Sevenoaks Family Law Solicitors

About our Sevenoaks Family Law Team

The team offers the full range of services in terms of both court and non-court based resolutions. Vanda James has been a trained collaborative lawyer since 2006 and believes in helping couples resolve their issues outside of court, where possible.

Vanda is also able to provide the One Couple, One Lawyer approach to separation and divorce which enables couples to appoint one lawyer between them to handle all aspects of their separation including issues relating to children and financial settlements. Whilst not suitable in every case, the benefits are that it helps keep matters amicable whilst making the process quicker and more cost effective.

We work alongside our family law colleagues across our seven offices providing all aspects of family law advice to clients. As part of a full-service law firm, we also work collaboratively with lawyers in other teams as you navigate changes in your circumstances. Other teams can advise on many different aspects including making a Will, settling or transferring properties or shareholdings and interests in business assets. We also have an International Team who look after the interests of individual clients based in the UK and abroad and our team are able to provide advice on the full range of tax, trust and succession issues. Dealing with everything in-house reduces legal costs and expedites the conclusion of your matter.

The Sevenoaks Team have decades of experience in family law. During this time, our lawyers have become firmly embedded in our local community, have established relationships with other professionals and are perfectly placed to help navigate any family law issues.

Our focus is you and your family. We will get to know you so we can understand you and the issues you face. Our team has extensive experience in preparing and advising families upon pre-nuptial, post-nuptial and cohabitation agreements. These have become more popular as parents and grandparents pass money down the generations and help children buy a property. 

In circumstances where a relationship breaks down, we appreciate how difficult this can be and we will guide you through the challenges this can bring in a way which best suits your needs and helps you reach your goals. We understand things may feel quite worrying and we will help allay your fears by providing constructive advice so that you can make informed decisions at every stage.

Our family lawyers in Sevenoaks can assist you with a wide range of family law issues, including:

• Children and Parenting
• Divorce and Separation Advice
• Domestic Abuse
• Pre-nuptial, post-nuptial and cohabitation agreements
• Second and subsequent marriages
• Surrogacy and fertility law
• Unmarried couples

Our aim is to resolve matters in a conciliatory way, which puts you and your children at the forefront of any challenges you are facing.  We are a full-service national law firm which means our lawyers in Sevenoaks can support you in any other issues that you need assistance with.  Our Sevenoaks Family Team also have close links with a range of professionals, from divorce coaches and therapists to financial advisors and pension experts, each of whom can provide you with specialist advice and support if and when it is required.

Our Sevenoaks Family Law Team is led by Vanda James who is known for her diligence, focus and determination in getting the right outcome for her clients.  She specialises in complex financial cases and is regularly instructed by high-net-worth individuals and professionals, particularly those with multifaceted financial arrangements including business or trust interests.

Vanda is supported in the Sevenoaks office by Claire Tollefson, a skilled all-rounder who is committed to reaching family-led solutions in a pragmatic and conciliatory way.  

Coming soon

In early 2025, the team will also offer mediation assistance and in the meantime can connect you with a mediator in one of our other offices should you need one.

Our Sevenoaks Family Law Clients

We work with high-net-worth individuals including professional trustees, farmers, directors, owners of family businesses and other senior level professionals. We are often advising individuals with complex family law situations, international clients and those from a modern family background including surrogacy, international adoption and other fertility law issues.

We also act for Grandparents and other family members where contact with children and grandchildren and future family planning is an issue.

Recent highlights from our Family Team in Sevenoaks

• Acting for the owner of a large corporate business and securing the retention of the businesses together with a substantial inheritance received during the course of the marriage.
• Acting for a young entrepreneur to draft a pre-nuptial agreement to protect significant assets of c£50m held in the UK and overseas which are to be gifted by way of an advancement of inheritance.
• Acting for a high net worth individual in circumstances where complex international tax and pensions advice was sought which resulted in significant tax savings for both parties.
• Acting for a multijurisdictional wife in financial remedy proceedings with properties worth c. £5 million in London, Scotland, Spain and Algeria together with business assets, where her husband had been financially controlling to the extreme
• Representing a high profile media personality in respect of Children Act proceedings and securing an order for the child to live with him.
• Advising on a pre-nuptial agreement for a farmer with land and business worth over £15 million.  A careful balance was required to be struck between maintaining the generational wealth and making sure the fiancées needs would be met if they divorced.

Accolades for our Sevenoaks Family Team

• Awarded Family Law Firm of the Year – South at the prestigious LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2023, in recognition of the outstanding quality of legal services provided to our clients
• Top ranked in Chambers and Partners, Legal 500 and Citywealth for excellence in what we do.
• Vanda was identified as one of the top 10 pioneering family lawyers transforming matrimonial law in Kent in 2023 by Business Today.

Why choose our Family Law experts in Sevenoaks

We are a fast-growing Top 50 UK law firm with colleagues in agriculture, landed estates, education and immigration available to assist with your family law matters. We are committed to getting the right outcome for our clients. We are pragmatic, family focused and want to help find the best solution for you.

Contacting us

We are available Monday-Friday, 9:30am-5:30pm but can make appointments to suit you outside of these hours and via the method of your choice, by telephone, teams call, in person or via email.

Fixed fee pricing is available for certain types of work.