Legal
Sector Focus ‘Modern family’ expert joins firm
National law firm Clarke Willmott – which has an office in Birmingham – has added ‘modern family’ law to its offering with the appointment of specialist family lawyer Sarah Wood-Heath. She is one of just a few lawyers in the UK
who specialises in modern family and fertility law. For those who think of the popular US
sitcom ‘Modern Family’ when the term is used, it’s probably not far off describing how it relates to law. Just before his retirement in 2018, Sir James
Munby, former president of the High Court’s family division, said that ‘the family takes an almost infinite variety of forms’ in today’s society, including unmarried couples with children, same-sex couples, divorce, remarriage and surrogacy. Figures supporting this argument at the time included the number of parental orders for those seeking to become legal parents of a child born via surrogacy, which had increased from under 50 per year in 2008 to 300 a decade later. At the same time, national statistics revealed
that more than 10,000 same-sex couples in the UK were currently raising dependent children. Sarah Wood-Heath advises on areas such as
surrogacy, fertility, donor conception and co- parenting arrangements. Gareth Schofield, head of family law at
Sarah Wood-Heath: ‘Modern family’ expert
Clarke Willmott, said: “Her ‘modern family’ offering is very niche and completely new to
Protecting the elderly from parcel problems
A Sutton Coldfield solicitor says kind elderly residents are facing unnecessary anxiety because they are being constantly asked to accept parcel deliveries for neighbours who are never in. Richard Kerry, of Bell Lax
Solicitors, spoke out after advising a client that Amazon should fit one of its smart ring doorbells at the Midlands home of his 94-year-old mother, Betty Wright. The lady’s son had sought legal advice because she was constantly being asked to accept deliveries for her neighbours. Now Mr Kerry is backing calls
made by campaigner Esther Rantzen for delivery firms to draw up a code of conduct when asking the elderly to take in parcels. He said: “This is happening more
and more often, because of the explosion we have seen in home delivery services. For vulnerable residents, it can cause anxiety. “Our client originally inquired
about taking out an injunction against the delivery firm because he was so fed up of his mother being asked to take in parcels. We advised him that taking a legal route like that would be long and
Clarke Willmott. There are many ways to start or grow a family and family law has evolved rapidly in recent years to reflect this. “Sarah will be on hand to assist clients
through the process to parenthood as simply as possible, dealing with matters such as surrogacy, donor conception, adoption and fertility law. “She also advises and represents clients in
relationship breakdowns where there are children involved. Her work includes assisting clients with
those arrangements and representing them in court if required. “Sarah always has in mind the family as a
whole and approaches her cases with sensitivity and with the welfare of the child at the forefront. “Sarah is known for her practical approach
towards her cases and for her empathy and understanding.” Ms Wood-Heath said: “Modern family and
fertility law is something I am incredibly passionate about and it is exciting that the rest of my team are just as enthusiastic. “I am glad to be bringing a new dimension
to family law at Clarke Willmott and providing clients with a well-rounded service.” She will be based in the firm’s Southampton
office but will work nationally. Clarke Willmott has seven offices across, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.
Parcel problem: Betty Wright
expensive, and suggested that a smart doorbell system would actually allow him to monitor who was calling at his mother’s door.” Amazon has now taken steps to
ensure Betty will not be asked to take any more parcels, fitting one of its smart ring doorbells to her property. Recently, Esther Rantzen called
for delivery firms to devise a code of conduct to prevent residents from being harassed over parcels. She said: “It would be right to
create a code of conduct that ensured that if elderly people do not want to take in parcels for their neighbours, they do not have to feel obliged to do so.”
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