Wards Solicitors’ family lawyer just one of five in Bristol with specialist accreditation

Wards Solicitors' Amy Jones, who works as a solicitor associate in the family law and divorce team, has won accreditation from the Law Society recognising her specialist expertise in dealing with this area of the law.

Amy now holds Family Law Advanced Accreditation, just one of five lawyers in Bristol to do so, after demonstrating a high level of competence, knowledge and best practice in family law and proving a detailed knowledge of finances and children cases.

Highest standards

Lawyers with this level of qualification are recommended by the Law Society for particularly complicated legal cases and the accreditation is only given to those who meet the highest standards of technical expertise and client service.

Amy specialises in family, divorce and relationship breakdown matters as well as issues concerning children and finances. Examples of her work include:

• Divorce and finances: Cases on behalf of both wives and husbands in cases where there are and are not minority children. These include cases with complex financial considerations including very valuable pensions - particularly police pensions and armed forces pensions - and including matters outside court proceedings through negotiations as well as within court proceedings, whilst keeping costs to a minimum.
• Children matters - contact and residence disputes: Acting for the mother of a child where the father suffered a brain injury raising questions over his ability to care and protect the child. This case involved the Official Solicitor, due to the father lacking mental capacity to conduct his own case. Amy has also acted in other complex contact and residence disputes, on occasions working with guardians appointed to represent the best interests of the children.
• Domestic abuse injunctions: In a severe domestic abuse case, Amy successfully obtained a Non-Molestation Order Injunction, protecting the client for an indefinite period of time, excluding the perpetrator from three counties.

Positive changes

Amy said: "I am delighted to have been awarded this Law Society Family Law Advanced Accreditation which followed a very rigorous process.

"As a lawyer, I find helping people through what is often a very difficult time in their lives, very satisfying, particularly enabling them to bring about positive changes in their lives which benefit the whole family. Assisting them to feel they have taken back control of their lives and regained their self-confidence makes a difference to a Monday morning!"