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Lockdown Justice – Family and Children matters

By Sally Perrett

On the 23rd of March, we went into lockdown procedures for our own safety and the safety of our community, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, at the end of our 8th week of “stay at home” precautions, we face a minimum of two more weeks at home, followed by a period of uncertainty as we adjust to the “new normal”.

Sally Perrett

The lockdown has not been easy for anyone, and we have seen tremendous acts of selflessness and dedication from our various key workers who have stepped up and kept our essential services functioning. Thank you to all of you.

All through this period, our clients at CJCH Solicitors have continued to need assistance in matters relating to various family and childcare scenarios.

How, for example, do separated partners with shared custody of their children make arrangements for access to their children, or seek enforcement of their rights? In a Covid-19 world, these are not easy situations and take a new way of thinking to address.

That said, we continue to be here for you, the courts are still proceeding with hearings and cases are still being resolved. Today, Sally Perrett answer some of your questions in the hopes that this assists others with their concerns, Q&A below.

Sally is a senior solicitor at CJCH, and is the head of our Childcare Law department, bringing years of specialist experience to advise her clients on these often difficult situations.

Q: Are the courts still functioning, will my legal matter be heard during lock down?

Sally Says:

The Family Courts are still operating, and so far we have seen cases already listed taking place as normal albeit ‘remotely’ by way of telephone hearing or video meeting.  New applications can still be made but may take longer to be listed as emergency applications are being prioritised.

Q: I have custody of my children and my ex would like to see them/have them visit. Can I allow this?

Sally Says:

The Government has issued specific rules on staying at home and away from others, ‘The Stay at Home Rules’. Guidance has been issued alongside these rules specifically dealing with child contact arrangements “ where parents do not live in the same household, children under 18 can be moved between their parents’ homes”.

This does not mean that children must be moved between homes. The decision whether a child is to be moved between parents and homes is ultimately a decision for the parents following a sensible assessment of the circumstances, including the child’s present health, the risk of infection and the presence of any recognised vulnerable individuals in one household or the other.

Q: My ex has custody of our children and is refusing me access. What do I do?

Sally Says:

If you have a Court-Ordered Child Arrangements Order in place and a breach of the child arrangement order occurs there is the option of applying to the Court to have the order enforced, however, there is a strain on Court services currently and your application may not be dealt with urgently unless there is a child protection concern. The Court is unlikely to make an order for enforcement if it is satisfied that the parent refusing access had a reasonable reason not to adhere to the child arrangements order. 

That being said the Courts are aware that parents could potentially use the current situation to frustrate arrangements that have previously been Court ordered and it is, therefore, possible that a sanction could be issued. 

Q: I think my neighbours are abusing their child/children. What do I do?

Sally Says:

You should contact your local Children’s Services department who will investigate the situation further. You can do this by contacting your Local Authority’s general number and asking to be put forward to Children’s Services to make a referral. You will then be put through to the duty team. You can choose to remain anonymous if you wish to do so. Some Local Authorities are giving out an email address to contact so you may want to contact the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) on 0808 800 500 who will make the referral to your local Children’s Services department for you. If you think it is an emergency situation and a child is at immediate physical risk, contact the police.

 

For more information, or to arrange a consultation, please contact our  Family and Childcare team. Contact information provided here.

 

 

 

 

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Here for you – CJCH Solicitors to continue providing services for clients

The CJCH team are monitoring the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation closely and are adhering to the guidelines put in place by the government and public health authorities. The personal health and wellbeing of our staff, clients, and the communities in which we operate are of the utmost importance to us, and we will continue to do everything in our power to reduce risk where possible.

Currently, CJCH is operating as per usual, albeit with heightened protective measures. We wanted to provide an update of additional precautions we have put in place as part of our business continuity plan. 

We are asking staff and clients to minimise the needs for in-person meetings over this period and to use other options (outlined below) to correspond with clients where possible. We are also asking staff, clients, and visitors not to shakes hands or come into any form of personal contact with each other where avoidable.

Our staff will ensure they are fit and healthy when they come to work and perform their duties, and will self-isolate if they feel unwell prior to coming to work, as per the symptoms outlined by the Government and Department of Health.

We always promote a healthy work environment with high standards of hygiene, and to address the seriousness of this situation we have increased our hygiene precautions further. All four of our offices have anti-bacterial soap and other hygiene amenities required, and staff have been briefed to wash their hands regularly, reduce personal contact, and sanitise their work stations.

We understand that the services we provide can be critical to the wellbeing of our clients and their livelihoods, and we, therefore, commit to continue to provide these services in any format that is safe and reduces possible risk to all involved. As such, with immediate effect we are offering our clients the following options to replace in-person meetings:

  • Video conference meetings – our team have the facilities for Skype, FaceTime, Whereby Meetings, MS Teams, Google+ Hangouts, and Zoom. They will set up a video meeting with you and assist you with the details if you are not familiar with these services or try to accommodate another format you are more comfortable with.
  • As always, you have the option of conference call/telephone discussions with your solicitor. Please see a full list of our contact numbers at the end of this message.
  • Email support for your matters – please find the list of departmental contact details at the end of this message.

If we are required to close one, or all, of our offices for whatever reason, we will endeavour to continue to provide our services to our clients in any reasonable format, and to the professional standards, our clients are used to. We will monitor the operations of the courts, tribunals, and other related organisations to advise clients of any impacts or delays to their matters where possible.

For more information and advice on COVID-19, please follow this link from the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

CJCH Direct contact numbers:

  1. Cardiff Head office: +44 (0) 29 2048 3181
  2. Barry Office +44 (0) 14 4642 0043
  3. Bridgend Office +44 (0) 16 5645 7466
  4. Blackwood office +44 (0) 1495 227 128
  5. 24 Hour emergency line : +44 (0) 7967 305949

CJCH Department direct contact emails:

  1. Residential property, Wills, and Estates: privateclients@cjch.co.uk
  2. Family, Matrimonial, Divorce, and Childcare: family@cjch.co.uk
  3. Mental Health Law, Deprivation of Liberties, and Court of Protection: mentalhealth@cjch.co.uk
  4. Criminal Defence Law: criminal@cjch.co.uk
  5. Commercial Property, Litigation, Employment, and Corporate Law: commercial@cjch.co.uk
  6. General Enquiries: admin@cjch.co.uk

CJCH Solicitors will always operate with our staff and client’s best interests at heart, and we are positive we will be able to continue to support you during these uncertain times.

All work-related travel is put on hold for our staff, including locally to major cities such as London. We are also asking staff to reduce persona travel and to inform us of any personal travel they have planned to allow us to assess the impact.  

Please do everything possible to ensure your wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around you. 

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CJCH 2019 Diversity Results

CJCH took part in the 2019 SRA Diversity Survey. We are committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce not limited by age, gender, sexuality or any other background.

Embracing diversity & equality has a positive affect our employees and on the wider community that CJCH is proud to serve.

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Senior partner Jodi Winter praises improved gender equality and encourages legal sector not to become complacent

CJCH Solicitors’ Jodi Winter says it’s “incredibly motivating” to see more women achieving senior roles across the legal profession, but encourages business leaders to keep the momentum going to ensure continued gender balance.

Jodi, who last year was appointed to our award-winning firm’s executive board, said she was delighted to see that 33% of partners across the legal sector were now women, according to a report from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

The findings from the SRA also showed that 48% of solicitors surveyed across the UK are women, a statistic which Jodi said reflected the industry’s progressive nature.

Jodi, who is a senior partner and head of the Family and Child Law Department, is speaking out on female inclusion to mark International Women’s Day on March 8th.

The worldwide initiative, which celebrates and recognises the personal and professional achievements of women, is this year focussing on the theme of gender balance.

Jodi feels this topic is particularly vital in an industry such as hers, which is traditionally perceived as being male dominated.

CJCH Solicitors is challenging that misconception and has proved that it’s leading the way when it comes to achieving greater gender equality. The firm’s executive board is now comprised of 50% women, following Jodi’s appointment in January, while its senior management team was also female driven.

CJCH notably has a higher rate of female employees than male, and attracted a large number of talented female graduates from across Cardiff and the surrounding areas.

On the issue of gender balance in the legal industry, Jodi said she is proud to be part of an award-winning firm which is leading by example in relation to inclusivity.

She said: “Becoming a partner and executive board member at CJCH this year has undeniably been the highlight of my career to date.

“But what makes me more proud, is to be appointed to this position within a firm which truly values and recognises the talent and potential of its female employees.

“While I was a trainee solicitor you frequently saw men ascending through the ranks and being given opportunities in higher leadership roles. Over time there has been a gradual shift in attitudes towards gender balance, which has is undeniably more positive and has paved the way for solicitors, such as myself, to really achieve their potential and undertake rewarding leadership positions.

“However, I think gender equality in the legal sector was truly affirmed and accepted with the appointment of Lady Hale as president of the Supreme Court, which is a landmark achievement for equality and diversity in the profession.

“While this increased inclusion is absolutely fantastic, and I am personally delighted to see more women occupying more decision-making roles, I do feel that we as an industry cannot afford to become complacent.

“Such incredible progress has been made over the years, with the SRA now showing that 33% of partners across the sector are female, that we cannot afford to stop investing in and support female equality at this stage.

“It’s vital that business leaders across the UK continue to support women throughout the industry and keep this momentum moving in the right direction, and encourage them to pursue enriching leadership roles, which not only benefit them but the sector as a whole.”

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CJCH Solicitors – Cardiff Life Awards Finalists

We are proud to announce that for a second year in a row CJCH Solicitors has once again named a finalist in the prestigious Cardiff Life Awards. Our firm is honoured to server our community and delighted to be in the Legal and Financial category.

We are also excited to see the caliber of our fellow nominees, as we are sharing the spotlight with some phenomenal local and national brands that make up the 2019 Cardiff Life Awards finalist list.

We look forward to celebrating with all the guests at the gala event at Cardiff City Hall in March.

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From academics to the office – an inside look at Cardiff’s latest graduate scheme

“I don’t think any of us really knew what to expect when we started the graduate scheme.”

That was the admission made by Charlotte Bardet about joining the landmark new graduate scheme launched in Cardiff.

Charlotte, like many graduates, was keen to make the transition from university to professional life but was apprehensive about swapping academics for the office.

With thousands of graduates facing this prospect every year a professional scheme which bridged the gap between study and work seemed like the ideal solution.

With that in mind chief of staff, Luke Heydenrych, worked with the senior partners of CJCH Solicitors and Consultancy to design and launch its innovative Graduate Development Program in February 2018, which aimed to expose candidates to essential commercial and business skills at an early stage in their career.

Back L-R: Tim Hartland (Managing Partner), David Kirby, Myles Thomas, Sam Evans Front: L-R: Amy Palin, Charlotte Bardet, Daniel McNiell, Stephan Clarke (Senior Partner)

Charlotte, who joined the specialist law firm and consultancy in 2016 as an anti-piracy research paralegal, was one of six young candidates who joined the scheme’s first intake this February.

On her preconceptions about what the landmark scheme would involve, she said: “I knew I would learn a lot about business acumen and best practice and gain various skills related to crisis management and design thinking. However, I never anticipated the type of exposure it would offer me and the opportunities I would get so quickly.”

For Charlotte, her first few months in the bespoke program proved to be extremely surprising.

She said: “It was really encouraging to see the amount of trust senior management put in us. On joining the firm, you might worry that you’ll simply play a supporting role, but at CJCH this was not the case.

“They trusted us with massive projects for the firm and allowed us to run with them, which was unexpected, as you never know how much you’ll get to experience early on, but it was really humbling and exciting too.”

Charlotte, who previously interned with the United Nations, was assigned to a team developing an international course on illicit trade in collaboration with an international law enforcement training organisation.

This forms part of CJCH Legal & Compliance Services’s fight against international software piracy, which was highlighted when the firm recently hosted digital crime experts from around the world as part of the  IP Wales Cluster in Cardiff.

The graduates’ research will now form an integral part of the firm’s strategy to prevent the illegal usage and theft of intellectual property in the future.

She said: “To be working on a project that is so vital to the firm’s ongoing aims is really interesting.

“As part of the illicit trade project my team and I liaised with universities, worked alongside experts in the intellectual property and legal professions, and finally presented our findings to the firm’s senior partners. I have been far more involved than I could have anticipated.”

Thanks to her dedication to the project, Charlotte saw herself quickly promoted shortly after joining the graduate scheme, which offers a diverse approach to gaining both commercial and legal understanding of the profession.

She said: “I was delighted to be promoted to research supervisor so quickly, where I supervised a team of about 28 researchers. There was definitely a learning curve to the management side of the job, and the knowledge I acquired on the graduate program was extremely beneficial in settling into this new position.

“Knowing that the partners and managers in our department trusted that I could handle the job and manage such a big team, was such a great boost of confidence in my work and showed me that there was possibilities for future career progression.”

Following her promotion, she was quickly afforded even more exciting opportunities, which would see her use her skills on an international level.

“To my surprise I was invited to go to Boston for a business trip to meet with one of our partner firms for a few brainstorming meetings. I was extremely pleased and honoured to be involved in this. It was a great learning experience and made me feel very valued.”

After the whirlwind start to her Graduate Development Program, she has now taken on a larger workload as continues to thrive in her role.

She said: “My workload has obviously increased since I started, but it has all been really interesting.

“I slowly took on more and more responsibilities, from training to quality checking, offering expert analysis and feedback to our client. The whole experience has been so informative and rewarding.

“Before joining you really don’t know what to expect, but this has certainly exceeded any expectations I had. It’s been an invaluable experience so far and I would recommend it to any of my colleagues and anyone considering applying for a training contract.

“One of the best pieces of advice a colleague gave me early on was ‘if you want to see change happen, take the initiative to make it happen’, and I really feel I’ve been able to make things happen.”

CJCH Solicitors’ Graduate Development Program is a 12-month initiative, the first instance of  which concluded with the final training session this month. The Graduates now present to the executive board of CJCH to close off their training. The program offers graduates the opportunity to develop a wide-range of business and legal skills. The course sees candidates taught social entrepreneurship, innovation principles and practice, communication strategy, crisis management, leadership, and customer relationship management.

This unique approach aims to develop well-rounded and innovative team members who will work throughout the firm’s legal, and non-legal, departments with the aim of undertaking leadership roles in the future.

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CJCH Solicitors appoints new Board member

Wales top 20 Law Firm and 2018 Financial and Professional Services Firm of the Year in the Cardiff Business Awards — CJCH Solicitors, has announced a major promotion in their leadership team welcoming Jodi Winter to their Board.

Jodi joined the practice in 2013 as Partner in charge of the Barry office bringing a new energy and passion for the family, matrimonial and childcare law division.

CJCH Managing Partner, Tim Hartland said he is “pleased to be making this announcement and expanding our board of executives to include Jodi. The true indicator of an innovative and progressive organisation is its ability to recognise talent and let it flourish.”

Mr Hartland went on to contextualise that “Jodi left a very senior position in the public sector to join us back in 2013, and the Firm has reaped the benefits of this decision ever since.”

No stranger to leadership roles, Jodi joined CJCH after leaving an extensive career of 14 years in the public sector. In that time Jodi performed many roles including that of Senior Solicitor for the Vale of Glamorgan Council notably spending the latter seven years of her time there as a Chief Legal Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer having been promoted to this prestigious position at the age of only 28. Under Jodi’s direction the Barry office and the family, matrimonial and childcare practice have experienced significant expansion and continuous enhancements to service.

When asked about the learning curve in her career and the honour of being admitted to the Firms board, Jodi reminisced about the journey she has taken and the milestones she achieved — “It is a great privilege to have been approached by the three senior partners of CJCH and invited to join their ranks. A firm of this stature and level of innovation is the aspirational horizon that many in this industry aim for. I’m very proud of being a girl from a working-class family in the Rhondda Valley, who could only dream of making equity partner and being able to work with such incredibly talented and committed people as I do now.”

When asked about her motivation and determination, Jodi reflected on the pride she has in her work and the joy she gets out of helping her clients. “In the areas of law that I practice, I often meet people struggling through family or relationship issues, which can be their worst possible moments. It is rewarding when you are able to walk them through it and guide them to a positive outcome”.

Jodi went on to say that she is proud to be among the league of female partners in the Welsh legal industry and is excited to see more and more women taking on senior positions. “With role models such as Baroness Hale stepping into the role of President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, it is clear the opportunities are endless.”

Jodi takes the position of Senior Partner and member of the CJCH board as of January 2019 and is looking forward to continuing a successful and rewarding career with this progressive firm.

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Theft, Drugs and Pirates – Steve Rees the enforcer

by Alexandra Roach

 

From the South Wales Police Force and the National Crime Agency to managing the Anti-Piracy and Compliance division of CJCH Solicitors. Steve Rees shares with us the story of his career across 32 years in the Police force and his experience managing the now global AP&C department which has increased nearly 10-fold under his management since 2014.

 

As a child who played by the rules and was instinctively drawn to the unexpected, Steve Rees later found that joining the Police force felt like a natural fit. He began his career with the South Wales Police force, as all officers do, in uniform learning about the world of policing and how to deal with people from all walks of life. In time, his developing interests and his inquisitive nature lead him to pursue an investigative role as a divisional detective within the CID (Criminal Investigations Department). Over this period, he engaged in all levels of crime investigation – from thefts and assaults to armed robberies and murder.  Later, as a member of the Force Intelligence Department, operating in Cardiff, he dealt with large-scale investigations of career criminals responsible for serious offences being committed in the area.

Steve Rees’ work across the Force Intelligence Department led him to being seconded to the National Crime Squad (the forerunner of the now National Crime Agency). During this time, he would use state of the art technical equipment to target both national and international criminality, further developing his knowledge of technical and data-based systems of monitoring and regulation.  After his tenure with the NCS, surveilling and getting close-up and personal with professional criminals, Steve left the Police force and began work as the operations manager of a private investigation company where his skills were greatly welcomed.

When Steve later began his work with the Anti-piracy and Licence Compliance team at CJCH Solicitors (which at the time consisted of only 6 people) he soon found his investigative skills, knowledge of computer systems and ability to deal with all manner of people were real assets when applied to tracking down and engaging with the infringers who the team were actively pursuing. Understandably, Steve’s most current challenge has been the management of a dramatically increasing number of staff. Four years ago, the entire team comprised of Steven and five young graduates. Considering that the team now comprises of fifty-eight employees, the challenges faced as a result of such a vastly expanding department are understandable. Both Steve’s and the firm’s Senior Partner Stephen Clarke have taken great pride in watching the department flourish and celebrate its successes as it continues to expand and take on new countries and clients at an equally impressive rate.

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CJCH History Month: Wales’ oldest law firm, Gaskell and Walker, joins CJCH

By Myles Thomas

As Wales’ oldest law firm, the acquisition of Gaskell & Walker is a matter of pride for those working at CJCH Solicitors. Given the continued growth and success of the tech-centric Consulting side of CJCH’s business, it is also apparent that the firm still holds true to the values and ethos of a community based high street practice.

E.W. Miles Solicitor on record for a probate matter, 1921

The origins of Gaskell and Walker go back to Ebenezer William Miles, who practiced as E W Miles & Co. in Cowbridge. Ebenezer was born on 8th June 1852 to Thomas Miles of Cowbridge, where he was later educated and admitted as a Solicitor in 1878. He practiced alone from 1878 until 1932 and was succeeded by Mr Morgan, who was admitted in 1900 and died in 1934.

At this point, the practice was taken over by Francis (Frank) Gerald Walker who was born in 1881, admitted as a Solicitor in November 1929, and practised in partnership with John Clare Gaskell. At the end of the Second World War, Frank handed the practice on to John Thornley Taylor, who acted as a sole practitioner until he was joined in partnership by Ian Jewell, Ray Nicholson and Anthony.

Following the unfortunate demise of Mr Jewell, Gwyn Davies joined Ray and Anthony in partnership in 1988 and upon Ray’s retirement in 1999 they were joined by Mel Butler. Up until the point where CJCH acquired Gaskell and Walker, astonishingly, that had only been a total of nine partners in over one hundred and thirty years.

John Gaskell record of Admission, 1902

When CJCH took over Gaskell and Walker in late 2014/early 2015, the two firms practiced from their offices in Caroline Street and Park street, respectively. Speaking with current members of CJCH Solicitors in Bridgend (the majority of whom worked for Gaskell and Walker previously) at their relatively new office in Dunraven Place, they indicate the new premises are just one of the many welcome changes they have seen since joining the CJCH family.

Rebecca May, Solicitor at CJCH, originally began her training with Gaskell and Walker under Gwyn Davies, who, despite his retirement remains a mentor to her. Originally, she had trepidations of CJCH’s takeover as she was only four months into her training contract and was worried for her future. Her fears were calmed by Nick Wootton, CJCH’s Chief Financial Officer who informed her she would remain a trainee with the practice. A few years on, Rebecca has flourished with CJCH and says that the takeover benefited her greatly, allowing her more opportunity.

Original Gaskell & Walker letter head on a conveyancing matter, 1946

The rest of the team who also worked for Gaskell and Walker collectively have almost one hundred years of service between them. Nigel Daniel, now Head of Employment at CJCH commented that the team is built on “good old-fashioned loyalty” and they are “incredibly tight-knit”. It is apparent that this is true, with stalwarts Hollie Wood, Louise Watts, Cathy Leyden and a more recent appointment, Caroline Jones regaling and laughing over their experiences in the office together. They insist that they are friends before anything else, there are no secrets between them and they love coming to work every morning.

One of Gaskell and Walker’s main focuses was their client-centric approach, aiming to provide full transparency with ‘friendly, professional and approachable advisers’. Their historic advertisements speak of not being just a ‘faceless law firm’ which they would be proud to see is still apparent today. The Bridgend Office oozes friendliness, charm and personality whilst remaining successful, efficient and professional.

Announcements

CJCH Solicitors have become a limited company

As of Monday October 14th, 2024, CJCH Solicitors have become a limited company.

CJCH Solicitors is now the trading name of CJCH Legal Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 15452031. The registered office is Williams House, 11-15 Columbus Walk, Cardiff CF10 4BY.

CJCH Legal Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Number 8009371). Please note there is no change to our bank account number and sort code.

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Winner: Public Law Team of the Year 2022 – Wales Legal Awards

We are proud to announce that the CJCH Court of Protection team was named the Public Law Team of the Year in the 2022 Wales Legal Awards. Recognising the work they do with individuals who lack the capacity to act in their own best interests.

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Winner: Cardiff Life Awards 2019

With a dedicated focus on service excellence, and a passion for innovation the CJCH team was the proud winner of the best Legal and Financial Business of the Year in Cardiff for 2019!

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CJCH Solicitors appoints new Board member

Wales top 20 Law Firm and 2018 Financial and Professional Services Firm of the Year in the Cardiff Business Awards - CJCH Solicitors, has announced a major promotion in their leadership team welcoming Jodi Winter to their Board.

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Winner: Cardiff Business Awards 2018

CJCH Solicitors has experienced unprecedented growth and achieved important milestones over the last few years, all of which have culminated in the first half of 2018 being a prosperous year for us at the Firm and winning the Financial and Professional Services of the Year award.

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