Specialist divorce and family law solicitor Sarah Jackson, a partner in the Bath office of regional firm BLB Solicitors, has become one of only a handful of lawyers in the UK to be able to consult directly with children during family mediation cases.
Sarah, pictured, who heads BLB’s family team and has more than 20 years’ experience as a specialist family and matrimonial lawyer.
She recently completed training with the Family Mediators Association, which allows her to meet the children of her clients if the child and parents wish her to do so.
Her role will be to listen to the child or young person with a view to relaying their views, with consent, back to the parents so that the parents can take the child’s views into consideration when making decisions affecting the child.
Sarah said: “It is not about giving children the power to make decisions but to give them a voice, which is in line with the government’s recommendations that children aged 10 and above should have the opportunity to express their views in family cases which affect them.
“Research shows that children who have been consulted are more likely to cooperate with arrangements that are made for them and to feel that their opinions are valuable which is particularly important given the potential vulnerability of children experiencing parental separation.”
Sarah offers family mediation as an alternative to a traditional solicitor-led approach for resolving issues on relationship breakdown. Family mediation allows a couple to arrange their own separation through face to face discussions, rather than at arm's length, and with the benefit of impartial information on the law and legal procedures.
Sarah also has expertise in advising on divorce settlements, unmarried couple disputes and pre-and post-nuptial agreements – from cases where there are very modest assets to those involving complex assets such as multiple properties, pensions and businesses.
BLB also has offices in Bristol, Bradford on Avon, Swindon and Trowbridge.
