Family law solicitors & divorce lawyers Leeds

If you’re looking for family lawyer near you, our office is located in Clockwise, Yorkshire House on Greek Street in the city centre. It is a stone’s throw from the Leeds civic, commercial and retail centres, as well as the courts.

Greek Street is on the Leeds City Loop which offers access to most major routes entering and exiting Leeds.

Street parking is available near the office, although it tends to be very busy. There is a multi storey car parking in The Light car park which is close to the office. Please note that Greek Street itself is pedestrian only.

Our phone lines are open from 8:30am – 7pm, Monday to Friday

and 9am – 5pm on Saturday and Sunday

• Headingley
• Dewsbury
• Castleford
• Batley
• Pudsey
• Pontefract
• Morley
• Normanton
• Ossett
• Rothwell

The main family court is the Leeds Combined Court Centre, located at:

The Courthouse,

1 Oxford Row,

Leeds

LS1 3BG

Just a 6-minute walk from The Headrow, there are multiple bus stops along here that make it a short walk to the courts. The buses that stop here include the 42, 49, 50, 50A, 72 Pulse, X6, 7, 7A, 7S, 42, 163, X10, 55, 55C, 65, 75, 508, X11, 5, 19, and 19A.

If you’re arriving by train, the Leeds station New Station Street exit that takes you past Boar Lane, Park Row, and Headrow is a 13-minute walk to the courthouse.

Solicitor’s tip: We are located a short 5-minute walk from the court. This is a great meeting spot for our clients travelling in from areas like Morley or Roundhay, and we can walk over to the court together, which often provides peace of mind.

Park Square is also a 4-minute walk away, which can provide a nice rest bite in the middle of a stressful day.

Almost everyone is eligible for a no-fault divorce in the UK. Under the new laws, you do not need to provide a reason for your divorce. There are some exceptions to the rule, though. You won’t be eligible for a no-fault divorce if:

You haven’t been married for over a year

Your marriage isn’t recognised in England and Wales

You are divorcing outside of England and Wales

If you do fall under one of these categories, you’re not to panic. Our Leeds divorce lawyers provide legal guidance for many families in the area, including Chapel Allerton and Holbeck. For example, you may be better suited to an international divorce if you are proceeding outside of the UK.

We understand that having transparent pricing before you begin the divorce process can soothe any worries you have. However, the truth is that divorce isn’t just one price, and we’d be doing you a disservice to offer a price that may not be true. This is due to the complexities that can come with individual cases. For example, you may need a high-net-worth divorce that comes with multiple assets, trusts, or property portfolios, or have children involved and need to arrange custody plans.

One divorce cost that is standard no matter the type of divorce is the court price of £612 (previously £593). We also work in teams which reduces the overall costs – for example, one of our Managing Partner’s won’t work on the admin that a Legal Assistant could do.

Discover more about Stowe Family Law’s pricing here.

We understand that costs can be a stressful and worrying factor in a divorce, which is why our Leeds lawyers offer a fixed-fee divorce. With this option, you’ll have a clear understanding of how much your divorce will cost upfront and can provide a calmer approach to your proceedings.

Thanks to the introduction of no-fault divorce, the average amount of time a divorce takes is 26 weeks (6-7 months). However, this can be longer due to complications in your case, backlogs in the Leeds courts, or the other party not engaging in legal proceedings. 

Our divorce experts will be able to give you an estimate of how long your specific divorce will take. 

We recognise just how anxiety-inducing and stressful court cases can be and always aim for an amicable divorce or family law matter. This is why our solicitors are Resolution members and specialists, which means that we promote a non-confrontational approach to all of our cases.

On top of that, we settle over 80% of our cases outside of the court, thanks to the various non-court dispute solutions we offer. For example, we offer mediation, collaborative law, and arbitration. If you’re not sure which is right for your circumstances, don’t worry. Our Leeds team will listen to your situation and advise you on the right solution.

When going through a divorce, many people have children to consider. Our specialist child law solicitors can guide you through child maintenance agreements, parental responsibilities, and even child relocation if you are moving abroad from your local Leeds neighbourhood once your divorce is finalised.

We’ll listen to your situation and provide you with a strategy that benefits the whole family, prioritising the wellbeing of your child.

Whether you’re looking to divorce your partner, or you’re responding to a divorce application made by your spouse, you’ll be looking for expert help and support.

The divorce process can be difficult to navigate, and for many it can cause a sense of anxiety and confusion; which is why we take great care to outline the emotional, practical and legal challenges that lie ahead whilst providing practical next steps so that you can move forward to achieve the outcome you need.

We can provide guidance on completing the divorce application, through to negotiating financial settlements and child custody (child arrangement orders).

We are also able to guide you through the mediation process, and have qualified collaborative lawyers. We’re based in offices at Clockwise, Yorkshire House on Greek Street in the city centre (LS1) so we’re well placed to help you if you’re looking for solicitors in Leeds.

As the UK’s largest dedicated team of family lawyers, we care about our clients, their families and their success. This is why we are proud to serve communities across Greater Leeds and West Yorkshire, including Alwoodley, Roundhey, Headingley, Chapel Allerton and Horsforth.

In addition to contributing to the ‘Family Law Prize’ at the University of Bradford, we are a proud member of Leeds Mencap and a supporter of Leeds Women’s Aid. Based in the city near Park Square, we also work with St George’s Crypt on Great George St. For us, these partnerships are an essential part of our core values and promise to contribute and support the Leeds community.

Check out our other local parternships and charity involvement in Leeds here.

A divorce application marks the start of your divorce process. You can apply for a divorce by yourself (sole applicant) or make a joint application with your ex-spouse (joint applicants). Getting this early part right is important as it can help to save you time and money; it can also help to make the process more amicable. Our divorce lawyers can support you in completing and submitting the divorce application to prevent delays.

If you’ve been served with a divorce application and named as the respondent, it’s sometimes unclear as to how you should respond; you’ll be presented with a lot of legal wording and expressions that do more to create frustration than they do to provide clarity. Our Leeds divorce lawyers can help you to respond to a divorce application while preparing you to get the best possible outcome for you, and for your family.

Child custody lawyers and arrangements for children 

Of all the challenges arising from a divorce, we find that working out the arrangements for the children (often described as child custody but legally termed as child arrangements) are often the most emotive and difficult. While child custody can be a contentious issue, it is in the best interests of your children to reach an amicable agreement with your ex-partner wherever possible. During this time, having the support of a child custody lawyer and child law specialist in your corner can be helpful in providing guidance on what a fair and workable arrangement might look like for you and your family. Our expert child solicitors have extensive experience in child arrangements and will have seen a variety of solutions to suit every situation, no matter how specific or unusual. Our goal is to get the best outcome for your children and to help you to maintain a positive relationship with your ex-partner wherever you can.

In England and Wales, the divorce process is governed by a ‘no fault’ legislation, designed to reduce conflict and reach an amicable resolution. While every case is unique, the divorce process typically follows:

A formal application to the court (either sole or joint) stating that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. Most applications in Leeds will be processed digitally through the Leeds Combined Court Centre.

Once the application has been issued, a mandatory 20-week “cooling-off” period begins. This is a statutory requirement intended to give couples time to reflect or make practical arrangements for their future.

After 20 weeks, you can apply for a Conditional Order, which confirms the court sees no legal reason you cannot divorce. Following a further mandatory wait of six weeks, the Final Order can be granted, legally ending the marriage.

Practical next steps

• Collate your records: Gather pension statements and property valuations to speed up your case
• Explore resolution options: Ask about mediation or collaborative law to reduce the stress and cost of court
• Speak to a specialist: Contact our Leeds office for a consultation to plan your next steps.

Adoption is a substantial step for any adult or child to take. Once complete, the adopted person is treated by law as though they were born of the adoptive parent – giving that parent full parental rights and responsibility of the adopted child. Adoption law is complex and can be tough to navigate alone, so getting advice early on from a specialist adoption lawyer can help you to make progress more quickly. Whether you’re looking for help with growing your family, or if you’re a step-parent and wish to blend your families, we can help.

Surrogacy is a wonderful way of starting a family for those who are not able to do so naturally for whatever reason. When a child is born through surrogacy, the surrogate mother and potentially her husband automatically have rights and responsibilities for the child so legal proceedings need to be pursued in order to transfer those rights to the intended parents who will then be recognised as the child’s parents in the eyes of the law. There are many potential pitfalls along the way, so getting legal advice from a reputable surrogacy solicitor at an early stage is important in ensuring that these are avoided and the process runs smoothly. We would be delighted to help you on your journey.

After years of marriage, one of the most difficult areas to unpick can be your finances. Each marriage is unique, and this is often reflected in the way you’ve jointly managed your money, assets and investments. Trying to separate your financial ties in a way that feels fair to you can feel like an overwhelming task, and there are often complex financial issues that will need to be considered and resolved. Divorce settlements can cover everything from pensions, to investments, the family home, and even assets you owned before you got married (pre-marital assets); so getting expert financial and legal help is important if you’re looking to protect your assets while providing for your family once the divorce is finalised.

In some cases, you may be worried that your spouse might try to hide their assets, or that they might find ways to downplay the value of what they own. Sometimes this involves diverting their income to other places, divesting themselves of their assets and/or transferring their property to other people. If this is a worry, you should seek our help right away, as measures such as freezing orders may be possible to prevent or undo this type of conduct to protect assets until an overall settlement is reached or ordered by the Court.

We have experience in dealing with complex financial matters, property and estates; as well as catering to high net worth individuals and clients with assets abroad. So, if you are looking to achieve a fair and final financial settlement while protecting your assets and being conscious of how much a divorce costs, our divorce settlement lawyers and forensic accounting team can help you.

Our expert divorce solicitors and family law team have decades of experience, as well as access to hundreds of years of expertise from our teams across the country. We’re the UK’s largest family law specialist, delivering tailored service and expertise, locally to you.

Our client-centric approach has seen us recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for our commitment to outstanding client service and client success.

We understand that the best outcomes are often achieved amicably, where positive relationships persist long after your need for our help has ended, so the majority of our Leeds lawyers are members of Resolution; a body of family lawyers who are committed to promoting a constructive approach to dispute resolution that focuses on meeting the needs of the whole family and achieving a positive outcome.

Clients frequently cite our compassion, empathy and our ability to deliver the ‘hard facts’ and clear legal advice they need to move forward with their case, and their lives. To hear more about what our clients think about us and our approach, watch our video here.

Whether you need support in handling a divorce, child arrangements, or complex financial matters after a marriage has ended, your team of family law solicitors have the skills and expertise to support you.

What to expect at Leeds Combined Court Centre

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Post-divorce resources (family law Leeds)

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