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By Norman Taylor, collaborative family lawyer
The prospect of divorce can be overwhelming, exhausting and frightening.
In our experience, most couples who’ve decided there is no going back, want to avoid a costly and stressful courtroom battle over the division of their assets and ensure the best interests of their children.
Even though their relationship as husband and wife has ended, their futures will be inextricably linked with planning and sharing their children’s development and well-being. (more…)
By Liz Bell, solicitor
Following on from our earlier blog, which highlighted how a high percentage of cohabiting couples wrongly believe that they have legal protection when their relationship breaks down, we answer more of your most commonly asked questions.
It’s celebration time as we mark 25 years as a niche family law practice which continues to go from strength to strength.
Jones Myers team
Our highly experienced team at Jones Myers has opened a new office at Windsor House, Cornwall Road in Harrogate as we mark our 25-year anniversary.
The milestone for our specialist family law firm, which operates out of Leeds and London, is to accommodate an increase in instructions from our clients in North Yorkshire.
The move has been widely featured across print and broadcast media including The Yorkshire Post, The BusinessDesk, BusinessLink, Bdaily, the Harrogate Advertiser and Stray FM.
2017 has been a formative year for our practice, which was founded in Leeds by Peter Jones – one of the country’s leading family lawyers and a former national chairman of Resolution.
We are consistently ranked in a joint Top Tier position by the Legal 500 and Chambers guides for Leeds, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.
Chambers 2018 describes us as, “A very strong firm – not just in finance but also in children cases.” It adds, “Expertise in dealing with financial remedy nuptial cases adds depth to their practice.”
The latest edition of the highly respected Legal 500 guide describes Jones Myers as “a family practice that is one of the best in the area” and attracts praise for our “sensible, expert, conciliatory advice that does what it says on the tin.”
Our clients are based regionally, nationally and internationally, and we have earned an enviable reputation working exclusively in divorce, separation, complex financial disputes, children issues and contested wills and estates.
Our team of experts, which include a Deputy District Judge, an experienced mediator, a family law arbitrator and our own in-house barrister, jointly combine 250 years of legal experience.
Our move to Harrogate follows the recent expansion of our highly respected children’s department who are regarded as leading experts in issues of residence, contact, relocation, child protection and international child abduction.
Peter Jones said: “The services we provide at our Harrogate office complement those at our Leeds and London locations. We are proud to be recognised as lawyers who look for solutions to problems and are acknowledged for supporting families and children. We advise and guide where possible on options which can avoid conflict and unnecessary costs.
“A big ‘thank you’ to our valued and talented team in what is a momentous year for the firm.”
For more information about any aspect of divorce or family law, call Jones Myers at our Leeds office on 0113 246 0055, our Harrogate office on 01423 276104, visit www.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce
By Liz Bell, solicitor
Cohabiting couple families remain the fastest growing relationship in the UK, but many mistakenly believe that they have the same legal rights as married couples in critical areas such as savings, income, pensions or business interests.
By Peter Jones, founder
A senior judge’s call for parents with valuable homes to be forced to pay more child support highlights a loophole in the system which is criticised as being unfair and does not put children’s interests first.
Since 2012, child maintenance payments have been based on income only, with assets not included in calculations by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), which decides the rate. This means that people can live off their capital, declare a low income and pay minimal child support.
Milestone expansion: our new office will be based at Windsor House.
Having worked with divorcing and separating couples for many years, as a firm we understand that it is no cliché to describe the process as one of the most stressful in life – up there with bereavement and moving home.
Jones Myers’ new office in Harrogate will enable us to help more clients who are undergoing relationship breakdowns and seeking assistance with issues relating to children, finances and future planning.
A senior judge’s highly unusual move in explaining to a 14-year-old boy in a letter his decision why the child could not live with his father will have touched the hearts and minds of all parents.
Typically, judges produce a written ruling, In this case, Mr Justice Peter Jackson’s extraordinary action to compose a letter was made after the teenager, to whom he gave the pseudonym ‘Sam’, had given evidence and left for a school outing before the hearing had finished.
Jones Myers is supporting a star-studded charity benefit event on Father’s Day which is boosting awareness for an inspirational charity.
Headlined by showbiz legends Cannon and Ball, the vibrant evening of family entertainment at Harrogate Theatre is a fundraiser for Shine which provides specialist support for individuals and families who face the challenges of spina bifida and hydrocephalus.
If you’re going through a painful parting, the concept of a happy and successful divorce may appear beyond the realms of possibility when you feel that your world is collapsing around you.
While the importance of being able to call on someone of sound judgement during a breakup is invaluable, not everyone has a close, reliable network of family and friends to help them.
This is why we champion a holistic approach comprising suitably trained lawyers, life coaches and financial advisers (as the case requires). This specialist support group understands the grieving process and works as a team to help manage each part of the jig-saw in a vital planning process. (more…)