Gardner Leader

Seona Myerscough is a Partner in the Family Team at Gardner Leader solicitors in Newbury. With over 20 years’ experience, she specialises in divorce, separation and child care issues, and offers some advice to those experiencing a breakdown in family relationships.

‘This Christmas, I hope you found time to relax and enjoy yourself with family and friends, and that you are now ready to face the challenges of the New Year. However, for some, this idyllic Christmas scenario couldn’t be further from reality.

The holiday season can allow relationship issues to surface; issues that have been ignored or dismissed in the routine cycle of everyday life. With free time together, problems that have been simmering away without being addressed, are suddenly given the opportunity to develop. Moreover, you are suddenly surrounded by happy scenes of Yule tide bliss, and the comparisons you make can leave you feeling regretful and alone. By January, you may be thinking about a making a New Year’s resolution that may change your current situation once and for all.  

If you are thinking about bringing your relationship to an end, thoughts of solicitors and legal battles might leave you feeling bewildered or anxious. It might seem like an overwhelming decision to make and you probably won’t know where to start.

Don’t be afraid to seek advice from an experienced professional who will handle your situation with empathy and have your interests at heart. Relationship breakdowns are difficult to discuss with family and friends, as advice can often be distorted by emotions. Talking through your options with someone objective can really help you to make an informed decision.

And there are options. No relationship breakdown follows a prescribed course. Many decide to use mediation, an option that allows couples to meet together with one or two mediators to reach an agreement. In addition, there is a Collaborative Law process, a form of alternative dispute resolution enabling you to have four-way meetings with both of your solicitors present; the important part of this process is an agreement not to go to Court. Either method can result in a satisfactory conclusion to your situation.

I am a Member of Resolution, a specialist organisation for family lawyers, and I am accredited in relation to children’s law and advocacy. I am also a collaborative lawyer and mediator and a number of my colleagues have similar skills. For an initial fixed-fee, we can give you advice and information in strict confidence, in a safe and helpful environment. Following our meeting, you may decide to take no further action, or you may just have taken your first step to change.’