A LAW firm that believes in the power of ‘collaborative resolution’ to end disputes has launched in Oxfordshire.

Hawkins Family Law has set up an office in the village of Stratton Audley near Bicester to offer divorce and separation with a human touch.

Founder Jo Hawkins said dealing with issues of divorce, family finance and children is unlike any other aspect of law and requires a unique approach.

She said: “We all want a legal outcome but how you get there is really important to people,”

“People are all different – there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

“If it’s daggers drawn, we see if we can resolve things amicably.

“To go into battle in a divorce, with children, is potentially devastating.

“If it’s a boundary dispute, that’s fine, you can hate your neighbour, but if you are fighting and that involves your children it is much better to work with your ex.”

Mrs Hawkins, who started the firm in Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire, in 2001, is a trained mediator, arbitrator and collaborative lawyer.

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She is passionate about the benefits of alternative dispute resolution.

She said: “I was a partner in a firm in Olney, also in Buckinghamshire.

“It was a small-ish firm and very commercial, and I was the family law wing.

“In 2001 I thought we could do a better job focusing on family law.

“I wanted to offer the choice between litigation and other forms of resolution.

“Litigation can sometimes do more harm than good, and I wanted to explore other ways of doing it, so I trained as a mediator and collaborative lawyer.

“I wanted to be able to offer a combined service.

“Most people just want to sort things out reasonably amicably and court does not promote that.”

Hawkins Family Law is now a thriving practice with staff in two offices.

Clients are normally recommended by word of mouth or come through the firm’s website.

The internet has enabled business to be conducted remotely as far away as Thailand, but Mrs Hawkins said it is better to work much closer to home if children are involved.

“The decision to move to Bicester was made because there is so much going on in the town,” said Mrs Hawkins.

“We’re outside the centre, in Stratton Audley, in a lovely setting with better access and better parking.

“We always wanted to move into Oxfordshire and get access to the area and down into the M4 Corridor.”

All the firm’s lawyers are Resolution members, which has a code of practice for lawyers promoting a non-confrontational approach.

“We are fortunate that as a result of the training we have undertaken we are able to offer different routes to go down,” said Mrs Hawkins.

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“Collaborative law involves both parties appointing separate lawyers, but instead of going to court, the lawyers and their clients try to work things out together.

“It’s an area that’s really grown since I trained, and we are pushing it because it enables our clients to have choice.”

If going to a tribunal proves the only way to solve a dispute, Hawkins Family Law also offers the chance to go to a private Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) hearing.

Mrs Hawkins said: “A lack of funding is the biggest problem for the courts, so with a private FDR you pay for your case to be heard in front of a barrister, or a part time judge.

“Instead of it being listed, say, for 30 minutes on a Friday and the judge not having had the time to read your papers, you get a whole day set aside for your case and the outcomes are almost always better.”

A unique aspect of Hawkins Family Law is the firm’s use of a retained counsellor.

“We work in-house with a psychotherapist, Emma Chamberlain, so we’re able to offer a more ‘holistic’ support mechanism,” said Mrs Hawkins.

“Emma’s been with us for about four years and it’s amazing what the take-up has been.

“Even the toughest senior MD will accept the offer, and because it’s in-house it’s easy to access.

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“We are dealing with people at their lowest personal and emotional level and I think the support Emma has been able to offer them is invaluable.”

With plans to open more local branches on the horizon, Hawkins Family Law is a success story in a sensitive area of law.

Mrs Hawkins added: “I think people like what we offer.

“There are few firms that pick up the amount of work we do and I think that speaks volumes for what we are doing.”

The firm can be contacted further information via the website hawkinsfamilylaw.co.uk