Fittingly, 2024 approaches its conclusion with the Ponteland-based firm also announcing record-breaking, double-digit growth in both revenues and profit, results entirely down to the dedication of Major Family Law’s large and respected team. Experts in their field, they consistently go above and beyond to deliver high quality legal services to clients of all kinds, working in a collaborative and supportive environment.

In addition to the head office in Ponteland, Newcastle, Major Family Law also welcomes clients to its offices in Carlisle, Durham, Northallerton, Darlington and Middlesborough.

In recognition of their outstanding contributions, four exceptional, next generation lawyers have been promoted. Calvin Walker, Sahil Aggarwal, Stephanie Layton, and Stacy Williams all become Senior Associates. Their remarkable performance has elevated the firm and reinforced the firm’s solid reputation for authority and reliability. Additionally, Lottie Weston is deservedly celebrating qualification as a solicitor, having excelled in the new SQE examination while balancing her part-time role with the firm.

Prestigious law directory the Legal 500 describes Major Family Law as distinguished by its exceptional client care and innovative approach to cases. The latest edition, published last month, declares:

“This boutique family law firm is second to none in the Northeast. They provide an outstanding service to their clients, comparable to that of leading London firms.”

Founder and managing director Joanne Major said:

“With 15 years of proven success behind us, it’s fair to say that Major Family Law is not just a law firm any more: we have built a solid legacy of trust, innovation, and service”.

Click here to see the Hexham Courant’s coverage of this story, here to see its appearance in Bdaily, and here for the story in the Northumberland Gazette.

Our photo shows (left to right) Sahil Aggarwal, Stephanie Layton, Lottie Weston, Calvin Walker & Stacy Williams 

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Stephanie specialises in financial matters and has an impressive track record advising both married and unmarried couples going through separation. She has also worked with many parents in dispute about care of and access to their children.

Stephanie’s promotion will take effect on April 1. She said:

“It has been a pleasure to learn and grow with the team at major Family Law. I have really appreciated the guidance, training and support I have received from Joanne and all the team since I joined the firm at the start of the pandemic. I look forward to many more years ahead with the firm. It’s an exciting, innovative firm to be part of.”

The promotion follows four new appointments in just six months. In September 2022, Paralegal Lottie Weston joined the firm. She is currently completing the Legal Practice Course and plans to begin training as a solicitor later this year.

In November, Lottie was joined by Legal Assistant Louise Thain, who is legally qualified and has ambitions to become a qualified family solicitor.

December saw the appointment solicitor Jenny Green, who was inspired to enter law after volunteering for the charity Support Through Court, who work to help unrepresented litigants.

The fourth recent appointment quickly followed in February, when Newcastle native Nida Ali joined the Major Family Law team.  Since graduating with a Masters in Law from Northumbria University, Nida has specialised wholly in family law.

Major Family Law has already appointed a further solicitor, who will be joining the firm in May, and discussions are already afoot with others interested in joining the bourgeoning team.

The firm was founded in 2009 by Managing Director Joanne Major. Working across all areas of family and child law, it has earned a first-rate reputation amongst both domestic and international clients, receiving a top ten ranking in prestigious international directory the Legal 500 no less than ten times. Major Family Law is currently enjoying a period of unprecedented growth and has become the largest niche family law firm in the North of England, employing 16 solicitors and three paralegals.

2022 saw Major Family Law’s best ever financial performance. Turnover is at record levels, and profit is also rising despite heavy investments in new technology and staff.

Much of the firm’s work comes via referral, from, for example, other solicitors, barristers, and members of the local judiciary, as well as accountants and local companies.

In addition to its Ponteland base, Major Family Law now operates offices in Carlisle, Durham, Northallerton and Darlington, with Middlesborough and Morpeth to follow soon. Each new satellite office helps the firm better meet the growing demand for its services.

In 2022 the firm launched innovative new website Splittingup.com, to provide accessible advice and reference material to anyone going through a divorce or separation, alongside referrals to experts working in different fields. The site also hosts a popular podcast featuring discussions of key divorce and parenting topics.

Photo caption left to right: Legal Assistant Louise Thain, Solicitor Jenny Green, Associate Solicitor Stephanie Layton, Solicitor Nida Ali, Paralegal Lottie Weston

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The assessments within each year’s edition of the Legal 500 are based on the views of peers and the experiences clients. They provide a reliable guide to the skills and achievements of firms and practitioners within the legal sector. The 2023 edition is the 36^th to be published.

Major Family Law is a boutique firm working with private clients across the north of England, and its ranking features many glowing testimonials. Some speak of the firm’s good reputation across Northumberland and beyond.

“This large team of family and divorce is known as the go-to firm in the region. I am a business owner and entrepreneur and have frequently heard about this firm and its talented lawyers for many years, thereby making it a natural choice when I needed help. The vanguard of the firm, Joanne Major is an influential, innovative woman who has developed her very own, unique brand of family law.”

Others address the day-to-day experience of working with the firm to resolve divorce, dissolution and other family matters:

“I cannot recommend this practice highly enough. They were extremely professional throughout the whole process. Everything was explained well, and in a way which was easy to understand. All communication was well managed, queries were answered quickly and efficiently and they made everything as painless as possible. The billing was very clear and very reasonable.”

Another testimonial concludes that the firm:

“…stands out head and shoulders above any other matrimonial finance firms in Newcastle and the North East. They are quite simply the ‘go-to’ firm in the region, having outstanding strength in depth and some superb individual practitioners.”

The Legal 500 also provides rankings for individual lawyers, and in the new edition Managing Director Joanne Major has retained her Hall of Fame status for the third consecutive year. This accolade means she is “widely regarded as being at the very top of the profession”, and has been acclaimed as a leading practitioner by the Legal 500 for at least eight of the last ten years.

Meanwhile, Legal Director Anna Hunter retains her status as a “next generation partner” within the firm. The Legal 500 apply this status to lawyers who have achieved “significant recognition from clients and peers in the market, and recent lead roles on multiple matters”.

Anna’s colleague Sam Carter has held on to his “rising star”, in acknowledgement of the way he appears “frequently in significant matters [cases]”and is “widely cited by peers and/or clients as having made major contributions.” Sam was promoted to Senior Associate earlier this year.

Major Family Law was founded by Joanne Major in 2009 and since become one of the largest boutique family law firms across the north of England. The firm has now 27 employees, including 15 specialist solicitors, and operates across three offices – Ponteland near Newcastle, Carlisle and Durham.

Joanne Major said:

“I’m very grateful that the Legal 500 continues to acknowledge our hard-working and very talented team. Business continues to boom here at Major Family Law and we’re all looking forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.”

The post Further acclaim for Major Family Law in 2022 Legal 500 rankings appeared first on Major Family Law.

The new office– at the Warwick Mill Business Village – is the firm’s second after 13 years of increasing success across the north of England.

Managing Director Joanne Major said:

“Heading west is a very natural progression for us. Carlisle is only a 45-minute drive from our offices in Ponteland. For many years we’ve represented Cumbrian clients from across the county – working in both the Newcastle and Carlisle courts.”

The firm’s new office is accompanied by new hire Katie Wright, who brings a wealth of legal experience to Major Family Law. She joins from a senior position at another law firm in the Cumbrian region, where she worked with many families in the farming sector.

Katie is a creative lawyer, renowned for her ability to find solutions to legal problems and challenges. She has earned a reputation amongst clients for her empathy and conciliatory approach to family disputes.

Katie is accredited by Resolution, a legal organisation which promotes a non-confrontational approach to family law, and she is also a trained collaborative lawyer. Collaborative law is an approach to legal disputes which emphasises negotiation and out-of-court settlement.

Katie commented:

“I am excited to be part of the team’s rapid expansion and look forward to being part of a network of top-quality lawyers at Major Family Law. When I heard about the plans that Joanne and the team have for the Carlisle office, it was clear how committed the firm is to serving the residents of Carlisle and indeed those right across Cumbria with essential family law services.”

Joanne Major added:

“I’m delighted to welcome Katie to our 25-strong team, which includes 14 family lawyers. We are really looking forward to all the possibilities that will grow from our new Cumbrian acorn. Yes, this is just the beginning – we are actively recruiting and looking to grow the Cumbrian team soon.”

In addition to Katie, the firm also welcomed junior solicitor Stacy Williams in September last year, after she completed her legal training at the same Cambrian firm as her new colleague. Stacy says of her new role:

“Joining Major Family Law felt like the natural progression for me, I am now getting to build my knowledge alongside some of the most skilled, talented and forward-thinking lawyers in the North East.”

Major Family Law was founded from a standing start in 2009 by highly regarded family lawyer Joanne Major, who had been Head of Family at a large city centre corporate firm. She now has more than 25 years’ experience in the field.

In October last year, the firm received its tenth top ten ranking in prestigious international directory the Legal 500. It was declared a Tier 1 firm within its field. Meanwhile Joanne herself was granted the Legal 500’s Hall of Fame status for the second consecutive year. She was the only family solicitor in the north of England, male or female, to have received this accolade.

Our photo show Stacy Williams (l) and Katie Wright (r) outside the new offices

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