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It may be a widely held belief that if your case is complex or if you want to ensure the best result that you need to instruct a barrister. Traditionally if you wanted a legal professional to speak on your behalf and represent you in court including the Crown Court and the High Court this was achieved by the use of a barrister.
For some years now however it has been recognised that solicitors with significant experience, training and accreditation could provide a first class service to a client without the need to instruct a barrister. Whilst it may not be common place for family solicitors to be able to offer this service at Stephensons we understand that the cost of accessing legal services right up to High Court representation and ensuring continuity of service is important.
Our family department is one of the largest in the UK. The advantage for our client is that there is a continuity of knowledge concerning their case, as all matters are handled by us rather than delegated to barristers. A detailed knowledge of you and your case is built up before getting to court and vital knowledge is more easily shared if it is dealt with by the same legal representative from start to finish.
There may be huge cost benefits. We are able to offer extremely competitive rates as a result of not having to brief external advocates. You can rest assured that we do not compromise on the quality of service that we deliver. The solicitors who will be responsible for delivering advocacy service at Stephensons are regulated by the Code for Advocacy in the same way as barristers are regulated by the Bars Code of Conduct. In addition solicitors are bound by strict professional rules to ensure that the clients interests are safeguarded at all times.
At Stephensons our in-house advocates have experience of a wide range of family cases. Many of our solicitors hold specialist accreditations including the solicitors Regulation Authority Children Panel, the Family Panel and the highly regarded Resolution Domestic Violence Accreditation.
Whilst barristers are often very skilled and aim to deliver a high standard of service to their clients solicitor advocates at Stephensons are accredited as a result of significant training and experience as well as having achieved bench mark standards determined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Resolutions. As a consequence solicitor advocates are able to guarantee a first rate services to clients.
Where possible we aim to ensure consistency of representation. We have a dedicated team who ensure that our clients are represented by advocates who have a continuous working knowledge of the case.
By handling the case from beginning to end we are able to avoid the additional cost involved in briefing a third party. Our team structure ensures that the advocate representing you in court is up to date with all developments in the case and ensures that there is no delay or additional cost occasioned by any duplication of work.
Yes and in the event that the advocate involved in your case is unavailable at any time, your question will be dealt with by another member of the team.
Head of Family Law Victoria Gethin provides guidance on attending family court proceedings in the UK - Victoria talks about how you should prepare for a hearing, the different types of hearing the court handle and general guidance on court etiquette.
"At Stephensons we have a team of family specialists with a wealth of experience and who are able to offer you support, advice and representation in court in order to reassure you and also in order to achieve the best outcome for you." - Victoria Gethin
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