Meet our newest partner to the family law team in Lincoln

Julie Bailey has joined Wilkin Chapman as a partner in the family team at our Lincoln office.

We caught up with Julie to ask about her 36-year long legal career in family law. Family life can be stressful and the bumps in the road that might occur along the way can be life changing. That’s why it’s important to have a great team of people to be there for you when things don’t go quite as you’d like or expect them to. Julie is no exception to this, her passion for family law is borne from her desire to help people through a potentially distressing period in their life.

Julie, what qualities do you think you need to possess to be successful as a family law solicitor?

The most important part of my role is to build a good relationship with my client. They’re going through difficult circumstances. They don’t need sympathy, but support and guidance to help put the pieces back together when it feels like their world is falling apart.

You’ve got to be friendly, empathetic and understand their current situation Most of my clients are extremely distressed when they speak to me for the first time and it’s my job to be calm and give the advice they need, even if it’s not always what they want to hear.

So, for me, forming trust in the relationship is pivotal. I want my clients to feel comfortable enough with me to open up. I will therefore provide clear advice on all the options available to help them make the right decision for their future. The best part of the job though is seeing my clients come out the other side, seeing them through this transition.

What specialist knowledge and expertise do you have which will enable you to help people?

I’ve previously worked as the managing partner at a law firm which has given me a great insight into the challenges brought about from running a business and have acted for the client or the other party whose spouse owns a business. I have a particular interest in financial claims to include advising on business assets and farming asset division.

I also specialise in matters involving armed forces service personnel and have forged a great connection with RAF Waddington providing advice on their base for more than 10 years. With my son serving in the RAF, I’ve learned to understand their language and the schemes they have in place, which puts my clients at ease knowing they’re talking to someone with experience.

It’s important that service personnel seek specialist legal advice, particularly relating to family law and Wills, as these arrangements are quite complicated due to the military pension scheme.

During your career you will have seen a lot of significant developments in the law. Which ones do you think stand out the most?

The approach is a lot less adversarial in the court now. New approaches to resolving family disputes have been developed to ease the pressures, such as mediation, collaboration, and arbitration.

These more collaborative approaches are an important development, especially when there are children involved, which help to preserve family relationships for the future.

It’s about trying to work together to reach a solution rather than two people in complete opposition fighting it out in court. We are still there to protect our clients’ best interests and will work with the other party to come to an agreement – which is much more satisfactory than a court hearing.

We’re also seeing a lot more changes in procedure, with the introduction of no-fault divorces, which means we have greater clarity of the issues in the case sooner. Everything is more focussed, and an agreement is reached as soon as possible. Nobody wants to delay this time any more than necessary.

Whatever your new direction in life, whether it be divorce, separation, or you may be getting married and need a prenuptial agreement Julie can help you. Contact her today on 01522 515948 or email: Julie.bailey@wilkinchapman.co.uk