Child Law is one of the most complex areas of law, dealing with sensitive, challenging and often life-changing cases for the parties involved, especially where these relate to children.
At Ramsdens, we take the responsibility of these cases very seriously and have ensured that we have a team which has very best depth of experience and knowledge available in Yorkshire, on areas including Child Law, care proceedings and serious cases.
Our team is recognised by a wide range of expert professionals across Yorkshire, as well as by leading guides, such as The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. All our solicitors who represent children also hold Children Law Accreditation from the Law Society.
As part of our commitment to excellence in this area, we provide all our trainees the opportunity to undertake a seat in our Child Law department. During their time with us, they will learn about, and gain experience in, a variety of areas concerning Child Law, guided by our specialist solicitors. In turn, our solicitors get to be part of training the new generation, continually developing their own training and mentoring skills as they do so, therefore ensuring that our trainees get the very best support.
Over the last 24 months, we have had four trainees in the Child Law team, coming to us from a variety of backgrounds and routes into traineeship. Each trainee is given a dedicated Trainee Supervisor who acts as their trainer, mentor and guide throughout their seat in Child Law.
Our Trainee Supervisors take their role very seriously, helping their trainees to develop their knowledge, along with necessary general skills in advocacy, communication, legal writing and overall organisation - plus time management which is essential in such a fast moving area of the law.
Our most recent trainees had this to say about their time with the Child Law team and their supervisors:
Having had only commercial experience previously, moving into Child Law was daunting, but under the supervision of Laura Beevers, this quickly disappeared. Laura is patient and encouraging, with no question too silly for me to ask and I feel grateful to have benefited from her guidance and experience during my time with the Child Law team.
Courtney Moore, Trainee Solicitor
I have benefitted enormously from the 30 years’ experience in Child Law of my supervisor, Nick Barnes. He has supported me throughout my seat by providing a balance of guidance and independence, as well as exposing me to a wealth of cases and varied opportunities – including drafting, client meetings and advocacy. I have also benefitted from seeing Nick in action in the court room and witnessing his advocacy skills in person. His passion for Child Law is inspiring, as well as his ability to handle complex, fast-moving cases with integrity and skill.
Emelia Garnett, Trainee Apprentice Solicitor
Making the transition from Legal Assistant to Trainee Apprentice Solicitor was a challenge, but I was fortunate to already know the Child Law team before becoming a trainee and to be given two supervisors as part of this transition and assist with my SQE studies. Both Rosanna Drewery and Vikki Horspool have been integral to growing my confidence in my career development, sharing their knowledge with me, supporting me to understand the different aspects of Child Law and generally giving me the opportunity to develop my skills.
Matthew Tobin, Trainee Apprentice Solicitor
I have been lucky enough to have two seats in Child Law during my traineeship, and both times have been supervised by Rachel Forsyth. This experience has been incredibly valuable and I have learnt a lot from her and by seeing her high standard of professionalism and client care in everything she does. Rachel has supported me through my time with her, exposing me to a large volume and variety of cases and giving me independence to run cases, represent clients and draft documents. I’m very grateful for my time with her and everything she’s taught me.
Holly Richardson, Trainee Solicitor
Whilst each of our trainees has a dedicated supervisor, the whole Child Law team is there for them to learn from, giving them a well-rounded, stimulating and valuable training period.
Our whole team works meticulously to strive for the best possible outcomes for their clients, and, in doing so, maintain their professionalism, approachability and sensitivity to the needs of each case.
Joanne Coen, Head of Child Law Department has overseen the programme for trainees in her department. She comments:
“It’s a privilege to see the trainees grow in knowledge and particularly see their confidence and ability amplify. Their improvement is amazing. It is a testament to the whole team being at their disposal to best aid their growth”.
The ability to help train and develop the next generation of Child Law solicitors is just one more way in which the team at Ramsdens Solicitors is helping to ensure the quality of the service we provide to the people of Yorkshire remains the very best
You can get to know more about our Child Law team here.
Any cases that involve care proceedings as a legal option before the Court must be considered with sensitivity and requires the benefit of expert legal advice. If you need assistance with a child law matter, call our Child Law team today on 01484 821 500, or if you prefer and discreetly via an online contact form and we will be in touch at a time convenient for you.
The above article is for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is recommended that specific professional advice is sought before acting on any part of the information given.