As family lawyers, we often see clients who want to keep things as amicable as possible – particularly when there are children involved. Unfortunately, sometimes this proves impossible and conflict builds between the parties. This has the unfortunate effect of putting much more stress on both the separating couple and the children, increasing the cost of the divorce and delaying the final outcome.

At Harbour Family Law, we firmly believe that it does not need to be like this. If both parties are committed to separating in a constructive and positive way, our aim is to support them in achieving this.

It is often said that strong relationships require good communication. This is just as true during a divorce as it is at any point in a marriage. It can be helpful for separating couples to maintain positive communication with each other, focusing on practical issues and looking to the future rather than going over the past. This is hardest when emotions are running high, but it does make a difference.

It is just as helpful to make sure that you are able to communicate well with your solicitor; they need to listen carefully to your instructions so that they can give you the right advice. We know that every single case we deal with is unique, and we work hard to build a good working relationship with our clients to ensure we do our best to help them achieve their goals.

It also helps to make sure that your solicitor is a member of Resolution – the professional body for family lawyers. All Resolution members have to comply with a Code of Practice, which has special rules about communication between solicitors. This is specifically designed to help the lawyers take the heat and conflict out of a case and focus on finding helpful solutions to the issues. All of our Family Law team are long-standing and committed members of Resolution.

We know that divorce is an incredibly challenging and fraught time for our clients. Although the emotional and moral issues that arise are not generally recognised as a part of the legal process, we understand how these factors make it difficult to make sense of the situation you are in and decide the best way forward.

We pride ourselves on taking the time to really understand what our clients want to achieve, and working towards getting the best outcome for you and your family.

We know that the only way we can provide you with a sound legal service is to make sure you feel supported and understood through the whole process. This will mean that you can provide us with full, clear instructions and we can tailor our legal advice to your unique situation.

Hannah Holdaway is a specialist family solicitor at Harbour Family Law Solicitors. She has also researched issues of relationship conflict during divorce as part of her recent MSc in Psychology. You can contact her by e-mail at: mail@harbourfamilylaw.co.uk or by calling 0117 375 1780.

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