'Tis the season for twinkling lights, family gatherings and that undeniable feeling of togetherness. But the Christmas holidays can leave many who are navigating a separation uncertain as to when they will see their children over the festive period.

A person leaving a marriage can feel anxious about the impact that the separation and divorce process will have on them and they may be worried about how it will be possible to disentangle themselves from the marriage both emotionally and financially.

Our Family Law Solicitor Emma Stratton has been accredited to the Law Society of Northern Ireland’s Children Order Panel.

We are delighted to welcome two newly qualified Solicitors to our team at Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors.  Nadege Lemon and Mary Muldoon have both successfully completed their Apprenticeships and now remain with Francis Hanna & Co  in Solicitor roles.

Our Family Law Partner Claire Edgar was a guest presenter at this year’s European Conference on Domestic Violence in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Cases involving a serious injury can be incredibly complex and so it is vital that an injured person or their family instruct the right team of legal experts who have experience in dealing with these highly specialist cases.   

Article 4 of the Children (NI) Order 1995 allows for the Family Courts in Northern Ireland to arrange for a ‘suitably qualified person to report to the Court on such matters relating to the welfare of a child’.   This suitably qualified person is known as the Court Children’s Officer and they can play a significant part in promoting a just and compassionate and child-centred approach to legal proceedings involving children. 

Many people, particularly older generations, feel that divorce has become somewhat ‘fashionable’ these days and that it is too ‘easy’ for couples to get divorced.  Whilst some could argue that there may be a little truth in that given the statistics, it is by no means the case that any Tom Dick or Harry (or their female counterparts!) can simply get a divorce.