At First Law Solicitors, we provide discreet, outcome-driven representation in all child-related matters following separation or divorce. Our solicitors act with both empathy and precision, protecting your parental rights while prioritising your children’s stability, security, and emotional wellbeing.
Based in Manchester and serving clients across England and Wales, we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA ID No: 665823). Each matter is led by a senior solicitor with over twenty years of post-qualification experience in child law, residence disputes, and parental responsibility matters.
Children’s law governs where children live, how much time they spend with each parent, and how key decisions about education, healthcare, religion, and travel are made. Our work is grounded in the Children Act 1989 and guided by its core principle that the child’s welfare is always the court’s paramount consideration.
We help parents navigate this sensitive legal landscape with calm, structure, and complete clarity, ensuring that decisions are made in the child’s best interests rather than driven by conflict.
We advise and represent parents in applications for Child Arrangements Orders, which determine where a child lives and how much time they spend with each parent. We also act in relation to Specific Issue Orders, resolving disputes over matters such as schooling, medical treatment, relocation, or religious upbringing.
Where urgent protection is required, we apply for Prohibited Steps Orders to prevent one parent from making unilateral decisions or removing a child from the United Kingdom. We assist with Parental Responsibility Agreements to formalise legal responsibility for major life decisions affecting a child.
Our solicitors also support applications for grandparent contact where extended family involvement has been denied, recognising the important role grandparents can play in a child’s life. In complex cross-border cases, we act swiftly in international relocation and child abduction matters under the Hague Convention 1980.
The Family Court increasingly expects parents to explore Non-Court Dispute Resolution before issuing applications. For this reason, we prioritise constructive resolution through mediation, arbitration, or collaborative law wherever appropriate, turning to litigation only where it is necessary to protect the child or a parent’s position.
This approach safeguards children’s emotional wellbeing, preserves workable co-parenting relationships, and frequently leads to better and more sustainable long-term outcomes.
Every child-related decision is assessed against the Welfare Checklist set out in section 1(3) of the Children Act 1989. This includes consideration of the child’s wishes and feelings in light of their age and understanding, their physical, emotional, and educational needs, the likely effect of any change in circumstances, and the capability of each parent to meet those needs.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2024 introduced safeguarding reforms that expanded the definition of coercive control and implemented new “Safety from the Start” protocols in child proceedings. We ensure that cases comply fully with these safeguards, including risk assessments, fact-finding hearings, and special measures for vulnerable parties where required.
From 2025, CAFCASS operates under a digital-first case management framework, allowing faster safeguarding checks and real-time updates. We integrate fully with these systems to ensure that statements, reports, and welfare summaries are submitted securely, accurately, and without delay.
We act in complex international child disputes, including relocation and abduction cases governed by the Hague Convention 1980 and the Brussels II Revised Regulations as retained UK law. Our experience in cross-border matters ensures that urgent injunctions, return orders, and enforcement applications are made promptly and effectively.
Where international relocation is agreed or ordered, we assist with the preparation of mirror orders abroad to ensure enforceability, compliance, and continuity for the child.
We recognise that child law disputes are not only legal issues but deeply emotional experiences for families. Our approach therefore incorporates collaboration with child psychologists, family therapists, and mediators where appropriate, ensuring that legal strategy supports long-term emotional wellbeing.
This forms part of our “Whole Family Strategy,” which balances legal precision with emotional intelligence and focuses on outcomes that genuinely serve the child’s interests.
Where a Child Arrangements Order is breached, we act swiftly to secure compliance through Enforcement Orders and applications for compensation for lost contact. The Family Procedure Rules 2025 empower courts to impose unpaid work requirements, costs orders, and, in persistent cases, suspended committal.
We apply these enforcement mechanisms strategically, balancing the need for compliance with the importance of preserving a workable co-parenting relationship wherever possible.
At First Law Solicitors, we use Predictive Case Modelling to forecast likely outcomes based on judicial data trends, allowing clients to negotiate from an informed and realistic position. We also utilise secure Qualified Electronic Signature systems for remote witness statements and digital court filings, ensuring full compliance with HMCTS Digital Family Justice Standards.
This modern, efficient approach protects both time and privacy, enabling clients to focus on their family rather than procedural burden.
At First Law Solicitors, we combine empathy with authority to deliver outcomes that protect children while preserving dignity for parents. We prioritise safeguarding and stability in every case, ensure that all child law applications meet strict procedural and evidential standards, and create long-term parenting frameworks designed to endure beyond the court order.
We act not only as advocates, but as architects of secure and workable family futures.
If you are facing disputes relating to child arrangements, relocation, or parental responsibility, contact First Law Solicitors today. Our team provides strategic, compassionate, and confidential advice tailored to your family’s needs.
Call +44 161 768 9908
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