Joanne Hilary Major

Principal

Follow Joanne on Twitter at @majorfamilylaw

Joanne qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and established Major Family Law in January 2009. Joanne is the Firm’s Principal Solicitor and is a trained Collaborative lawyer.

In the current 2013 edition of the Legal 500 Major Family Law is ranked as a first tier firm and commended Joanne Major as being one of the Leading Individuals in Legal Practice. Significantly Joanne is the only family lawyer to be listed in this prestigious table in the North East.

Joanne is further named as the Leading Expert in Family Law in the 2013 edition of the Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession. “Professionalism, efficiency and the ability to instil confidence in her clients and her colleagues” are just a few reasons behind the ranking of Joanne Major at the top of the table. She handles high-value divorces and related financial negotiations.

Joanne has recently been appointed to the Editorial Board of leading legal publisher LexisNexis and represents the first niche family law practice outside of London to receive such an appointment.

Joanne has specialised in the area of family law since qualification. Prior to establishing Major Family Law Joanne worked in a Niche Family Law Practice and before that she was Head of the Family Law Department at Newcastle Upon Tyne City Centre Firm, Watson Burton LLP.

Joanne has a wide breadth of experience in all areas of family law. She specialises in the financial aspects of divorce, the arrangements for children following the breakdown of a relationship, as well as, disputes arising from the breakdown of relationships between unmarried people. Joanne approaches each case with fastidious attention and commercial astuteness. Her ability to negotiate successful settlements has earned her the respect of not just her clients but of her peers, both in the region and beyond.

Joanne is committed to Dispute Resolution (DR) which are alternative ways of dealing with family law matters in recognition of the stress, delay and uncertainty that often arises from Litigation and Court Proceedings. Joanne will look to resolve matters and reach solutions in a child focused, conciliatory way. She is a member of Resolution and is a trained Collaborative lawyer. Where appropriate to the individual she will explore alternative ways to the traditional court process, including financial cases involving significant assets.

Over the last 4 years she has built her practice to support the growing amount of work, starting as a sole trader to the dedicated specialist family practice that exists today. Joanne believes key to the Firm’s success is that, unlike many Law Firms, Major Family Law wants to push boundaries and is happy to explore new ways of doing things. She regularly writes articles for legal publications, the local press and legal blogs.

Joanne is married and has two children. In her spare time she enjoys playing a range of sports activities with her sons’, travelling as often as she can to warmer climes and takes a keen interest in her garden.