When I started Purcell Solicitors in 2005 I never thought I would be blogging or communicating with the outside world through my website and social media. Anyone who knows me is well aware that dealing with technology is not my strongest point. However, I have decided to join the 21st Century and have my own blog. This coincides with the launch of the new website.
This blog will always be personally written by me and will be about me, my firm and its people and my views and opinions on what I think might be of interest in relation to the law, primarily family law. I hope anyone who reads it finds it interesting and am happy to receive feedback by e-mail. However, the blog will not contain advice and should not be relied upon by anyone as advice. I cannot advise anyone unless they are a client of the firm but I hope some of the information and views are helpful.
I have been a family lawyer for over 20 years initially at Fennemores and since 2005 in my own law firm. Lawyers have typically been slow to adapt to changing times but I knew when I started the firm that we had to provide great legal advice in a professional and efficient manner but do so in a way that clients wanted and which reflected social change. I am a huge supporter of finding ways other than Court to resolve financial disputes. I was one of the first Collaborative Lawyers in the UK, am a mediator and believe if possible family disputes should be capable of agreement, although sadly this is not possible in all cases. Court should be the place of last resort not the first but may be necessary on occasions.
Purcell Solicitors is my “baby”. I am incredibly proud of the firm, the people who work here and the way we do our best to help people through extremely difficult times in their lives. We specialise in family law – this is what is do. Mandi and Lisa have worked with me for over 10 years and we have a very close working relationship. Not only can I totally rely on them but we can draw on each other’s knowledge and experience to achieve the very best results for our clients.
The firm has undergone dramatic changes in the last year. In late 2010 the Government announced severe cuts to the legal aid budget as a result of which in the very near future legal aid will be withdrawn from most family law cases. This includes cases in relation to divorce, dealing with financial issues and children, in particular residence, contact, change of name and removal from the country. In December 2010 I made the decision (which has since been followed by many other firms) to withdraw from taking on new legal aid cases but continue to act for existing legal aid clients. As a result the firm no longer offers legal aid; something which I am extremely disappointed at. With budget cuts making it no longer viable to offer this service and much of family work being withdrawn from legal aid there was no real alternative.
Government cuts are happening across many areas of life and many say their service is more important than others. However, until someone needs legal aid on a family law matter and this is not available they will not know how crucial it is. Many thousands will be denied access to justice in relation to their personal affairs which can only affect other public services.
There is no substitute for proper professional advice and this is why we offer initial appointments at a fixed fee and have a scaled pricing structure dependant on your circumstances and the issues involved.
Family law is constantly developing and there are many issues which will be in the public eye in the coming months which I shall blog about. For those who are interested I thank you for taking the time to read my blog.