Family Law

Sarah’s practice has a particular emphasis upon advising on or mediating complex financial claims upon divorce together with future arrangements for children. She has considerable experience of drafting pre and post marital agreements. As a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) she is recognised worldwide as having specialist knowledge of the recognition and dissolution of religious as well as civil marriages.

Sarah has a vibrant family mediation practice with referrals from top tier law firms. She is a collaborative lawyer too.  In 2016 she won the award for Family Law Dispute Resolution Practitioner of the Year 2016. She favours a practical and pragmatic approach to resolving conflict.

Sarah is admitted to practise in England and Wales.                             

Julie Doughty is a lecturer in law at Cardiff University School of Law and Politics. She has also worked as a solicitor in private practice, for local government and for Cafcass.

Since joining Cardiff University in 2003, she has worked as a researcher on a number of empirical research studies on care proceedings; expert witnesses; and children's views on media access to courts. Her PhD topic was the functions of family courts. She is deputy director of the Law School's Centre for Health and Social Care Law. Current research projects include personal welfare disputes in the Court of  Protection, led by Professor Phil Fennell and the Wales Adoption Study, led by Dr Katherine Shelton (School of Psychology).

In 2015, Julie established the Children's Social Care Law in  Wales website for social workers, foster carers and advisers in Wales. She is a member of the AFA Cymru Legal Group and is the Chair of Family Mediation Cardiff. She is a trustee and founder member of The Transparency Project, which aims to make the family justice system clearer.

In April 2016, Julie began work on a study of published family court  judgments, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.