Childrens Law Legal Services

If you are faced with the distress of having your child unlawfully taken abroad or  if you have removed a child from another country to protect them we can offer immediate assistance.

We are able to advise you on all aspects of the adoption process, whether you are making the adoption application or opposing it.

Where appropriate we can arrange mediation, Early Neutral Evaluation (a non-binding way of finding out in advance what a Judge might think of your case) and arbitration.

You may have decided to create your modern family using donor eggs, donor sperm or a donor embryo. We will be on hand to advise you about the process and what you might need to do to protect your legal rights.

If Social Services are involved with a child in your care, we can advise and represent you in any resulting care proceedings. We do not offer Legal Aid but we can provide our bespoke service if you are ineligible for Legal aid or would prefer to pay privately for our expertise.

It can be very difficult for children and young people if their surname is different from the rest of the family. A change of name is one way to resolve this. We can take the necessary steps for you.

Whether you are applying for or responding to an application for a “live with” or a “spend time with” Child Arrangements Order, we will offer you specialist advice and representation.

Parental responsibility is the name for the legal right to make decisions about children. If you don’t have parental responsibility for a child you care for, it can be difficult. There are various ways of obtaining parental responsibility and we can advise which is best for you and help you to achieve it.

Are you worried that your child’s other parent might take them abroad without your permission, change their name or change their school? Is the other parent trying to stop you from doing any of these things. We will offer our expertise to resolve this.

Whether you are applying for or opposing permission for a child to move within the UK or abroad, relocation applications can be upsetting and stressful. They are legally and evidentially complex. We will ensure that your case is handled by an expert in the field.

A Special Guardianship Order (or “SGO”) is an order that a child will live with you and that you will have parental responsibility for them.  We can advise you about how an SGO might work for your family situation and make the necessary application.

Do you need to change your child’s name or change their school or take them abroad for a holiday and their other parent won’t agree? Are you the one who is objecting to one of these changes for good reason? We can use our expertise to advise and represent you to achieve the best outcome.

Have you decided to begin a surrogacy journey? Are you a surrogate needing advice. Has your surrogacy arrangement sadly gone wrong?  The law is complicated and you need to know what your legal rights and responsibilities are. We will talk and walk you through the process to ensure that you achieve the best legal outcome.

These are highly complex High Court proceedings involving children. They often involve difficult decisions about medical treatment or protecting children from severe risk of harm. Our expert legal representation will ensure that your case is advanced in the best possible way.