Family & Divorce

Derrick Riddle & Co’s Family department boasts solicitors who are experienced and qualified mediators, collaborative solicitors, family law arbitrators (CIArb) and one of the e-Private Client 100 most influential solicitors 2018.

Our experienced Family team can advise you on all matters relating to family law, from the most simple of cases to the more complex and sensitive situations including international law.

We use our broad experience and detailed insight of family law to provide our clients with first class advice on a range of matrimonial matters. The department boasts solicitors who are leaders in their field including, mediation, collaborative law, arbitration and a specialist children law department who are able to deal with, leave to remove children abroad, abductions, surrogacy agreement and all aspects of children work.

The department prides itself on acting for well known personalities in every sphere of life and despite many public figures being represented by the family department, confidentiality and ensuring that the media are excluded is the departments priority.

Our extensive knowledge in this area means we can advise people who may be married, living together, in civil partnerships or living as husband and wife in accordance with Shariah Law.

Our Family team has the advantage of a dedicated data protection and information law specialist, which enables us to provide expert advice in this specialised and complex area.

This specialist expertise sets our Family Law team apart and means that we can advise you on protecting your persona, confidential and sensitive information, protecting your dignity and emotional wellbeing and giving you peace of mind.

Pertaining to the Ashley Madison Cyber-Attack we can advise and assist in matters relating to:

Personal and confidential information;
Protection of private material (including sensitive photographs and recordings);
Misuse of social media;
Subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 1998; and
Compensation for distress caused by misuse of personal information.

Wherever possible, our Family team helps clients to resolve any disputes through negotiation and agreement but where this is not possible, we are ready to protect and promote our clients’ interests with robust action.

Our Family team can provide advice on pre and post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, civil partnerships, divorce and separation, issues involving children and can help with a number of alternatives to court-based process.

Many of our clients require help on an international basis so we have developed an extensive network of expert lawyers who are ready to help protect and promote our clients’ interests in foreign jurisdictions.

We also have Shariah law experts who work with respected professionals and Shariah Councils to achieve outcomes that are in accordance with Shariah law and compatible with civil legal proceedings.

Whatever the situation, we ensure that matters are dealt with sensitively and with our clients’ best interests to the fore.

Our Children team are reflected in the reported surrogacy case of Re AB (Surrogacy: Consent) [2016] EWHC 2643 (Fam).