When parents separate, deciding where the children will live and how much time they will spend with each parent is often the first legal question to settle. Some families agree these arrangements between themselves. Others need a solicitor’s help to negotiate, mediate or apply to court.
The solicitor you choose can affect how those conversations go, how long things take and how much stress your children are exposed to along the way. Credentials give you an independent way to compare solicitors before you commit. Here are five worth checking, with practical steps for checking each one.
1. Proven Experience in Child Arrangements Cases
Child arrangements cover where children live and the time they spend with each parent. Parents can agree these in a parenting plan, which is not legally binding, or the family court can set them out in a child arrangements order under the Children Act 1989. The court’s first concern is always the child’s welfare, so a solicitor needs to know how judges apply that test. They also need to know how to work with Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, which carries out safeguarding checks and reports to the court on what is best for the child.
Ask any solicitor how many child arrangements cases they have handled and how many reached agreement without a final hearing. Parents who want a firm with a wealth of experience with family matters often turn to Stowe Family Law, which is ranked as a leading firm across the UK by the independent legal directories Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 and has specialist family law solicitors working within a dedicated children’s department. Before your first meeting, write down your children’s current routine, including school, after-school activities and how often they see each parent. Having this ready helps any solicitor give you clearer advice from the start.
2. Membership of Resolution
Resolution is a national organisation of family justice professionals, including solicitors, mediators and other practitioners. Its members sign up to a code of practice that asks them to:
- resolve disputes in a constructive, non-confrontational way
- put the needs of children first
- encourage clients to consider the long-term effects of their decisions on the family
That approach matters when you will be co-parenting with your former partner for years. Resolution also runs an accreditation scheme for experienced members who pass an assessment in areas such as children’s law. You can search for members and accredited specialists in your area on Resolution’s website. Then ask any solicitor you are considering how they apply the code in practice, especially when the other parent is reluctant to cooperate.
3. Law Society Children Law Accreditation
The Law Society runs accreditation schemes that confirm a solicitor’s knowledge and experience in particular areas of law. Its Children Law Accreditation shows that a solicitor has been assessed on their handling of children cases. Applicants must demonstrate their experience and pass an assessment, and accredited members must reapply periodically to keep the status. The Law Society also runs a broader Family Law Accreditation, which covers divorce, finances and children together.
You can check a solicitor’s accreditations using the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor tool, which is free to search online. Accreditation is not the only measure of ability, and some very experienced solicitors do not hold it. It does give you an independent check, though, rather than relying on a solicitor’s own description of their skills.
4. Independent Rankings From Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500
Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 publish annual guides ranking law firms and individual lawyers. Each directory carries out its own research, including interviews with clients and other lawyers, and firms cannot pay to be included. Both have categories covering family and children’s law, so you can see which firms are rated for this type of work in your region. Rankings are grouped into bands or tiers, with Band 1 or Tier 1 marking the strongest.
A ranking shows that a specialist family law firm is well regarded by clients and peers, but it does not guarantee an outcome in your case. Search each directory’s website for:
- the firm’s name and the regions where it is ranked
- whether it is listed for children’s law, not only finances
- the solicitor who would handle your case, as individuals are ranked separately
5. Registration With the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Every practising solicitor in England and Wales must be authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The SRA’s online register lets you confirm that a solicitor is authorised and see if they have faced any disciplinary action. It takes a few minutes and protects you from instructing someone who is not properly regulated.
Once you are happy with a solicitor’s credentials, use the first meeting to ask practical questions:
- How do you usually approach the other parent or their solicitor?
- Will you support me through a MIAM (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting), which is usually required before applying to court?
- What are the likely costs if we reach agreement, and if we do not?
- Who will handle my case day to day?
Book an Initial Conversation About Your Child Arrangements
Experience with children cases, Resolution membership, Law Society accreditation, independent rankings and SRA registration all tell you something different about a solicitor. Checking all five gives you a fuller picture than any single credential, and helps you choose someone you can trust with decisions about your children.
Once you have narrowed down your options, book an initial conversation with one or two solicitors. Use it to ask your questions, get a sense of how they communicate and decide who you would feel comfortable working with as you agree arrangements that put your children first.
