When you are dealing with a separation or another difficult family situation, knowing where you stand legally can make it easier to decide what to do next. You may have questions about divorce, finances, where your children will live or what will happen to the family home. Alternatively, you may be planning ahead and want advice about an agreement that provides greater certainty for the future.
Our family law solicitors in Reading provide practical legal advice across a wide range of private family matters. From divorce and financial settlements to child arrangements, cohabitation and domestic abuse, we can help you understand your options and determine the most appropriate way forward.
Our Reading office is conveniently located on Greyfriars Road in central Reading, a short walk from Reading train station. We advise individuals and families across Reading and Berkshire, including Wokingham, Bracknell, Woodley, Caversham, Tilehurst, Newbury, Maidenhead, Windsor and the surrounding areas. Meetings can take place at our Reading office or remotely.
Family Law Advice in Reading
A family law matter can develop quickly. A relatively amicable separation can lead to questions about property and pensions, while an informal arrangement for children may need to change as family circumstances develop.
Our team can advise at any stage, including before you have decided whether to separate or begin legal proceedings.
Rather than approaching every case in the same way, we consider the issues that matter most to you and the different ways they could be resolved. This can include negotiation, mediation and other forms of dispute resolution, as well as court proceedings where an agreement cannot be reached.
Our Reading family law services include:
- Divorce and separation
- Civil partnership dissolution
- Financial settlements
- Child arrangements
- Prenuptial agreements and post-nuptial agreements
- Cohabitation agreements and separation agreements
- Property disputes between unmarried couples (TOLATA)
- Islamic divorce
- Domestic abuse and protective orders
Why Choose Reeds Family Law Solicitors in Reading?
Choosing between different family lawyers in Reading is not simply about finding someone who can explain the law.
Family cases can involve difficult decisions with consequences that continue long after the legal proceedings have finished. Our role is to help you understand those consequences and make informed decisions about how your case should be approached.
As an established family law firm, we can assist with straightforward matters as well as cases involving more complicated financial or children issues. We will consider whether matters can be resolved through negotiation or another cost effective form of dispute resolution before court proceedings become necessary.
Where court proceedings are required, we can guide you through the process and ensure you understand what is expected at each stage.
Reeds is also a wider legal practice rather than a standalone family department. Where a case overlaps with another area of law, our family team can draw on expertise from colleagues across the firm where appropriate.
Our Reading Office
9 Greyfriars Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 1NU
Tel: 0118 902 7130
We offer appointments for clients in Reading either remotely or in person, depending on your preference.
Family Law Solicitors Across Our Other Locations
In addition to our Reading team, Reeds provides private family law advice through a number of our other offices.
If you are based elsewhere, you can also speak to our family law solicitors in Oxford, Swindon, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Eastbourne and London.
Each location page provides further information about the services and family lawyers available in that area.
Sobiah Hussain
Partner, Solicitor-Advocate, Collaborative Law Practitioner & Head of Private Family Law
Meet the teamFamily Law Services in Reading
The decision to end a marriage or civil partnership can raise financial and practical questions alongside the legal process itself.
Our divorce solicitors can advise you on the process of ending your marriage and the separate issues that may need to be resolved as a consequence.
For married couples, this includes applications for divorce and the arrangements that may need to be made regarding finances and children. We can also advise couples who need assistance with a civil partnership dissolution.
Importantly, legally ending your relationship does not automatically determine what happens to your finances. Divorce, divorce financial settlements and arrangements for children are separate legal issues, although they will often need to be considered alongside one another.
For many separating couples, establishing what will happen financially is one of their biggest concerns.
A financial settlement may need to address the family home, other property, savings, investments, pensions, debts, income and business interests. More complex cases can involve substantial assets, companies, property portfolios, trusts or assets held outside England and Wales.
Our family law solicitors can assist with financial disclosure, negotiations and financial remedy proceedings where an agreement cannot be reached.
We can help you understand what information should be provided, consider whether valuations or specialist evidence are needed and advise on the terms of a proposed settlement.
Where an agreement is reached, we can also advise on having it incorporated into an appropriate court order. This can be important even where the separation has remained amicable, as an informal agreement alone may not provide the financial certainty you expect.
People sometimes assume that if they have agreed between themselves how to divide their finances, there is nothing further to do. Reaching an agreement is positive, but it is also important to consider whether it should be recorded in a financial order. We can look at the wider circumstances and advise on the appropriate way to formalise the agreement.
Deciding how children will divide their time between parents can be one of the most sensitive issues following separation. Our family law solicitors in Reading advise on a broad range of issues involving children, including where a child should live, time with each parent, holidays, schooling and relocation.
Parents are often able to reach an agreement without asking the Family Court to intervene. Where appropriate, we can advise on negotiation, mediation and other methods of resolving family disputes.
If an agreement is not possible, we can advise on applications for a Child Arrangements Order, Specific Issue Order or Prohibited Steps Order.
Our advice will depend on the particular circumstances of your family and the issues that need to be resolved.
Family solicitors can also help couples plan for the future rather than only becoming involved after a relationship has broken down.
We advise on pre nuptial agreements for couples preparing to marry and post nuptial agreements for those who are already married.
These agreements may be particularly relevant where one or both parties have significant assets, business interests, property, family wealth, an expected inheritance or children from an earlier relationship.
While nuptial agreements are not automatically legally binding in England and Wales, the courts can give significant weight to a properly prepared agreement in appropriate circumstances.
Both parties should have the opportunity to obtain independent legal advice, and financial disclosure and the circumstances in which the agreement was entered into can be important.
Unmarried couples do not automatically have the same financial rights as married couples when their relationship ends.
This can become particularly important where a couple owns a home together, one person has contributed towards a property owned by the other or there is disagreement about whether a property should be sold.
Our team advises on cohabitation agreements, which can help couples record their intentions concerning property and finances while they are living together.
We also advise on property disputes between unmarried couples, including claims under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA).
Obtaining advice early can help you understand your legal position and whether the issue may be capable of resolution without court proceedings.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, your immediate concern may be obtaining protection for yourself or your children rather than resolving the wider consequences of your relationship breakdown. Domestic abuse can take different forms and is not limited to physical violence.
Our family law team can provide sensitive advice about the legal protection that may be available through the Family Court, including Non-Molestation Orders and Occupation Orders.
Where urgent action is required, we can explain the available options and the process involved in seeking protection.
Meet our Reading Family Law Team
Sobiah Hussain
Partner, Solicitor-Advocate, Collaborative Law Practitioner & Head of Private Family Law
Irrum Shah
Senior Associate Solicitor
Alison Page
Senior Associate Solicitor
Emma Macdonald
Chartered Legal Executive
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You do not need to have made a final decision before obtaining legal advice. Understanding your position regarding property, finances and children can help you make a more informed decision about your next steps.
Depending on the circumstances, options can include direct negotiation, solicitor-led negotiation, mediation and other forms of dispute resolution. The appropriate approach will depend on the issues between you and whether both parties are willing to engage constructively.
No. A divorce legally ends the marriage but does not automatically resolve financial claims between former spouses. A separate financial settlement and court order may therefore need to be considered.
Independent legal advice is an important part of preparing a pre-nuptial agreement. If an agreement is subsequently considered by the court, factors such as whether each person understood its implications, received independent advice and provided appropriate financial disclosure can be relevant.
Yes. We advise unmarried couples on issues including cohabitation agreements and property disputes. However, the law applying to unmarried couples is different from the financial law applying on divorce, so it is important to obtain advice specific to your circumstances.
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