Manchester Solutions

Manchester law firm Stephensons Solicitors LLP has announced the appointment of a new Associate Solicitor to its Family department.

The firm, based at City Wharf on New Bailey Street, has appointed Jackie Price from Leigh. Her appointment marks a strengthening of the Divorce and Relationship Breakdown team to complement Stephensons' market-leading Children Law team.

Jackie joined Stephensons as a school leaver in 1993 and qualified as a solicitor with the firm in 2003. She initially practiced in the area of civil litigation and is now pursuing her interest in Family law.

Jackie will advise local people on all types of family-related legal issues following the breakdown of relationships, including divorce, problems with domestic violence, child contact, residence disputes and much more.

Mike Devlin, managing partner of the Family department at Stephensons, said: "Jackie is an important part of our plans to strengthen the size of the Manchester office in 2010 and create a Family practice that can offer a broad range of legal services funded by Legal Aid as well as private paying work.

"This expansion will enable us to offer not only Child law services, which the firm is already highly regarded for in Manchester, but to now offer matrimonial advice both on a private paying and publicly funded basis. We believe this sets Stephensons apart in the city centre, where many of our serious competitors have walked away from Legal Aid provision to focus solely on private paid work.

"We also have plans to boost the team further, with two additional positions being created in the next few months."

Stephensons Family team is one of the largest in the North West, with 26 solicitors offering experience in the whole range of complications surrounding relationship breakdowns including divorce, separation, domestic violence, child access, child residence and international abduction.

Stephensons offers expertise to clients from all income levels and is one of the few firms in the region to offer a full range of funding methods that includes fixed fee divorces and legal aid.