FAMILY LAW SOLICITORS

DIVORCE, SEPARATION & ASSETS

If your family relationship has broken down or you are facing some difficulties and do not know which way to turn, Eddowes Perry and Osbourne Solicitors can assist you and provide you with expertise surrounding family law solicitors.

FAMILY LEGAL ADVICE

Our family law solicitors, based right in the heart of Sutton Coldfield and also Lichfield, will work with you to reach the best outcome for you and look at all of the issues arising out of your family breakdown.

Separation and Divorce

We aim to resolve your dispute amicably without escalating the already difficult situation that you are experiencing. We are committed to working towards a constructive resolution to family disputes.

Members follow a Code of Practice that promotes a non-confrontational approach to family law and all of our family team aims to work in this manner. We will also consider whether mediation would be a good option for you.

family law sutton coldfield

FAMILY COURT SOLICITORS

Where it is not possible to reach an agreement, whether, regarding finances or children, our local family solicitors are experienced at representing clients at court. We also have connections with experienced barristers in the region, should the need for additional advice arise.

We will look after you and your interests every step of the way. We understand that a relationship breakdown, and all that flows from this, will be a very trying, upsetting and stressful time and we try to take that stress off your plate and onto ours. We also understand that each client’s circumstances are different and we approach every case on its own facts and we deal with each client as an individual.

We can assist you with:

We look forward to hearing from you and assisting in any way possible.

Wills FAQs

A Will is a legal document that helps with the distribution of your assets after your death and can appoint guardians for minor children. A will is important to have, as it allows you to communicate your wishes clearly and precisely.

A will is important because it ensures that the right people inherit what you leave behind, your loved ones are looked after and that your wishes are fulfilled when you die.

If you die without a valid Will in place this dictates how your money, property and possessions can be distributed. This may result in your loved ones not inheriting from you your estate as you may have originally intended.

We recommend that you review your will every few years or if your personal and/or financial circumstances change (such as marriage, divorce, children etc).

Yes, you can choose to not make provision for a person/people in your will at any time by changing your will (as long as you have the mental capacity to do so).

We would also advise that you prepare a side letter detailing your reasons for doing and that they have already been considered, so as to better evidence your intention should a claim be made against your estate in future.

A Will does not have an expiry date, however, you should be very mindful that if you have made a Will and your circumstances change, and current Will will stand unless your will is updated accordingly.

For a Will to be valid you must have it signed in the presence of two people, You must have the mental capacity to make the will and understand the effect it will have. You must also have made the will voluntarily and without pressure from anyone else.

You can prepare a Will yourself, or have a solicitor prepare it for you, however, if you prepare it yourself, you will need to ensure that you sign it in the presence of two independent witnesses.

Homemade wills may be prepared in such a way that the language used prevents your will from dealing with your estate. This means you could unintentionally die intestate, partially meaning some of your assets may pass to people not of your choosing.

Homemade wills are much more susceptible to being challenged because there is no independent evidence available to support their validity. In contrast, a solicitor is expected to keep a detailed file and make a contemporaneous note of all meetings and telephone conversations where instructions and advice were given.

These can be made available in the event of a challenge to the will to explain the decisions. This will make the challenge to the will more difficult and either then deter the claim or make it less likely to be successful. 

The solicitor will ensure the will is properly executed in accordance with the legal formalities required.

The person dealing with the estate of a person who has died is called the executor of a will or an administrator.  An executor is named in the Will as being responsible for dealing with the estate.

An administrator may have to apply to the probate registry, the court that deals with any probate applications before they can deal with the estate.

An executor has a legal responsibility to carry out the provisions of the Will whose duties include the original Will, sorting out finances and applying for probate.

You can use your will to appoint guardians for your children to determine who will look after your child/children if they are under the age of 18 when you die.

The courts will be left to decide who takes care of your children. This will usually be a close relative, but it may not necessarily be the person you would choose.

When one parent dies, the surviving biological parent can look to obtain custody of the child.

It is important to note that the law is not biased towards certain genders. Therefore, if a mother of a child dies the biological father of a child can obtain custody.

A living Will is used when you can’t communicate or are unable to make your own decisions. It allows you to refuse treatment, even if this leads to your death. 

The people that are caring for you will need to carry out any wishes and must follow your instructions.

If a beneficiary dies before you, and someone else is not named to inherit the gift in their place their gift lapses as if it never existed.

Very approachable

Kimberley explained everything to me along the process and was very approachable.

Karen Griffins

Huge thank you to David

Huge thank you to David for making a horrible stage of my life, going through a hostile divorce a whole lot more bearable. Don’t know how I would have got through it without you.

In safe hands

I can’t thank David Smith enough for the way in which he handled my divorce. His friendly and approachable manner was much appreciated, throughout what was inevitably a difficult and emotional time. He also fought my corner with tenacity, leading to a fabulous financial settlement. At a time of such uncertainty, it is reassuring to know that you are in safe hands……I would not hesitate to recommend David to anyone going through the same experience.

Brilliant to buy and sell with and extremely helpful

Extremely helpful and patient with our neverending purchase and the many queries involved. You were recommended to me by my Great Aunt who had sold her home with your help. Easy to contact – you’ve been brilliant to buy and sell with and extremely helpful and kind through both processes! 10/10

Hannah Smart

Always kept me up to date, very responsive

Always kept me up to date, very responsive. Upbeat even when the purchaser was being a pain! My father has used EPO for many years. Your fee seemed at the right level given the work you carried out and your strong level of expertise.

Graham Clark

Nothing was too much for him

David really made me at ease and helped me through the whole process. Nothing was too much for him and he always made time for me.

Professional, friendly and reassuring

EPO were my parent’s Solicitors for years – dealing with conveyancing and probate for both Both Kimberley and Karen were professional, friendly and reassuring throughout the whole stressful process.

Sarah Moss

Great, clear advice delivered in a personable manner

David’s advice was critical in resolving a complex family matter. Without his involvement, the case would have stalled. He helped me to understand the legalities of the situation and provided direction in what I found to be a highly confusing situation. Great, clear advice delivered in a personable manner.

Happy & confident with the service

I felt happy & confident with the service and have recommended. Contact via phone was good and a reasonable quote quickly.

Jane Mckay