Hill Dickinson’s family team specialises in helping families reach amicable solutions about childcare arrangements and representing parties in court proceedings.
Expert advice is provided on:
- Residence orders (formerly known as custody orders)
- Contact orders (formerly known as access orders)
- Financial provision and child support claims
- Orders relating to children’s schooling, for example determining whether a child should attend a particular school and the payment of school fees
- Orders prohibiting certain steps, for example one parent taking a child out of the country without the other parent’s agreement
- The obtaining and exercise of parental responsibility for children
Key considerations:
- Children are vulnerable to the effects of separation and divorce. In the majority of cases, children need to maintain a relationship with both parents and their extended family
- Courts can make shared residence orders, although this does not necessarily mean that a child will spend an equal amount of time with both parents
- If parents are able to reach an agreement over childcare arrangements - either through negotiations or the collaborative process - there may be no need to obtain a formal court order
- Contact and child support arrangements should be the subject of regular review
- Extended family members can begin court
proceedings if contact arrangements cannot be agreed

Hill Dickinson LLP provides advice to individuals referred
by the firm’s corporate and commercial, sports and private client
teams.

