THE family department at leading Nottingham law firm, Nelsons continues to grow with the addition of three new starters.
Senior associate and solicitor Jeremy Ward has joined the children law team from Hawley & Rodgers where he qualified in 2012. He has been Children Law accredited by the Law Society since 2016, which allows him to act on behalf of young clients in care proceedings. Paralegal Louise Clarke also joins the team having worked previously with Jeremy, specialising in care and children’s law proceedings.
He said: “I knew of the large family team at Nelsons and its positive reputation from friends and colleagues which made this move an easy decision. I was also pleased that Louise could join me as well so for clients that have joined us at Nelsons it’s been a seamless transition.
“I have always wanted to work in child protection, and even after more than 12 years I still find it very rewarding. Children law is nearly always urgent work, and there are many families at crisis point that need support. The team at Nelsons understands this and everyone collaborates to provide the best service possible. I am looking forward to what the future holds for me here.”
A newly qualified family law solicitor and associate Julia Kolomiiets has also been welcomed into the team to focus on divorce and family finances.
Julia, who has moved from Larken & Co, said: “I knew of Nelsons’ work in family law and its reputation for excellent client care. During a placement year, I discovered my interest in divorce proceedings and the financial aspect of separation, which is an area that I’m keen to specialise in further.
“I am able to learn from highly experienced solicitors on a range of different areas and the team has already supported me with my existing caseload as well as bringing me onto more complex cases to enhance my understanding and skills.”
Jeremy, Julia and Louise will be working alongside partner and solicitor, Emma Davies, who heads up the family team in Nelsons’ Nottingham office and across the region.
Emma said: "I’m pleased to welcome all our new starters who each bring new skills to the team. Jeremy is a great addition – as a children law accredited solicitor with a wealth of experience in care proceedings, he will bolster our offering across the East Midlands. He will work closely with senior associate Katy Swinbourne, who is also newly accredited, and alongside Gareth Protheroe who was recently promoted to partner and can provide expert guidance in care proceedings. Louise will also be a great support to Jeremy and the wider team.
“The family law team has really taken shape in the last few years and with Emma Stamp joining last year, Julia’s appointment is part of our ongoing growth in this area.
“The team has really pulled together across our three offices in Nottingham, Derby and Leicester offices to deal with the caseload and support even more clients. Historically our focus in Nottingham has been family law but it’s great that we can now build on our work with local authorities on care and children law too, where there is a huge nationwide backlog and more support needed.”
For more information on family law, please visit: https://www.nelsonslaw.co.uk/divorce-and-separation/. For children law and care, visit: https://www.nelsonslaw.co.uk/children-law/