Your First Appointment

We understand that your first meeting with a solicitor to discuss family issues can be daunting, particularly if you are going through this for the first time.

Our Family Solicitors are well prepared to support you and do their utmost to make you feel at ease from the moment you pick up the phone or walk into the office.

Whether you are using this appointment as an information gathering exercise before making a decision to separate or whether you are using the meeting to make a start on divorce proceedings, we can assure you of a comfortable and confidential discussion to help equip you for the next step.

The office has a private car park for client parking and our quiet meeting room space is tucked away on the first floor of our offices on Winchester Street. We promise not to keep you waiting and you will be welcomed with a smile and the offer of refreshments.

We offer an initial Fixed Fee appointment, which gives you up to an hour and a half’s advice with one of our Specialist Family Solicitors – Rob Parker, Ben Carter or La-Toyah Mckenzie. All have ample experience in dealing with a range of family issues and are trained in the Collaborative Family Process.

For those working away, living abroad, pressed for time or unable to come into our office in Basingstoke, we are able to offer telephone, Skype or FaceTime appointments.

To make the most of your time our Paralegal will take detailed information from you, so that the first part of your meeting isn’t taken up with administration and to help the Solicitor have some background facts ahead of the appointment.

At the meeting your Solicitor will;

Provide you with tailored advice, specific to your own circumstances
Run through all the options and routes available to resolve matters
Advise you on costs in a clear and transparent way
Advise you on your next steps and recommended strategy

Promptly after your appointment you will receive a confirmation of the advice given in the form of a detailed letter along with any other useful information so that you have everything you need in a handy pack.

Your details will be kept on file so that as and when you need anything further from us the team can easily pick up from where the matter was left and assist you in the process.

For your first appointment we will need to confirm your identification, so please bring with you;

Photo ID (e.g. your passport or photo driving licence)
Proof of address (e.g. a bank statement, utility bill or council tax letter from within the past 3 months)

The Fixed Fee is due for payment straight after your appointment. We have a card machine at our offices and we do accept Credit Card. If you are having a telephone or video call appointment we can take a card payment over the phone.

Some solicitors offer a free consultation, however this will not be as detailed and bespoke as the Fixed Fee appointment offered by our Solicitors. We as a department seek to deal with matters properly from the outset – what happens at the start often has a big impact on how things proceed thereafter. So we do make a modest charge for that first appointment, but this is a reflection of the approach we take, which is to ensure our clients are provided with advice which is robust, thorough and tailored to their unique circumstances – rather than simply generic advice which does little to assist them. We find anecdotally that clients often come to see us because they have been tempted by the free appointment elsewhere, as their charging arrangements thereafter are substantially higher. We are confident you will find our Fixed Fee appointments represent value for money and we look forward to assisting you in your Family matter.

It is important to remember that this is YOUR appointment and we want you to gain the most from it so that you can make the best decision for you and your family. It is advisable to write down any questions that you want to ask ahead of time as people often forget when they are at the meeting. If you would feel more comfortable with someone else there with you, please feel free to bring along a friend or family member for moral support – that’s absolutely fine with us.