Welcome to JACKSON WEST SOLICITORS
- Family
- Children
- Collaborative Law
- Resolution
We can advise on separation, divorce, ancillary relief (financial claims), Trusts of Land Act, cohabitation disputes, and pre-nuptial agreements.
The Civil Partnership Act 2004:
The Act came into force on 5 December 2005. The Act gave same sex couples the opportunity to register their relationships and thereby acquire rights and responsibilities almost entirely the same as those of married couples.
We act for children, parents, and close family members in care proceedings, in adoption, residence, and contact applications, and in child abduction matters.
The specific skill sets required of a Children Panel Accreditation Scheme member are such that they will be expected to demonstrate competence in the skills specified below, and have a good working knowledge of procedures in the appropriate courts
The Children Panel Accreditation Scheme skills standards
Practice and procedure
1)The role of the children’s guardian including appointment of children’s guardian to panel, panel manager’s functions etc
2)Appointment of children’s guardian to case
3)Role and duties of children’s guardian including disclosure by children’s guardian of relevant information to other parties in case and persons/ authorities and parties to case
4)Applications for public funding, prior authority, costs, assessment and assessment by the Legal Services Commission
5)Local authorities structures, social services structure and procedures prior to issue of proceedings after the initial architectural conference, reviews, registration on “child protection register” etc – as contained in the Department of Health “Working Together” and Local Area Child Protection Committee Guidance
6)Procedure for application to Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
Local authority complaints and representation procedures for adults and children
Collaborative Law
Collaborative law is a relatively new process, which is designed to resolve family law disputes without going to court. Some of the key features are that:
- each party is represented by their own lawyer
- negotiations are conducted face to face in four-way meetings between the parties and their lawyers
- the parties and the lawyers all undertake to negotiate amicably and in good faith, to resolve matters without resorting to contested court proceedings
- if either party does resort to litigation, both lawyers are disqualified from acting in the proceedings.
Resolution
Resolution members– Code of Practice:
Membership of Resolution commits family lawyers to resolving disputes in a non-confrontational way. We believe that family law disputes should be dealt with in a constructive way designed to preserve people’s dignity and to encourage agreements.
Members of Resolution are required to:
- Conduct matters in a constructive and non-confrontational way
- Avoid use of inflammatory language both written and spoken
- Retain professional objectivity and respect for everyone involved
- Take into account the long term consequences of actions and communications as well as the short term implications
- Encourage clients to put the best interests of the children first
- Emphasize to clients the importance of being open and honest in all dealings
- Make clients aware of the benefits of behaving in a civilised way
- Keep financial and children issues separate
- Ensure that consideration is given to balancing the benefits of any steps against the likely costs – financial or emotional
- Inform clients of the options e.g. counselling, family therapy, round table negotiations, mediation, collaborative law and court proceedings
- Abide by the Resolution Guides to Good Practice
This Code should be read in conjunction with the Law Society’s Ftille service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.