Children

We understand parents’ concerns, and family dynamics, and we seek to give sympathetic and objective advice. In the first instance, that advice is aimed towards helping parents to reach agreements rather than to litigate.

We have links with excellent mediators and encourage mediation/conciliation where appropriate.
If agreement cannot be reached, we are able to guide parents, or other family members, through the litigation process, always seeking to achieve the outcome which is best for the child(ren) and speediest, most cost-effective and least stressful for the parents.

Amongst others, we have frequent and ongoing experience in all of the following areas:

• Disputes relating to how much time children should spend with each parent and where they should live?
• Situations in which one parent wishes to relocate with the child(ren)
• Cases involving international families
• Cases involving ‘celebrity’ families
• Disagreements about education, medical treatment or religious upbringing
• Families in which there are allegations of mistreatment or drug/alcohol abuse
• Situations in which there is doubt about the paternity of a child. This is a particularly delicate and emotive area and we are very aware of the sensitivities involved
• Cases where a grandparent, step-parent or other family member wishes to retain contact with a child following separation or divorce

We also routinely deal with cases involving financial provision for the children of unmarried parents.

We also have cutting-edge expertise in surrogacy and medico-legal/fertility law issues.

Marcus Dearle was one of the first lawyers in the UK to develop expertise in surrogacy law and handling medico-legal fertility law disputes.

He led the team whilst a partner at Withers in London representing the surrogate mother in the landmark High Court cases of W v H (Child Abduction: Surrogacy) (No 1) [2002] 1 FLR 1008; [2002] Fam Law 345 and W v H (Child Abduction: Surrogacy) (No 2) [2002] 2 FLR 252; [2002] Fam Law 501: this was a case involving a dispute between a British surrogate mother and a Californian couple also involving high profile litigation in California with coverage on CNN and the BBC;

He led the team whilst a partner at Withers in London in 2000 representing a father against a leading London fertility clinic, in a unique High Court claim over the unauthorised use of frozen sperm.

The case was reported in the British Medical Journal and the Daily Mail in February 2000.