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Evolve Family Law is delighted to announce that Claire Gatley has joined the Holmes Chapel office of Evolve Family Law. Claire Gatley is a Cheshire family solicitor and advises on divorce and cohabitation relationship breakdown, financial settlements, and children law cases. Claire joins Louise Halford, co-founder of Evolve Family Law and one of the North West’s leading experts on children law and child abduction at Evolve Family Law’s offices in Holmes Chapel. Claire, who is a Cheshire resident, is passionate about helping people resolve their family law and children access and custody issues after separation or divorce. Claire says ‘’ I have been made to feel really welcome at Evolve Family Law. It is lovely to join such a caring and friendly firm of solicitors. As a local Cheshire resident, I think it is brilliant that a firm like Evolve Family Law combines Manchester city centre legal expertise, up-to-date technology, with old-fashioned attitudes to client care and taking time with family law clients to listen to their needs and goals’’. ‘’Although I have only recently joined Evolve Family Law what really struck me, from day one, was how everyone cares about their colleagues and clients. That makes for a great working environment and a relaxing client experience’’. ‘’I have always had a passion for family law and for helping people. I am brimming with enthusiasm to help Louise Halford and the team at Evolve Family Law achieve the best  family law outcomes for clients , whether they are seeking a divorce, need to reach a financial settlement or require specialist legal advice on a child arrangements order or child custody’’.      Commenting on Claire’s move to the Holmes Chapel Cheshire offices of Evolve Family Law and the continued expansion of the family law team, Louise Halford said: “Claire Gatley is a very welcome addition to the family law team at Evolve Family Law. She has lots of enthusiasm, a ‘’can-do’’ attitude and a sunny, caring personality. That is evidenced by her willingness to go the extra mile with her commitment to charity fund raising having ran half-marathons and leaping out of a plane. I am confident that all our family law clients will really appreciate Claire’s caring attitude and hard work on their behalf’’.   ‘’The addition of Claire Gatley to the family law team at Evolve Family Law and our continued expansion plans put us firmly on the path towards becoming the first choice legal advisors for local clients from all backgrounds in Cheshire and Whitefield, Manchester.” Evolve Family Law Holmes Chapel office is located at 4 The Clock Tower , Manor Lane , Holmes Chapel , Cheshire CW4 8DJ. [related_posts]

When your child passes out of its toddler years and reaches the age of four, parents experience a sense of achievement. That is how co-founders, Louise Halford and Robin Charrot, feel about Evolve Family Law’s fourth birthday. Their law firm helps clients with all aspects of private family law, from divorce and relationship breakdown, to financial settlements, child custody,  nuptial and cohabitation agreements to Will writing, Lasting Powers of Attorney and estate planning. Just over four years ago, Evolve Family Law was little more than a pipe dream for the two busy Manchester city centre family law solicitors. The pair decided that not only could they set up a niche family law practice but that its ethos would be different; solicitors who put their clients before profit, really listen to their clients, be constantly ‘on-call’ and deliver great results, with the client the focus of all they do. Fast forward four years and Evolve Family Law has grown from a team of two to twelve, operating out of offices in North Manchester and Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. To what do Louise Halford and Robin Charrot attribute the success of Evolve Family Law? They say a combination of factors; divorce and family law clients who have spread the word to friends and family about Evolve Family Law combined with a fantastic team of solicitors and support staff who are all committed to making Evolve Family Law the success it is. Louise Halford, specialist child law solicitor, says ‘’ Robin Charrot and I knew that we did not want to create just another law firm. Our ambition was to create something different, a law firm that cares. Despite Evolve Family Law’s growth and evolution over the last four years into a thriving and expanding law firm, the passion to put the client at the heart of everything Evolve does is as strong as ever with the focus on dedication to client service and listening to clients to get the family law outcomes that are best for them’’.    When asked about the firm’s plans for the next four years Robin Charrot, divorce and financial settlement solicitor said; "Our goal is to make Evolve Family Law the first choice legal advisors for North West family clients from all backgrounds with its personalised, specialist expertise at affordable rates, delivered by approachable, friendly solicitors". [related_posts]

Evolve Family Law is delighted to announce that it is all change again at Evolve Family Law with the arrival of Debra Lowy at the North Manchester branch of Evolve Family Law . Debra Lowy is a solicitor specialising in all aspects of private family law, from divorce and relationship breakdown, to financial settlements, and to child custody cases. Debra joins Robin Charrot, co-founder of Evolve Family Law and one of the North West’s leading experts on prenuptial agreements and financial settlements on divorce, at Evolve Family Law’s new North Manchester offices. Debra, who is a Prestwich resident, has over 25 years’ experience in divorce, financial settlement and child custody law, including at partner level. She is full of enthusiasm about her new role at Evolve Family Law. Debra says ‘’ it is great to join Evolve Family Law North Manchester office to help spread the word about Evolve Family Law and the services it offers. As a Prestwich resident, I think it is vital that North Manchester can compete with the likes of the city centre in Manchester in offering specialist professional service firms, whether that is accountancy, financial services or legal services. ‘’In my opinion, what marks Evolve Family Law out as different to your average law firm in either the suburbs or the city centre is that the client is at the heart of everything Evolve do . Some may call that just good old-fashioned service and I guess that is what it is, combined with a passion for family law. That dedication to client service and listening to clients to get the family law outcomes that are best for them matched my own ethos and approach to family law. ‘’ Evolve Family Law offers a personalised, local alternative to the large city-centre firms whilst being able to provide city-centre specialist expertise at affordable rates. That ethos really fits with my style of providing approachable but astute family law legal advice. If you are going through a relationship breakdown , worried about child custody , or concerned about who will get the house in a divorce split then you need the best possible advice and support to help you move on with your life. That is where I can help you. Commenting on Debra’s move to Evolve Family Law and the continued expansion of the firm, Robin Charrot said: “Our aim is to establish Evolve Family Law as the “go-to” divorce lawyers in North Manchester for all areas of family and private client law. Debra has really impressed us with her experience, enthusiasm, common sense and empathy. I’m sure Debra Lowy will help us to become the first choice legal advisors for local clients from all backgrounds in North Manchester.” If you would like to speak to Debra Lowy at Evolve Family Law please contact us [related_posts]

When it comes to choosing a family solicitor where do you start? Well there are many ways, from phoning friends and family, to scouring the internet or even picking up the phone and speaking to one of the family law firms that advertise on the back of buses or at hoardings at the railway station. Those may be some ways to choose a family solicitor but I suspect that using those methods you will not chose one that is necessarily right for you. Why it is so important to choose a family law solicitor that is right for you Getting divorced or taking part in children or financial court proceedings is stressful. It is still going to be tough, whatever family law solicitor you chose. However, the process will be easier if you find a family law solicitor you can work with and feel comfortable instructing. Some family law solicitors may be great academic lawyers but you do not feel able to talk to them and tell them about personal matters or tell them what you want.  Other family law solicitors may offer cheap price divorce and financial settlements but you may question how approachable they are and if you are getting the best service. Questions to ask when choosing a family law solicitor When you chose a family law solicitor, you are likely to be working with them for some time so it is important to choose with care. I deliberately say ‘’working with’’ as a family law solicitor should not tell you what to do. Instead, they should talk to you about what information is needed, assess your legal options, and help you make informed choices, whether that is a referral to mediation, the commencement of court proceedings or an agreed financial settlement. Who will you be instructing? That is not as stupid a question as it sounds. In some family law firms you may see a partner on the first meeting but not speak to them again as they will delegate the work to a junior solicitor or paralegal. That can be frustrating if you chose the firm based on the recommendation to an individual family solicitor or thought that the price quoted for the advice was based on an experienced senior solicitor carrying out all the work for you. Many family solicitors delegate work and normally it is in your interests that they do so, but you need to understand who will be helping you. Is the solicitor a specialist? Most people assume that a solicitor knows what they are doing but is your solicitor a specialist in family law. Do they do a bit of family law as well as property law and Wills? Nowadays professionals will specialise in one area of law. In large firms or niche family law firms, you will find solicitors that specialise in child law or child abduction or financial settlements or prenuptial agreements. You may not think that your situation is so complicated that you need a specialist but a specialist solicitor may be more efficient in resolving your legal problem or come up with potential solutions that you have not thought of. Has the family law solicitor provided the cheapest quote or lowest hourly rate? When it comes to choosing a solicitor the one who quotes the cheapest price for the job or the lowest hourly rate will not necessarily end up as the cheapest solicitor. The old adage ‘’ you pay for what you get’’ applies. If you chose a solicitor with a lot of experience they may quote a higher hourly rate than a junior solicitor may but they should be able to focus on the key issues and help you reach a speedy resolution, rather than end up in court proceedings. If you are offered a quote for the ‘’job’’ check there are no hidden extras such as court fees or VAT. Also, check to make sure what the quote covers. It pays to read the fine print in a price guide as if you are offered a fixed fee divorce does the quote cover meeting a solicitor or being able to ask questions, or will your instructions be processed online or via a call centre. How does the family law solicitor propose to resolve your case? This question may sound like another daft question but it is not. If the solicitor talks of court proceedings as the only option then their ‘’can do’’ attitude may be appealing to you. However, court should be seen as the last resort. Court proceedings are expensive and no solicitor can guarantee an outcome. A solicitor, who takes a more measured approach and talks of the keys issues and how to compromise to reach a negotiated settlement, whilst still achieving your goals, may get the same result for you, but without the expense and trauma of court proceedings. [related_posts] Do you like the family law solicitor? Liking your family law solicitor is not an essential part of choosing your solicitor but it does help to either like or respect them. After all, you will be working with them, as a team, so you need to be able to talk to them about your personal and financial affairs and have confidence in them. If you like your family solicitor then it makes it easier to reach a children or financial settlement. That is because when they suggest a compromise or a solution you know you will feel comfortable discussing the pros and cons with the solicitor and can have an honest discussion about whether or not you would get a better deal by going to court. Remember though, however much you like your solicitor you are the one who is in charge. They may offer advice, support and guidance on your legal options but the choice is yours. For information about how Evolve Family Law can help you, please contact us

Help us to win the award for Best Family Law Firm in Manchester in the Talk of Manchester Awards 2018! Vote Now Anyone who knows me and the Evolve Family Law team knows that we don't usually go in for awards. We prefer to let our work and our clients speak for us. However, one of our very happy clients put Evolve Family Law forward to receive an award for Best Family Law Firm in The Talk of Manchester Awards 2018 and we have since been shortlisted! Our winning this award depends on the number of people voting for us so please do vote today. Helping clients make informed choices by focussing on guiding them through the confusing minefield of family and divorce law is what we do best and being recognised for this makes us extremely proud of our team's hard work and commitment. If you like what the Evolve team do and what Evolve Family Law stands for, please click on the link below to vote. All you have to do is enter your name and email and then scroll to Category 13. Voting closes at 5pm on 12 October www.thetalkofmanchester.co.uk/awards Thank you to everyone who has voted for us to far, we are very grateful for the nomination and for anyone who takes the time to help us achieve our vision “To be the most trusted and first choice advisors for everyone going through relationship changes”. [related_posts]

We were delighted to support a business breakfast recently with the special guest speaker Economist, Jim O’Neill, Lord O’Neill of Gatley.  The event was attended by over 100 guests from the business community, and raised nearly £10,000 for MedEquip4Kids. Once breakfast and coffee were served, MedEquip4Kids chairman Brian White welcomed Lord O’Neill and gave a brief introduction to his many impressive achievements. After graduating from Sheffield University, Lord O’Neill studied for a PhD at Surrey and went on to become a renowned economist, working for various banks including 15 years at Goldman Sachs Division of Asset Management. He is especially well known for developing the acronym BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), a group of countries considered to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development. In 2011 he was named by Bloomberg Markets magazine as one of the 50 most influential financial professionals worldwide. When Lord O’Neill left Goldman Sachs he had a desire to do something different, though he wasn’t sure at first what that would be. Then he was asked by David Cameron to lead a review into the problem of antimicrobial resistance. His wife, who is a scientist, commented that it was the first time she’d be able to understand and be interested in what he was doing! Lord O’Neill has subsequently co-written a book called Superbugs: An Arms Race Against Bacteria. After the talk the floor was opened up for the audience to ask questions. Perhaps unsurprisingly in the circumstances, the first topic to be raised was Brexit.  Lord O’Neill’s view as a remainer was that there were likely to be negative consequences of Britain leaving the EU, but it perhaps wasn’t the most important issue facing the UK economy at the current time. In fact it was possible that increased productivity could eventually make up for any negative impact of Brexit. But in order to achieve that productivity, it was crucial to tackle geographical and intergenerational inequality – factors he believed were responsible for the referendum result, especially in places like Sunderland where people had felt for decades that they were being left behind compared to other parts of the UK. This led on to the subject of the Northern Powerhouse, an initiative which Lord O’Neill has championed and remains heavily involved in. In his opinion the six key factors in regenerating the northern economies are: devolution (in particular healthcare – he mentioned that in areas of North Manchester the life expectancy for men is just 59 years old), transport, education, skills, businesses moving out of London to prevent young people in the north having to relocate for jobs, and backing from private sector and council leaders. Finally Lord O’Neill was asked about the best emerging markets for UK exports, and he emphasised the importance of China. Although its growth has slowed recently, it still creates an equivalent of the South African economy every month. One important area is Chinese consumers: Apple now sells more iPhones to Chinese customers than it does to US ones. Other key emerging markets he noted were Vietnam and Laos. At the end of the breakfast Lord O’Neill, who is an enthusiastic supporter of Manchester United, drew out the winning envelope from the prize draw. The lucky winner was our very own Becky who went away with a Paul Pogba shirt! [related_posts]

Following our success at our Holmes Chapel Offices, Evolve Family Law have opened offices in Prestwich, Manchester.  This is an important decision for both our clients and our team as it allows us to provide face to face advice and services to both South, Central and North Manchester. You can now meet with us by appointment at Evolve Family Law Ltd, Suite 8, 1 Chapel Street, Prestwich, Manchester. M25 1AE Call 0161 466 0332 or contact us via our Contact Form.