The growth of the family law division of Jacksons Law Firm reflects increasing demand for legal expertise in this area, newly appointed solicitors Nida Ali and Terri Leigh say.
The family law division has taken on three new members of staff, with Natalya Kosser on the business support side of the department also joining Nida and Terri.
The growth of the family law division of Jacksons Law Firm reflects increasing demand for legal expertise in this area, newly appointed solicitors Nida Ali and Terri Leigh say.
The family law division has taken on three new members of staff, with Natalya Kosser on the business support side of the department also joining Nida and Terri.
Nida says the department has been busy lately, with instructions for matrimonial matters and matters relating to children.
“I’ve just been getting into the role and it’s been busy!” says Nida, who is a Northumbria University law graduate.
“The firm is expanding at a rapid rate – and I just wanted to be part of that.
“It is an incredibly supportive team at Jacksons across the board, not just within the family team, so that was really attractive to me.”
The current landscape of family law across the UK is incredibly dynamic, with the introduction of no-fault divorces pushing up demand for legal expertise in matrimonial finances.
Terri and Nida say demand is also currently high for pre and post-nuptial agreements, as people are becoming more savvy about protecting their finances in the event of a separation.
“The introduction of no-fault divorces has increased demand for assistance with matrimonial finances,” Terri says.
“The new law in itself also requires some navigating and we are ready to assist and allow our clients to access this at the same time as providing the support with their finances as required.”
The pair expect demand for family law services to remain consistently high – and Terri points to the support they offer cohabiting couples as another area that keeps the department busy.
“Currently, cohabiting couples don’t have the same rights as married couples and until that law gets reformed – which is something we understand the new Government will be looking into – we can get involved with drafting cohabitation agreements.
“It could take quite a while for the law to change, but the country has become aware there is a need for change in that area.”
Cohabitation agreements cover issues like who owns what property, how bills are to be divided and what would happen in the event of a breakdown in the relationship.
“You can even include who’s keeping the dog!” Terri says.
“It’s all about protecting our clients and having their best interests at heart.”
It’s often best to assist around protection before a relationship breakdown happens.
“There is a healthy demand for pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements,” she says.
“People often narrow it down to divorce and finance arrangements, but it’s such a broad area of law and can also cover child arrangements and protective injunctions.”
As these issues are often very emotive, Terri and Nida are pleased to have joined a team of caring individuals.
Nida says: “No client is the same and no case is the same – there will be different things to advise on and it’s very personal to those involved.
“We have to be aware of the need for care in what we provide because it is a very emotive subject.
“As a team, we have a very compassionate, empathetic, client-focused, attentive approach – and I’m happy and proud of the team in terms of how we do approach client issues.”
Terri joins Jacksons, which has offices on Teesside and Newcastle and covers the whole North East Region, having worked as a family solicitor for a small firm in Seaham.
Nida joined Jackson having worked at another firm in Newcastle where she advised on children’s matters, divorce and finance “I have dealt with family law predominantly since 2015 when I graduated,” she says.
Speaking about why she was attracted to Jacksons, Nida adds: “At Jacksons, there are experts across the board in every area of law across various departments and that is reflected with the firm recently being named Law Firm of the Year at the Northern Law Awards.
“Jacksons continues to go from strength to strength and I am happy to be working alongside experts Christine McVay, Emma Canham and our head of department Katy Moody, in addition to Terri, Natalya and our existing support team.
“Being able to work with team members who are highly experienced and amazing at what they do was the real appeal to me.”
Terri has worked with Christine, the firm’s family law consultant, before, as Christine trained her during her training contract.
“I was well aware of her expertise and really wanted the opportunity to work alongside her again,” she says.
Terri adds: “I’m very proud to be part of the team at Jacksons.
Jonathan Wall, partner and head of private client services at Jacksons Law Firm, said: “We welcome Nida, Terri and Natalya to the firm and with their appointments, we have significantly strengthened the expertise that already existed in our family law division at Jacksons.
“As Nida and Terri have touched on, family law is a very emotive area, so it was vital we took on experts who demonstrate the same care and empathy which Jacksons is known for when dealing with these highly personal matters.
“We look forward to working with Nida, Terri and Natalya during this busy period for the department and beyond.”
Contact FamilyTeam@Jacksons-law.com or telephone 0191 2322574 (Newcastle) 01642 356500 (Stockton) to arrange an initial consultation for £100 + VAT for 30 minutes, (which is heavily reduced from our hourly rates) by telephone and let us provide you with expert guidance on your family law matters
With offices in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Teesside, we are well placed to help clients in any area of the North East including Middlesbrough, Redcar, North Yorkshire, Hartlepool, Darlington, County Durham, Sunderland, Gateshead, Northumberland.
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