Bristol Family Solicitors
Ranked in Tier 1 for all family law matters in Bristol, offering expert legal advice on divorce, fertility law, child arrangements, and more...
We offer free telephone consultations, get in touch today.
Our expertise as family solicitors in Bristol
Our expert Bristol family solicitors deal with more than just divorce. They are part of a team who are ranked top for all family law matters by both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500. Bristol’s team includes Gavin Scott and Joanne Thomas.
From resolving the financial issues of relationship breakdown to making arrangements for children, Bristol's family team offers specialist legal advice. We can guide you through the complexities of fertility law and donor conception, child maintenance, and school appeals. Our Bristol solicitors can also guide you through civil partnerships, cohabitation agreements, and pre and post-nuptial agreements.
Our family lawyers in Bristol will be sensitive and discreet at all times, and use their skills and knowledge to help you get your life back on track. Our approachable family law team offers advice and legal representation equal in quality to top UK law firms, without the high costs.
If you’re based in the south-west, contact our family law team for advice.
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We are here to help you get towards the best possible outcome for you and your family, so let’s start your legal journey today and get you in touch with the right lawyer to get you started.
Please give Gavin Scott or Joanne Thomas in Bristol a call today to find out how we can support you.
The processes our family lawyer services involve
Bristol‘s team of family solicitors will help you, your family and particularly your children towards the best possible outcome. We can use alternative dispute resolution methods such as solicitor-led negotiation to avoid high court costs and delays. If going to court is the only option, our friendly Bristol family solicitors are highly experienced and more than capable of supporting you throughout the court process.
With Freeths’ experts in property, tax, employment, trusts, and company law, we have a breadth of understanding. Our knowledge of wealth preservation is useful for preparing agreements for cohabitation and pre-nuptials. Give Gavin Scott in Bristol a call today to find out how we can help you.
Why choose our Bristol Family Solicitors
- We’re located just a short drive away from the city centre of Bristol
- Both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners rank our team of family solicitors in the top tier
- By using alternative dispute resolution, we help you to avoid costly litigation fees
- If court is the only option, we will offer you robust representation, support and clear advice
- We offer a range of competitive fees, while still offering quality to rival top city firms
Our key Bristol contacts
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Family Solicitor FAQs
When the division of pensions is being considered, a pension scheme Cash Equivalent Value may be used as a starting point. The advice of a Pension Actuary may be needed to look at providing an income for both parties on retirement. Offsetting (where one party is compensated for the loss of pension rights by receiving other assets) or earmarking (a percentage of the pension is set aside for the ex-spouse to claim on retirement may) also be considered, which require a Court Order to be effective.
This is a complex area of law and requires careful consideration, so we ensure our clients obtain advice about the right options for them.
Rather than going to Court, mediation is a flexible way of resolving disputes, arising around separation or divorce, saving time and money. Our accredited and experienced mediators resolve issues through face-to-face meetings, helping couples arrive at a solution that suits them both.
Mediation enables couples to communicate directly with each other, rather than via solicitors or across a Court Room. Our mediators act as impartial third parties whose job it is to discuss options to help craft a solution to suit both parties and their family. Common topics include childcare, co-parenting plans and resolving the financial issues.
Some of the cases we deal with are very straightforward and for those we offer fixed fee services. For example if you want to deal with the paperwork yourself, a divorce paperwork checking service costs £250 plus VAT. For us to deal with all paperwork, a fixed fee of £600 plus VAT applies, provided both parties agree upon the basis the divorce paperwork is going to be presented to the Court.
If there is disagreement about who is going to file the divorce petition with the Court and upon what basis, we charge for the time spent this would not normally exceed £1,200 plus VAT.
Anyone filing a divorce petition has to pay a separate Court fee which is currently £550.
To learn more about how much it will cost to sort out financial issues, please read more here.
The cost of resolving financial issues between separating or divorcing couple depends upon how contentious those issues are between the parties. Both parties should prepare a Financial Consent Order which sets out how financial issues have been resolved, and if couples can agree matters between themselves then this will involve a fixed fee for dealing with paperwork plus the Court fee. Mediation can help to keep costs to a minimum, whilst resolving difference, but if agreement can’t be reached, going to Court can be a costly exercise,
To learn more about how much it will cost to sort out financial issues, please read more here.
If you are separated from your child’s other parent you are required to have child maintenance which is calculated, in most cases, through the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) which can seek information from the Inland Revenue. If you earn more than the maximum CMS threshold, the court can award top-up maintenance to the other parent.
If you do not agree to the amount of maintenance, you can ask the CMS to re-consider and ultimately appeal the decision to an independent tribunal.
There is no such thing as Common Law husband and wife, even if you have lived together for many years. You only acquire the rights of a spouse if you marry or enter into a civil partnership. So if you separate, the only assets which you can claim against are those owned jointly, or that you have made a direct financial contribution to and about which you have agreements in place. If you are planning to cohabit, a Cohabitation Agreement outlines who will contribute towards what during the course of your relationship. This will also establish what rights you both have to each other’s assets and the future claims that you understand will or will not be made.
It is possible to appeal any decision relating to a school placement – this involves completing a written application, with evidence, where relevant. An appeal is successful if the admission criteria do not comply with the school admissions’ appeal code, if admission arrangements have not been properly followed or the decision to refuse your chid a place was not reasonable.
The appeal is initially made in writing and a hearing date is set. You must comply with the appeal process and timetable. Your appeal is heard by an independent tribunal where evidence will be given about the admission criteria and how it has been applied.
Examples of family law cases by our Bristol family solicitors
- Assisted a woman to reach a financial settlement at mediation after direct discussions between her and her husband had broken down; avoiding the need for her to issue court proceedings.
- Achieved a financial settlement on the basis of voluntary disclosure and agreed arrangements for a child, in a highly contested matter, without the need for court proceedings to be issued.
- Completed an international financial settlement involving assets such as properties in England and Belgium and a substantial European Commission pension.
- Obtained order in contested proceedings at Royal Courts of Justice for divorce to be dealt with in her client’s country of origin under Sharia law, so saving his overseas inheritance rights.
Testimonials from clients and legal directories
“Thank you for all your hard work and professionalism.”
Client testimonial
“I felt well advised throughout and was particularly impressed by her manner.”
Client testimonial
"From the minute I spoke to the team at Freeths I knew they were definitely the firm for me. Freeths explained everything to me, what the divorce p...
The Legal 500, 2025
"I really felt that there was a good balance between the business and the human side. Going through a separation myself, which is a tough moment, i...
The Legal 500, 2025
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Whatever your legal needs, our wide ranging expertise is here to support you and your business, so let’s start your legal journey today and get you in touch with the right lawyer to get you started.
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