Family Law

I offer approachable, clear, and supportive legal advice in all areas of family law. I am based in Central London, but work with people across England and Wales.

My work encompasses separation, divorce, co-habitation, civil partnership and financial arrangements, but I specialise in disputes involving children. I provide full legal representation but also offer background guidance to clients representing themselves in proceedings.

I'm here to provide friendly, approachable, and personalised advice, guiding you every step of the way. You don’t have to navigate this alone.

I am here to support you through this process.

My Background

My background integrates a strong foundation in human rights with extensive experience in family law. I earned a degree in Politics and International Relations from Manchester University in 2007, followed by a Masters in Human Rights in 2008. My career began with work in human rights abuse documentation in Thailand before I returned to the UK to study law. I trained as a solicitor with McCue & Partners, a firm specializing in human rights and public interest law, and completed a secondment at Camilla Baldwin, a boutique family law firm. In 2018, I gained Higher Rights of Audience, and in 2019, I achieved a distinction in a Master of Laws in Advanced Legal Practice. In 2019, I became a partner at D&G Family Law in South-West London.

Currently, I work flexibly as a family law consultant solicitor, providing expert legal services on various family law issues, from divorce and separation to child custody and financial arrangements.

How I work

As a solicitor specialising in family law, I offer legal services through my role as a consultant solicitor at the firms Thea Ltd and

Lawher & Co Ltd. My focus is on providing clear, calm, and effective advice across all areas of family law. I bring compassionate, approachable and practical help to each case, ensuring that clients receive tailored support during challenging times. Topics I can advise you on include how to apply for a divorce, disputes about children (where they live, how much time they spend with the other parent, the division of holidays, vacations abroad and so on) and how to divide your finances after a separation, taking into account your property, pensions, and the need for the payment of spousal and child maintenance. I aim to reach negotiated agreements where possible, but will not hesitate to take a firm approach utilising the courts if necessary. I have extensive experience working with victims of domestic abuse and am dedicated to addressing each client's unique needs with sensitivity and professionalism.

Full or background representation

I offer two kinds of services; full representation and what are known as "unbundled services".

Full representation involves providing you with the legal advice you might need and conducting your legal case on your behalf; dealing with the court, your partner/ex-partner or their lawyers and the court, keeping to deadlines and essentially being in the driving seat when it comes to drafting documents and correspondence. Of course, I never take any steps without your full and express consent.

Unbundled services can be described as background advice and assistance as and when you ask for it; in this scenario I will give you advice and work on discrete tasks (for example drafting an application to court) at your request, but will not be responsible for running the case (e.g. filing documents, noting court deadlines, responding to the other party). I will not be on the court record and you will deal with your case as a litigant in person, with my assistance in the background when you request it.

Legal Services Provided

Divorce

Financial division of assets

Separation agreements

Child arrangements orders such as contact and residence

Advice on parental responsibility

Advice on taking children overseas

Injunctions and Prohibited Steps Orders

Specific Issue Orders

Non molestation and occupation orders

Family Law Fees

For both full and background representation, my hourly rate is £275+ VAT per hour. I keep the amount I bill as low as I reasonably can by not charging for administrative work and writing off and capping time where

I can (for example, if a piece of work takes me one hour and 10 minutes,

I will typically cap it at 1 hour). If you instruct me to provide you with full representation, I will do my best to regularly advise you of how much I believe your legal proceedings will cost in total, and will provide you with cost estimates on a monthly basis. I am usually unable to do this with unbundled services as I don't know how much input you are likely to want each month, but I will give you estimates where I can for discrete tasks.

I offer a free initial 30-minute telephone consultation to discuss your situation and how I can assist you.

For more information, you can contact me at via the form on this page, email polly@pollyjackman.com or call 0777 589 4910.