Our News
The Best Way to Deal with D-Day- 15/12/2008
Christmas can be a stressful time for many as visiting in-laws, money worries and attempting to keep everybody happy can bring any problems in a relationship to a head. As a result, the first Monday back after New Year sees a huge rise in calls to matrimonial lawyers.
Anne Thomson, head of family law at law firm FBC Manby Bowdler LLP, said: “Family lawyers everywhere get tremendously busy just after Christmas, a trend which has caused the start of the first full week back at the office to be termed D-Day, or Divorce Day.
“We often see clients who have used the Christmas period as a make or break time. Too much yuletide togetherness can act as a catalyst in relationships which are already under stress, causing any cracks to widen rather than mend.”
As the breakdown of a relationship can be one of the most traumatic periods of a person’s life it is essential that that person gets sound legal advice as quickly as possible.
Anne continued: “It is our aim to help people in this difficult time. We are non-judgmental and sympathetic to the situations in which clients find themselves. We also make it our business to keep negotiations as amicable as possible, always working for a swift and civilised conclusion.
“Several members of the team are Resolution members, meaning they have had specialist training to encourage solutions which are sensitive, cost-effective and, most importantly, consider the needs of the whole family, in particular the best interests of any children involved.
“The recent merger at FBC Manby Bowdler has brought together some of the most experienced family lawyers in the region. With 13 lawyers and two trainees spread across five offices in the West Midlands, The Black Country and Shropshire, the size and scope of our team isn’t matched by any other practice in the area.”
FBC Manby Bowdler also has a collaborative law specialist within the team, Richard Barge, who is the Shropshire co-ordinator for the Collaborative Law Group. Collaborative law is a relatively new approach to dealing with family disputes. It aims to resolve disputes through a series of face-to-face meetings between both parties and their lawyers, avoiding the animosity which can be generated by going to court.
Anne commented: “More and more people are finding that collaborative family law works for them. It provides a dignified, non-aggressive resolution which puts the needs and interests of any children first.”
As well as separation and divorce, FBC Manby Bowdler’s family team has expertise in adoption, childcare, children’s residence and contact, civil partnerships, cohabitee rights, finance, property and pension arrangements and pre-nuptial agreements.