WSP launches new Family Law service in the Forest of Dean

The new outreach service will be available by appointment from Vantage Point Business Village, Mitcheldean, Gloucester, GL17 0DD, giving individuals and families across the Forest of Dean the opportunity to access face-to-face legal support closer to home.

The service will provide advice on a wide range of family law matters, including:

• Care proceedings
• Social Services involvement
• Child arrangements
• Domestic abuse
• Special Guardianship
• Adoption
• Surrogacy Law

For people who qualify, Legal Aid may be available for certain family law matters. Fixed-fee advice will also be available for people dealing with divorce, separation and cohabitation disputes.

Making Family Law advice more accessible in the Forest of Dean

Gloucestershire has a significantly larger rural population than the national average. According to Gloucestershire County Council, 28% of the county’s population lives in rural communities, compared with 17% nationally.

At WSP, we have also seen a 62% increase in new cases over the last year from people living in postcodes outside Gloucester and Stroud.

Our new Forest of Dean service is designed to bring specialist legal advice closer to those communities and reduce some of the practical barriers people can face when trying to access support.

Lydia Andrews, Senior Associate in WSP’s Family Law team, who is heading up the new service, said:

“Gloucestershire is a largely rural county and accessing professional family law advice or wider support is not always straightforward. For instance, there are currently no law firms in the Forest of Dean offering Legal Aid to residents and people are having to travel to find this support.

“By having a stronger footing in the local area, providing access to Legal Aid support to those who are eligible and with fixed fees and pay-as-you-go on some of our services, we hope to remove the barriers that can prevent people from seeking early legal advice.”

Family Law support tailored to individual needs

We know that coming to a solicitor about a family problem can be difficult, particularly where domestic abuse, mental health, addiction, learning difficulties or neurodivergence are involved.

Our Family Law team uses trauma-informed and neurodiversity-informed approaches, adapting the way we work to the needs of each individual client.

Lydia added:

“Our highly trained and experienced team use a trauma-informed and neurodiversity-informed approach to support our clients throughout. With more vulnerable and neurodivergent clients coming to us for help, we recognise that legal support cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach.

“Whether that means using everyday language, adapting how we communicate, or meeting someone in a space that is more familiar to them, we tailor our service around each client’s needs.

“When someone is facing issues around separation, child arrangements, care proceedings or sensitive cases involving domestic abuse, being able to speak to someone locally and in a safe environment can make a real difference.”

Legal Aid Family Law solicitors supporting the Forest of Dean

Our team can advise on eligibility for Family Law Legal Aid, including in cases involving domestic abuse, children and care proceedings.

Where Legal Aid isn’t available, we aim to make the cost of obtaining advice as clear as possible. Fixed-fee and pay-as-you-go options are available for some services, allowing clients to understand their options before deciding how they would like to proceed.

Appointments for our Forest of Dean Family Law service are available at:

Vantage Point Business Village
Mitcheldean
Gloucester
GL17 0DD

The location means we can support individuals and families in Mitcheldean and across the wider Forest of Dean.

More than Family Law

Forest of Dean residents can also access WSP’s wider range of personal and business legal services, including:

• Residential Conveyancing
• Wills
• Trusts and Probate
• Commercial Property
• Commercial Contracts
• Buying and selling a business

WSP has been part of Gloucestershire’s legal community since 1758. Today, our team provides straightforward legal advice to individuals, families and businesses across the county.

Speak to our Forest of Dean Family Law team

If you need advice about divorce, separation, children, care proceedings, domestic abuse or another Family Law matter, our team is here to help.

Appointments at Vantage Point Business Village in Mitcheldean are available by arrangement.

Call us on 01594 723049 or contact our Family Law Team here or using the contact form on this page to arrange an appointment.