In the last episode of this series of ‘Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers’, Paula and Duane spoke to Louise Halford, the Director and Co-founder of Evolve Family Law. 

In their chat, they spoke about Evolve’s unique approach to flexibility, how and why Louise and co-founder Robin Charrot set up the firm and Louise’s new found love of walking. 

About Louise Halford 

Louise is the Director and Co-Founder of Evolve Family Law. 

She has worked as a specialist family lawyer for over 22 years and founded Evolve Family Law in 2015. Her expertise lies in children issues arising from relationship breakdown, complex and intractable cases and international child abduction cases. 

Louise is also a member of Resolution. 

You can follow her on Twitter @Louisemhalford. 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode.  

In Episode 9, Paula and Duane had a natter with Chris Longbottom, National Head of Family at Clarke Wilmott. 

Chris spoke about what attracted him to the idea of setting up a family team in Manchester, his transition to National Head and his love of American comics.  

About Chris Longbottom 

Chris is a Partner and Head of the Family Law team at Clarke Wilmott in Manchester. He advises private clients on a range of family and matrimonial issues, with a focus on complex matters and the high net worth market.  

Chris is a member of Resolution and is a regular commentator on divorce separation matters. His comments and legal insights from a divorce perspective on the Ashley Madison data breach were covered in a number of national media outlets, including BBC News and Sky News. 

You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisLongbottom 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach, we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode. 

This week, we caught up with Carole Nettleton, a Consultant Solicitor at Price Slater Gawne.  

In our chat, Carole explained to us how a tricky start to her legal career led to her specialising in family, shared her experience of sexual harassment in the workplace and grappled with the difficult question of whether female lawyers can ‘have it all’. 

About Carole Nettleton 

Carole is a Consultant Family Solicitor at Price Slater Gawne in Altrincham. 

She has worked exclusively in family law since qualifying as a solicitor in 1996 and has extensive experience dealing with divorce, the dissolution of civil partnership and the breakdown of cohabitation. Carole also deals with private children matters. 

You can follow her on Twitter @CaroleNettleton 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach, we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode.  

In Episode 7, we speak to our first family lawyer from over the Pennines, Laura Clapton, co-founder of Consilia Legal in Leeds. 

Paula, Duane and Laura discuss the need for better protection for cohabitating couples, how her mum inspired her journey into family law and addressing the stigma attached to paternity leave. 

About Laura Clapton 

Laura is the co-founder of Consilia Legal, a specialist family and employment boutique in Leeds and Harrogate. 

She is a highly experienced family solicitor who advises and assists individuals in all aspects of private family law with a particular emphasis on high-net-worth matrimonial finance cases and complex Children Act proceedings. 

Laura is also an accredited mediator and the Chair of Resolution (North and West Yorkshire). 

You can follow her on Twitter @laura_consilia 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach, we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode. 

This week, Paula and Duane speak to Caroline Bilous, Head of Family Law at Davis Blank Furniss. 

In their conversation, they spoke about the importance of wellbeing, the benefits of being collaboratively trained and how Caroline juggled managing a team with looking after her young family during lockdown. 

About Caroline Bilous 

Caroline is a Partner and Head of Family Law at Davis Blank Furniss.  

At DBF, she advises clients in respect of a broad range of family matters including divorce, civil partnership dissolution, nullity proceedings, financial and children matters. As a trained Collaborative Lawyer, Caroline is able to assist clients using alternative means of dispute resolution including through the collaborative process. 

She also a member of Resolution and an accredited specialist in complex financial and property matters. 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode. 

This week's guest on 'Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers' is James Maguire, Managing Director of Maguire Family Law.  

In their chat, Duane and Paula speak to James about his flair for photography, Michael Jordan and The Last Dance and how the portrayal of family lawyers on TV can lead to misconceptions.

About James Maguire 

James is the Managing Director of Maguire Family Law.  

After working for two leading city centre firms for 15 years, James established his own boutique practice in 2010. Maguire Family Law have offices in London, Wilmslow, Manchester, Knutsford and Stockton Heath and act for clients both in the UK and internationally. 

James is a fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML) and is featured in a number of prominent legal directories, including the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. 

You can follow him on Twitter @divorcexpert 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach, we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode. 

In this week's episode of Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers, our guest is Katie McCann, a partner in the family team at Knights plc. 

In Paula and Duane’s conversation with Katie, they talk about her cross-qualification as a barrister, how she uses IMA communication at work and in her personal life and Katie’s passion for performing. 

About Katie McCann 

Katie is a partner in the Family team at Knights plc and is based in their Manchester and Wilmslow offices. She previously worked as a family law barrister and has extensive experience in all areas of family law proceedings.   

At Knights, Katie advises all areas of divorce but has a particular interest in complex matrimonial finances, private children matters and wealth protection. She regularly acts on behalf of high-net-worth individuals as well as sports and media personalities, business owners and entrepreneurs.   

You can follow her on Twitter @KatieMcCann3 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode. 

In episode 3, our guest is David Lister, National Head of Family Law at Simpson Millar. 

Duane and Paula spoke to David all about the recent shift towards remote working, his involvement in Young Resolution (YRes) and how he juggles his successful legal career with owning an Italian restaurant. 

About David Lister 

David is the Head of Family Law and Divorce at Simpson Millar. 

He has practised exclusively in family law for more than a decade and before joining Simpson Millar worked in a senior role for the UK’s largest full-service law firm, ranked Tier 1 in the Legal 500. David was shortlisted for a National Family Law Award at the 2015 Jordan’s UK Family Law and, in 2017, went on to win the coveted National Family Law Solicitor of the Year Award at the same event. 

Outside of work, David sits on the national Resolution committee and is the Chairman of YRes. He is also the Chair of the Board of Directors of an award-winning children's sexual abuse counselling service. 

You can follow him on Twitter @MlSTERLlSTER 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode. 

In episode 2 of Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers, Duane and Paula speak to Joanne Radcliff, Family Partner at Brabners in Manchester. 

Topics of conversations include the growing acceptance of prenups, how important it is for family lawyers to strike the right balance between empathy and resilience and Joanne’s rescue dog, Dimitri. 

About Joanne Radcliff 

Joanne is an experienced family lawyer and a trained collaborative law practitioner. As a Partner at Brabners, she handles issues such as divorce, civil partnerships, financial settlements, cohabitation agreements and disputes which concern children, including those which span multiple jurisdictions.  

Joanne also sits on the national Resolution committee and regularly speaks at family-law events. 

You can follow her on Twitter @JoFamilyLaw 

About Realm Recruit 

At Realm Recruit, we believe in treating lawyers like people, not candidates. And we believe in treating law firms like valued partners, not just transactional customers.  

Through our refreshing approach, we help to develop careers and sustainably grow law firms. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)   

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode.  

In our very first episode of Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers, our guest is Michael Chapman, Head of Family Law at Manchester headquartered JMW. 

Duane and Paula caught up with Michael a few months back in the midst of lockdown to talk all about social media trolls, the gender balance within family law and the classic films he’s never seen! 

About Michael Chapman 
Michael leads one of the largest family teams in the UK and specialises in advising high profile business owners, property developers and sports professionals.  

You can follow him on Twitter @MChapman_TP. 

You can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@realmrecruit), Facebook and Instagram (realmrecruit)  

Subscribe today to Refreshing Chats with Family Lawyers make sure you never miss an episode.