Why did you decide to become a family paralegal?
Very soon after starting my A-Levels, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in law. However, I wanted to be involved in an area of law that would help change people’s lives, be extremely rewarding and where every case is different. Family law definitely fits this!
What’s been your most memorable cases so far, and why?
Having previously worked in abduction and international law, I’m lucky to have many memorable cases.
A particular case which stands out was where we acted for the father in relation to his 16-year-old non-biological daughter, who was vulnerable and had severe medical conditions. Her mother was a resident of Poland and was extremely abusive towards her. We managed to obtain a no-contact order against the mother and a life with order for the child to live with our client until she was 18. The client and his daughter could not have been more thankful.
There was another case where we acted for the father, who was a resident in Spain, and his three children had been unlawfully retained in the UK by their mother, who was alienating the children against their father. After a number of complications (not helped by being in the middle of the pandemic!), we were able to facilitate the return of the children to Spain. The client was one of the kindest I have ever worked with. He was so thankful and even invited us to Spain to show us around!
What advice would you give to a trainee considering specialising in family law?
Try to get as much experience as possible while you are training, and you do not have the pressure of your caseload. Attending court hearings, meetings and conferences alongside your colleagues and counsel is an invaluable experience, which you are unlikely to have the chance to do very often once you are qualified!
Which part of your job do you enjoy or dislike most and why?
The feeling of reward when you get a successful outcome for a client is great and really does make all the hard work worth it. However, it can be challenging to hear about the difficult times our client, and sometimes their children, have been through.
What would you do if you weren’t a paralegal?
If I hadn’t have gone into law, I would have loved to be a teacher!
How do you relax?
A walk and a coffee along the beach with my family is the perfect weekend for me. Or a movie at home with my husband and fur baby, Lennie!
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Being able to teleport to anywhere in the world, as I’m not the best plane passenger.
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