Role at Major Family Law
Sam is both an outcome and client focused family law solicitor, always striving to go the extra mile and to work creatively to achieve case successes.
Sam trained at a nationally respected firm in their Bristol and London offices, and continued practising in Central London for around two years post-qualification.
Sam then relocated to the North East in 2017 and has practised at Major Family Law since that time. His outcome and client focused approach has seen Sam go from strenght-to-strength, earning independent recognition for the high quality of his work by being listed as a ‘Rising Star’ by The Legal 500.
Sam’s growing reputation and expertise, along with his consistent case successes, has seen him promoted to senior positions within the firm, most recently to Legal Director in November 2023.
Expertise
Although Sam does undertake all areas of family law; including divorce, financial relief and protection from domestic abuse, his real area of expertise is in children law matters.
He regularly advises and represents parents and other extended family members in disputes regarding where a child lives and whom they spend time with. He often deals with urgent matters which can require an immediate court application to protect a child, for example, where that child has been placed at risk of harm from the other parent or to prevent an unlawful abduction of a child outside the jurisdiction.
Sam deals with the firm’s most complex children law cases, including those involving high conflict. He regularly advises and represents parents involved in international disputes regarding which country their child should live or visit.
He also advises and represents same sex parents, and has experience in advising on surrogacy law arrangements and helping parents obtain Parental Orders.
Sam conducts his own advocacy at court wherever possible, which allows him to provide consistent and specialist representation to clients throughout their case. Sam’s willingness and ability to conduct his own advocacy provides his clients with the opportunity to be represented at court by someone they know and trust.
In cases which do require the instruction of a barrister, Sam has developed close working relationships with the best family law barristers in the North East region. He also has relationships and links with London based barristers and chambers from his time practising in London.
Outside of work
Sam is both a football and cricket lover. Unfortunatelty for him though, Sam supports his local home town club – Swindon Town FC, who he tries and watches play whenever possible.
Sam is a keen runner and has participated in a number of marathons, including in Dublin, Loch Ness and locally at Kielder forest. Sam raised over £1,000 running the Kielder marathon for The Brain Tumour Charity which, whilst being Major Family Law’s official charity partner, is also a charity close to Sam’s heart.
Sam lives locally in Ponteland with his wife.
Sam qualified in March 2015.
Video
Watch a video by Sam Carter regarding how to give evidence in family court: