Bell & Buxton Now Offer Collaborative Law

Adam Tankard, Head of Bell & Buxton’s Family Team, talks about his recent Collaborative Law qualification and what that means for the practice and his clients.

What is Collaborative Law?
Collaborative Law is a relatively new way of handling family disputes. It is a process which enables parties to meet face to face, rather than via letter and phone, in order to negotiate a particular family legal matter.
Each party will still appoint a lawyer who will be with you throughout the whole process, however, the lawyer will have a Collaborative Law qualification, which enables the dispute to be resolved without the need to settle in court.

Why did you choose to become a Collaborative Lawyer?
I specialise in Family and Children Law, which means I see a whole range of cases which result in high levels of emotional stress. Collaborative Law enables you, the solicitor, to take a more holistic approach, helping your clients to resolve their legal issues in an amicable and constructive way.
Collaborative Law empowers your client to deal with the issues that matter to them the most and they are able to freely express their fears and concerns, enabling you, the solicitor, to tailor solutions which best meet their needs.
The other aspect is the ability to resolve family disputes out of court. In some cases, a court settlement is the only option, but for many family disputes, a court case is not necessary and would  become difficult and protracted, which is not only stressful, but very costly to the client. The Collaborative process reduces the stress and the length of time a dispute can take. In many situations, the process can be built around the family’s commitments and priorities, rather than being driven by a court dictated timetable.

What impact do you think offering Collaborative Law will have on your practice?
As Collaborative Law is still relatively new, there are only a small number of solicitors being able to offer the service. This in itself sets our Family Department apart from many others across the region, but the fact that we have already gained a reputation for offering a  reliable, customer focussed and professional legal service, the introduction of this new process will open up the legal process to the wider community.
If a sensitive, upsetting matter, could be dealt with amicably, face to face, rather than in court, which route would you choose!

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Bell & Buxton, Solicitors
Telegraph House, High Street, Sheffield, S1 2GA

Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Bell & Buxton is the trading name of Bell & Buxton LLP, a limited liability partnership, registered number OC322707, registered in England. A list of members is open to inspection at the above address.