The best way to help is to see the client all the way through the process.
Legal Advice Clinic
Simon Bruce
Simon Bruce is a Partner at Dawson Cornwell. He is a former President of the Family Law Commission of the Union Internationale des Avocats and had a highly distinguished 38-year career at Farrer & Co LLP. Simon is at the pinnacle of family law and is widely sought-after by clients. The Legal 500 in 2022 said “Simon Bruce remains at the top of the tree...he continues to provide an effortlessly first class service”.
Veryan Exelby
Veryan Exelby is a Senior Counsel within the Safeguarding Unit with a particular focus on safeguarding in schools. Previously she was a partner of the Family team at Farrer & Co. Alongside client work, Veryan runs the firm's annual Governor and DSL Training days as well as events for AGBIS, a body that advises on the governance of independent schools.
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William Hogg
William Hogg specialises in Family Law and Dispute Resolution at Laurus Law. He brings over 40 years of experience in handling high-conflict family issues and undertaking child mediation, for which he has specialist accreditation.
Simon Miller
Simon Miller, Barrister at Harcourt Chambers, is a children law specialist, having practised exclusively in children matters for more than 27 years since pupillage. He represents local authorities, parents, young persons and children’s guardians at all levels of court.
Simon Miller - Pro Bono Barrister and Dads House volunteer story
"Pro bono work is even more vital for the family courts today. With the legal aid cuts and now the cost-of-living crisis, many people are left with no funds to afford costly legal advice and representation. My advice is simple – it is hugely rewarding to take a client from their first appointment with us to final hearing and see the joy on their face when they know they will see their child again." - Read the full story here —>
Jacqueline Fitzgerald Ceri Parker-Carruthers
Jacqueline is a partner and highly experienced family lawyer and trained mediator with over 25 years of experience. Specialising in various family law areas, from divorce to nullity proceedings and rights of unmarried cohabitants, Jacqueline is well-regarded for her clear strategic advice and expertise in handling complex financial disputes involving company and business issues, trusts, and agricultural cases. She is also experienced in dealing with international matters which often involve issues of domicile and habitual residence.
Ceri is the Family Law Clinic manager for Dads House. She has been a practicing lawyer for five years and uses her court advocacy experience to help our clients. She manages the clinic with our founder William McGranaghan.
Dads House Family Law Clinic Client’s Stories
The Figures
Hours
400 client-facing hours and 3200 hours outside of the clinic.
1 Billy and Ceri make appointments, vet clients, and offer practical support and primary advice;
2 Our solicitors, barristers and students volunteer with client emails, prepping documents, and general assistance to the legal team.
3 Coram barristers prepare cases and represent clients in court.
Costs
The total value of lawyers for the hours they volunteer in and out of the clinic is approximately £900,000 per annum.
During each clinic session we provide on average £1,552.50 of pro bono legal advice, providing £228,217.50 per year of pro bono advice.
Each clinic consists of at least three 1-hour sessions.
No. clients
Our numbers have grown significantly to 208 clients since July 2022 to March 2023.
Whereas in the 2-year period of June 2020 to June 2022 we assisted 197 clients.
In total we have provided over 800 clients appointments.
83% of of our clients were men.
Over 45% our clients have repeat sessions with us so that we can continue to help them and their case.
Enquiries
We receive approximately 4,500 enquiries per annum:
2,500 by email, including 600 through form submissions on our website, and 5,200 by telephone.
It takes 2 1⁄2 hours a day to respond to all enquiries. This means 1092 hours per year spent talking to clients before they step through our doors.
