The Family Law Department at David Gray Solicitors in Newcastle, UK

When a family goes wrong, everything you thought of as yours (your partner, children, home, pension, car) can be put at risk. You may assume that your case will have to go to court and that a judge will decide your future. But what will happen? How much will it cost? You can feel scared, helpless and angry, all at the same time. All of a sudden you can find yourself in a war zone with family and friends taking sides.

They may well tell you to get a "good" lawyer to fight your corner because in order not to lose you need to "win". "Good" often means aggressive, expensive and just a little bit frightening - we know the common image of family lawyers. We know that no one every truly "wins" a family law case. A bad divorce can leave lasting scars for the whole family.

The Family Law team at David Gray Solicitors is here to make what will be one of the most difficult times of your life easier - by helping you to maintain as much control as possible over the end result.

We will give you clear legal advice in plain English.
We will always recognise that, as our client, you are in charge of your own case and we will only do what is agreed with you.
We will give you clear information about whether you are eligible for Legal Aid and how much your case is likely to cost.
We will advise you about other services which may help you get through this difficult time.
We will always try to get you an outcome you can live with, with the minimum of conflict and expense.

The Family Law team at David Gray Solicitors is the largest in the North East. We are all members of Resolution which promotes a constructive and conciliatory approach to resolving family problems - over 90% of cases involving solicitors who are members of Resolution settle without Court battles.

Because of the size of the Family Law team at David Gray Solicitors and the range of expertise we can advise you on family law whether you are well off or hard up and we have specialists covering all aspects of family law:

•           Divorce and separation
•           Financial settlements
•           Pre-marital agreements
•           Separation agreements
•           Collaborative family law
•           Arrangements for children whose parents have separated
•           Domestic abuse
•           Harassment
•           Emergency freezing of assets
•           Cohabitation disputes
•           Child Support
•           Social Services involvement with children
•           Child Abduction
•           Civil Partnerships

The Family Law Department at David Gray Solicitors includes 1 Family Law Panel member, 5 Resolution accredited specialists, 6 members of the Law Society Children Panel, a Higher Rights Advocate and a trained Family Collaborative Lawyer.

Funding

The firm has a contract with the Legal Services Commission, which means that legal aid is available if you are financially eligible. This depends on your income. If you are in receipt of Income Support or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance, you are likely to be entitled to legal aid. If you are working it will depend upon your income. A financial assessment will always be carried out at the initial appointment.

If you are ineligible for legal aid, we will discuss with your our charges for acting for you on a private basis. We will provide you with our best estimate of our fees, and will update you on a regular basis. We are happy to agree limits with you so that we do not exceed the limit without first discussing it with you.

Contact Us

To book an appointment or make an enquiry with the family department please contact either:

Kim Briggs Tel: 0191 232 95 47 Ext: 4001 E-Mail: kim.briggs@davidgray.co.uk

Denise Patterson Tel: 0191 232 95 47 Ext: 4003 E-Mail: denise.patterson@davidgray.co.uk

Family Department Team Members

Mary Shaw, Head of Department, Solicitor