Law firm’s family team expands after growth in demand
A Midlands law firm has expanded its family division amid rising demand for its services including advice around cohabitation and pre-nuptial agreements.
mfg Solicitors has welcomed newly-qualified lawyers Amy McGowan-Docherty and Katie Banks to its respected family team where they will work across the firm’s offices in Worcestershire, Shropshire and Birmingham alongside head of department Claire Backler, partners Katherine Tippetts, Gurdip Brring, Alison Webber and senior associate Rupinder Nandra.
The growth of mfg’s 13-strong family division comes as the team are responding to rising numbers of enquiries for their specialist advice.
Claire Backler, partner and head of the family division at mfg Solicitors, said: “We have remained busy throughout the pandemic as people re-evaluated their lives, but we have been experiencing a further upturn in demand for our services as people look to the future. This includes more people wanting to formalise cohabitation agreements without getting married and a host of other marital and family issues.
“As fewer and fewer couples opt for marriage, this is an area of work that is going to become increasingly important in order to ensure that everyone’s rights and obligations to their partners are set out in the event that the relationship ends.
“For those couples who do tie the knot, more of them do so later in life when they have perhaps acquired more in terms of their own assets and wealth – leading to greater numbers of people opting for nuptial agreements.
“This, along with people wanting to ensure that their wishes will be acted upon following their death and that their loved ones will be able to inherit their estate, has also led to a rise in demand for succession planning.
“It’s for all these reasons and more that we’re delighted to have Amy and Katie join our team. They are two stars of the future, already hugely popular with clients, and will add another dimension to our family offering.”
Amy McGowan-Docherty joins the family division at mfg having recently completed her training and will work across all family matters, including divorces, finance, cohabitee agreements and disputes, injunctions, pre and post-nuptial agreements and arrangements for children.
Katie Banks joins as a paralegal, having successfully completed Level 4 of her Diploma in Paralegal Studies.
mfg has offices in Kidderminster, Worcester, Bromsgrove, Telford, Ludlow and Birmingham.
