Our Unique Approach - an introduction by Richard Gregorian, Family Law Solicitor and Principal
As much as I enjoyed the prestige, which accompanied working as a partner in the City of London for top tier banks, hedge funds, accountants and the like, it would be difficult to say that anyone in that role could have a passion for their work or personally align with their clients. Still less, could it be said that the subject matter of their work reflects their personality or that they can offer a unique legal service which guarantees a successful outcome for clients in every case.
Commercial lawyering did, however, teach me the importance of a “can-do” approach, client focused service (available and often working seven days a week) and a relentless commitment to achieving the outcome the client is seeking.
Having witnessed the weaknesses, inconsistencies and incongruities in the family justice system, first hand, through my own personal experience of successfully defending international relocation proceedings (“leave to remove”), I began working with Gavin Emerson, a vastly experienced and effective therapist and communication and conflict resolution expert.
The result is a fully integrated client service combining Gavin Emerson’s unique understanding of communication and conflict resolution, mental health and therapeutic principles, in order to formulate unique and unbeatable psychological strategies for each client, with my application of that knowledge and resultant strategies at every stage of client representation and family law litigation.
This collaboration is so effective because family law cases are not determined by law or fact, but rather issues which take into account but “go beyond the facts”. Rather, in understanding the case, formulating strategies and implementing them through legal advice and representation, what is important is an expert understanding of those unique non-legal aspects of the case: the personalities, psychologies and communication and, particularly, the conflict engagement abilities of the adults involved (whether former spouses and partners or parents) and the origin and dynamics of the dispute between them.
Lacking these non-legal skill sets, other family law legal professionals invariably seek to understand and resolve the case simply through the prism of blame. This results in them seeking to “out prove” the opposition. In doing so, they fail to realise how that limits their understanding of their client’s case and, therefore, the opportunities for agreement or litigation case building, as well as escalating conflict. They point the finger of blame, on behalf of their client, in one direction, only to receive three fingers pointing back, from the other side, thereby demonstrating that “family lawyers really do make matters worse”. The family justice system has survived for so long because there are, after all, two sides to every argument.
However, when one understands axioms, truisms and principles of communication and conflict resolution, psychology, personality, and, where relevant, mental health, almost unlimited opportunities for agreement and litigation case-building open up for the client. Success is guaranteed for our clients because, quite simply, other Family Law solicitors cannot properly represent their clients or their children through the application of legal knowledge or relying upon the facts, alone. Yet, they are forced to because Family Lawyers are not trained in the very subject matter of their practice which enables them to properly understand and represent their clients.
Every case is unique, not because of the applicable law (which has been established in the context of other family situations) or the facts (every permutation of which, the court has encountered before and which can “cut both ways”) but rather the psychology of the people involved and of the dispute between them, as well as their relationship and separation dynamics, decision-making, and how they engage in disputes. Cafcass, social services or court-appointed mental health experts are similarly vulnerable to our approach (whether it be to validate or undermine them) because, each of their skill sets, lack one or more of the circles of knowledge and expertise in the relevant “Venn diagram”:
(1) Family law
(2) Communication and conflict resolution (and the other non-legal/non-clinical mental health skill sets we have)
(3) Mental health (where relevant)
We have particular expertise in issues of mental health, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar, addiction (including alcoholism, substance/drug abuse) and personality disorders such as narcissism/NPD and EUPD/BPD, as well as autism, Asperger’s, ADHD and other forms of the neuro-diversity.
In short, your family law representation will, inevitably, be defective without our approach. It is simply a matter of common sense and logic. It does not matter how much you pay per hour or which postcode a firm of solicitors occupies, they cannot buy themselves out of a lack of skill set, which they have never trained in, which leads to the conventional way in which family justice has failed litigants involving children for decades. Who would utilise legal professionals with no training in child law, conflict resolution, mental health, therapy, psychology and any other relevant non-legal issue to understand and solve a family’s difficulties? After all, the parents did not meet, marry, stay together, have children, experience increasing disputes and then, ultimately, separate for any legal reason. The law had nothing to do with it.
The family justice system is simply “an envelope”, one which is only as effective in resolving family disputes as the knowledge and skill sets of the lawyers, judges, and experts involved in it.
As the leading independent communication and conflict resolution expert (used by enlightened family law judges, who realise that no court order will address the underlying difficulties in the family - albeit, perhaps on the second or third round of litigation between them) observed in response to our legal and psychological approach:
Dear Richard,
I think if I was asked to put my philosophy for working with families in the family law world into a nutshell, I couldn’t do a better job than you have just done in describing what you do.
I completely agree that mediation and therapy practices have constrictions placed upon them that limit parents’ capacities to form an amicable and collaborative post separation relationship with each other.
I agree with you, and the research backs us up here, that an educative/therapeutic model is exactly what is required.
Some of the other benefits of our unique legal and psychological approach are as follows:
- We are able to achieve early agreement in cases because we are able to facilitate a more constructive dialogue between the parents, which addresses the underlying issues.
- We succeed in litigation, where previous legal advisers have failed to employ a proper strategic approach to the case or failed to present the case with the required underlying knowledge.
- Our knowledge of mental health means we “speak the same language” as any court expert psychiatrist or psychologist who may be appointed, in order to obtain the most thorough and favourable report for our clients. We have never failed to obtain a favourable report for our client or fatally undermine one obtained against our client, prior to our involvement.
- Our clients feel supported and understood emotionally and psychologically at a time when they are experiencing great upset and confusion. As a result, they experience less anxiety and feelings of helplessness and achieve a greater understanding and emotional closure around the reasons for the separation or divorce.
- We have a particular expertise in international relocation of children, due to Richard Gregorian’s personal experience, where he won against all the odds and predictions, utilising the joint legal and psychological approach.
- Through the formulation and implementation of our agreed strategies, based on an enhanced understanding of a client’s case, our clients become far more empowered and suffer less distress and feelings of being victimised by the other side, whilst instructing us. At every stage, they can see the difference in the knowledge base and strategic approach between us and the opposition.
- Our joint legal and psychological approach to Family Law fundamentally supports the parents beyond any court involvement, which is required to maintain any future relationship between separated coparents. Through the expertise we have, we can minimise the acrimony between the parties, as well as increasing trust, thereby reducing litigation costs.
- We act only for you, the client, but the impact of this unique representation is to not only win cases but improve the parenting dynamic, protect any children and provide a template for effective, future coparenting. Frequently, the unique understanding of the case we have, causes fundamental, positive change in the client.
- We offer clients support, specifically aimed at assisting them to express themselves in the best possible light in the witness box or to Cafcass, social services or a court-appointed expert. Through our strategic and therapeutic skill sets, we ensure that our clients have the support and confidence to express their case in an articulate, insightful and, where relevant, child-centric way in the witness box.
Contact Gregorian Emerson Family Lawyers Guildford and Cobham, Surrey and Central London
Based in Guildford and Cobham, Surrey and Central London, we can help you. If you have a family dispute that needs resolving, we are here to help and look forward to your call. Please contact us, or call us on 01483 826 470