continues to be owned in your partner’s sole name, you could make a claim against the property if you split up and you can establish a ‘’beneficial interest ‘’ in the property. Alternatively, housing claims (known as schedule one claims) could be made if you have children together.

Whether the property is transferred into joint names or not a cohabitation agreement should be drawn up to avoid expensive court proceedings if you do split up. The cohabitation agreement should avoid arguments about the extent of your interest in the growth in equity in the property.

The family law team at OTS Solicitors can help you prepare a cohabitation agreement. Please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.

Please note the answer provided above is for information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. In order for OTS Solicitors to provide legal advice you would need to instruct OTS Solicitors family law team. If you would like to proceed with legal advice and consult with our family law solicitors please call us on 0203 959 9123.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Under current UK family law, a prenuptial agreement is not a legally binding document. That means the contents of a prenuptial agreement will not be automatically upheld by a divorce court should you marry your fiancée and subsequently divorce and financial court proceedings are started.

However, a well-prepared prenuptial agreement will carry weight with a divorce court when the court is considering what financial award to make in divorce and financial court proceedings. Therefore, it is important that you do sign a prenuptial agreement prior to your marriage to your fiancée.

If you marry without a prenuptial agreement in place, the divorce court could award your fiancée far more than the court would have done if a prenuptial agreement had been signed before the wedding.

In order for the prenuptial agreement to carry weight in any future divorce proceedings the agreement will need to be prepared well in advance of the wedding date and you will both need to take legal advice on the contents of the prenuptial agreement document. In your situation, there may also be jurisdiction issues.

The first step is to discuss what you would like to put in your prenuptial agreement. A solicitor can guide you on the options taking into account your personal and financial circumstances.

Thank you for your enquiry.

If you have decided to separate from your civil partner, you can apply to the family court to dissolve your civil partnership. Dissolving a civil partnership is like starting divorce proceedings, as it is a very similar court process.

Under current English family law, it is not possible to get a no fault divorce or dissolution of civil partnership. That means that in order to start dissolution of civil partnership proceedings you would need to prove one of a number of grounds to dissolve the civil partnership. We would need to meet you and discuss your situation in order to advise you on the relevant ground for the dissolution of your civil partnership.

When the court dissolves a civil partnership, the court also has the power, on the application of either civil partner, to make financial court orders. These orders can be made either by agreement or after a court hearing when the judge decides how family assets should be split. A judge can order the sale or transfer of property, cash or lump sum payments, pension sharing orders or maintenance.

It is important that you take legal advice on your financial settlement options and if civil partnership dissolution proceedings are started that you secure a financial court order. This is important as without a financial court order either you or your civil partner could bring future financial claims against one another.

You do need family law advice on your civil partnership dissolution and financial settlement options. We would therefore ask you to call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you. Please call us.

Thank you for your enquiry. We are sorry to hear about the problems you are experiencing in seeing your children as much as you would like after your separation from your former partner.

If you cannot reach an agreement with your former partner over the amount of time the children should spend with you then you could apply to the court for a child arrangements order. This order is the new name for an access order or contact order. A child arrangements order will set out how much time the children should spend with you each week and can cover holiday contact as well.

When the court is deciding on an appropriate child arrangements order and contact the court will take into account the children’s wishes.

In relation to costs, the general rule is that a mother and father will pay their own legal costs of applying for a child arrangements order or responding to an application for a child arrangements order. It is very rare for in a children court case for a judge to order that one parent pays all or a share of the other parent’s legal fees. The conduct of one parent would need to be quite extreme for the court to consider making a costs order.

If you take legal advice, you may be able to agree an increase in contact with your children with your former partner through solicitor negotiations. That would avoid the need for a court application.

To discuss your situation and your children law options we would need to see you. We can give you expert children law advice and advise you on the best way forward and the cost of applying for a child arrangements order. Please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Under current English divorce law you normally have to be married for at least one year before you can start divorce proceedings. You could separate from your husband now and get divorced in six months if you have the grounds to start divorce proceedings. We would need to speak with you to discuss whether you have the grounds to start divorce proceedings.

It is important that you are aware that you do not always need a spouse’s agreement to get a divorce. Agreement is only necessary if you start divorce proceedings based on two years separation with your spouse consenting to a divorce. There are other ways or grounds to get a divorce.

If you decide to separate now it may be sensible to sign a separation agreement. At the time of the divorce proceedings, the separation agreement could be converted into a financial court order to prevent either you or your husband making any further financial claims against one another.

If you are not a UK citizen, it is important that you take immigration law advice before you separate from your husband or start divorce proceedings. This is because your immigration status could be affected by the separation or divorce.

You do need family law advice on a separation agreement or divorce proceedings and your financial settlement options. We would therefore ask you to call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.