I am over halfway through my seat in Family and starting to feel more and more comfortable each day. Getting the chance to work with the amazing members of this team, from the secretaries to the lawyers has been both fun and informative and I have been lucky to have a great amount of support as well as a variety of different cases and legal issues to tackle.

One of the biggest benefits to joining the family team is to be able to work with the different lawyers in the team doing work on both Financial divorce cases, as well as on Children matters.

These can be very different and present their own challenges and systems, so being able to experience both has been an excellent learning experience.

I have had lots of opportunities to go to Court recently to observe many different types of Family Law hearings from the initial hearings with are referred to as First Appointment hearings or Directions hearings all the way to Final hearings where the matters are decided by the Judge.

Whilst I have not personally advocated in Court, although I did recently complete advocacy training as part of my training contract process with the amazing Alistair Hodge, I have been able to witness the work of many different barristers as well as the lawyers within the department as they have presented our Client’s cases in front of the Judge.

The biggest thing I have learned in Family Law about going to Court, is the level of emphasis on trying to settle these matters before having to go to a final hearing. The Court system is very busy and Court proceedings can be very expensive, so the lawyers at Kitson Boyce, as well as other firms, always have an eye to trying to encourage a fair settlement between parties to limit the time and costs spent on going to Court.

On the days in Court, this can be the best chance for parties to negotiate as everyone is in the same place with their representatives. Along with the assistance of the Judge, this can help to encourage the parties to come to a fair proposal for both parties which can be agreed and then sealed by the Judge.

Being able to see the Court rooms and be with our Client’s on these tough days has been a privilege, even as I have been there in a role of observer and note taker. Having these details of discussions and agreements made at Court written down can be important if there are any later disputes about what was previously agreed.

Overall, the biggest thing I am trying to do at the moment is be as helpful as possible to assist the department during my time in it. I have been doing my best to be like a sponge, taking in as much information as possible from the experienced lawyers who have been so kind and generous in answering my many questions and helping me to understand the process of Family Law, from the forms and questionnaires all the way to the Court hearings and making sure I don’t forget to bring a tie!

As much as I would love to talk about some of the finer details of the interesting cases I have been able to assist on, confidentiality is one of the fundamental principles of our work. What I can tell you is that I have met a lot of wonderful people and it has been an honour to assist them in trying to find the best outcome for them, whether that be a financial settlement or a better arrangement for care of their children.

I am looking forward every day to being able to assist our Client’s to the best of my ability and learn as much as I can for the remainder of my time in this department.

I hope you have all enjoyed this update, and there will be plenty more to follow over the next few months.

Signing off for now,

Charlie.

Want to know why Charlie wanted to start this series? Meet him and find out below…