The display of unity by members of the Royal family following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II has been humbling and inspiring.     

Troubled relationships among siblings have been cast aide for the greater good as the world paid tribute to her Majesty, who has been widely acknowledged as the greatest monarch in English history.

The respect given to the late Queen – whose own family has witnessed its fair share of relationship breakdowns – is a poignant reminder of the importance of always striving to put the family unit, and children’s best interests, first.    

Ensuring the voice of the child is heard in cases of divorce and separation goes to the heart of Jones Myers ethos to ensure their happiness and wellbeing is a priority.

We have seen at firsthand how children who are caught up in the crossfire can often retreat into an artificial world to escape the stress of their parent’s fraught exchanges.

Sadly, the knock-on effects of this can lead to long term repercussions on their health and education, which can result in lasting damage and affect their future prospects.

The expertise of our Children’s Department – which delivers every aspect of private and public children law – includes a Child Inclusive Mediator and an in-house counsel.   

Our team’s specialisms include residence, contact, relocation, international child abduction, adoption, and child protection – the latter which requires balancing parents’ rights while ensuring children are protected from significant harm.

As well as acting for parents and grandparents, we also represent children, through their court appointed Children’s Guardians allocated by Cafcass. We also act separately for children of a significant age and maturity.  

Our dedication to excellence includes membership of the Law Society Children Panel, the Advanced Family Law Panel, and the Child Abduction Panel. Additional qualifications include Higher Rights of Audience and Child Inclusive Mediation Accreditation.

For queries on children law or any aspect of family law, call us on 0113 246 0055 (Leeds), 01423 276104 (Harrogate), or 01904 202550 (York). Visit jm2023.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce

Jones Myers blog is ranked 9^th in the UK’s Best 25 family law blogs and websites to follow in 2022.

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This year marks a significant milestone for our in-house counsel, Andrew Fox, who is celebrating 30 years since qualifying as a Barrister.

Andrew’s career decision was inspired by the late Richard du Cann – a formidable advocate whose significant contribution to his profession includes his book ‘The Art of the Advocate.’

In the early stages of his career Andrew was also encouraged by the wise advice of a Barrister who went onto become a prominent Family Judge.

Studying law at the University of Buckingham and Inns of Court School of Law, Andrew’s advocacy skills and track record include dealing with complex children cases including child arrangement orders, relocation cases and care proceedings in all level of courts.

A collaboratively trained lawyer, Andrew handles matrimonial finance matters with extensive assets and is highly skilled in trust related matters and off shore structures (having worked in Channel Islands).  

A caffeine aficionado who is still consuming double espressos late into the night, he is motivated by developing a strategy with his clients and achieving a good outcome for them.

Andrew joined Jones Myers a decade ago because of the firm’s ethos and track record of being exceptional in its field.

He says: “Jones Myers has an enviable reputation in family law, retaining our joint top tier ranking in the Legal 500 and Chambers guides for over two decades.”

“The outstanding quality of service we deliver to our clients is reflected in our ongoing expansion and how we attract the best lawyers for our growing client base.”

With the Pandemic contributing to significant hold ups in court proceedings, our specialists are assisting even more clients through the processes of Mediation, Collaborative Law and family Arbitration which avoid them going to court. “

As the lockdown continues, Andrew is proud of how the firm enables clients within and outside the UK to access the firm’s specialist services via effective remote communications – giving them reassurance that their cases are being progressed efficiently and effectively.       

Adds Andrew: “The stress and trauma of divorce and relationship break ups and contact arrangements for children have been further exacerbated during the prolonged Pandemic and its associated health and financial concerns.”    

“Our capability and commitment to provide ongoing urgent legal advice and support through the challenging weeks and months ahead to those who most need it is unfailing.”    

For all family law related issues, call us at Leeds on 0113 246 0055, Harrogate on 01423 276104, or York on 01904 202550. Visit jm2023.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce.

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Jones Myers partner Fiona Kendall was a guest of one of the fellows of the illustrious academy – an organisation of global family lawyers with particular expertise in international matrimonial law, including cross-jurisdictional matters.

Fiona, a trained collaborative family lawyer specialising in financial remedies, is an expert in cross-border matters. She examines the key issues under the spotlight for couples and divorce lawyers at the Buenos Aires conference.

“The conference reinforced how family law reflects the culture of a particular country – and how that law won’t always transfer to another country or culture.  As lawyers we may hear of legislation in a country such as New Zealand, which is very progressive, without recognising that such a law wouldn’t work elsewhere.

Our clients are more multi-cultural than decades ago. The days of marrying someone in your own village are long gone in many countries as people are increasingly more mobile. The three key themes of the conference reflected these cultural differences – recognising that whilst cross-cultural marriages are very common and it is easy to meet someone from another country, it can be a huge challenge if that marriage breaks down.

Relocation of children

The global trend of inter-cultural marriages means that if couples divorce children may be relocated to another country. Ahead of the conference the IAML sent out a comprehensive questionnaire to members to examine trends and issues across different jurisdictions. The findings ran to some two hundred pages.  Some of the themes were highlighted in a role play at the conference featuring an Argentinian father and a Scottish mother who, post-separation, wanted to return to live in Scotland with their children.  As a lawyer qualified in Scottish law I watched this role play with considerable interest as delegates discussed the living arrangements of the family and what would be in the children’s best interests.

Coercive control

This is a term used to describe domestic abuse and the conference looked at how different counties view and define coercive control. In some countries financial control is viewed as a form of abuse – so a man telling his wife how much she can spend, and on what, would be seen as coercive control in a divorce case.  However, in other jurisdictions, judges appear to apply a much narrower definition with only violence within a relationship viewed as domestic abuse.

“It is important for family lawyers to understand that what is unacceptable in one country or culture may be seen as normal in another as there are implications for how we handle divorce cases across different jurisdictions.”

Pre-nuptial agreements

The third theme of the conference was of particular interest to me as I draft pre-nups regularly.  Discussions highlighted the complexity and challenges of compiling pre-nups across different countries and in different languages to ensure that they are robust enough to withstand legal challenges.

If a couple have assets, property or business interests in several different countries then mirror agreements may need to be drawn up in each of the relevant jurisdictions.  Translations may be required. The conference debated whether we might be better incorporating the agreements into one ‘omnibus’ version and asked challenging questions about the accuracy of translations and how to decide which jurisdiction takes precedence.

It was a real privilege to be a guest at the conference that brought together some of the world’s most influential family lawyers.  It can only be of benefit to our clients if we share information and ideas with our colleagues around the world and embed the very best matrimonial law practice into our own firms.”

If you have any questions about cross-jurisdiction family or divorce issues including children’s matters or pre-nuptials then please then do email us or give us a call on 0113 246 0055.

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