Wealth & Finance International - Business Awards 2016

Business Awards 2016 22 Best Family & Divorce Law Firm 2016 - UK Lloyd Platt & Co is one of the UK’s leading firms of family, divorce and criminal solicitors. We caught up with Proprietor Vanessa Lloyd Platt to learn more about the services the firm provides. Company: Lloyd Platt & Co Ltd. Address: Third Floor, Elscot House, Arcadia Avenue, London, N3 2JU, DX 57274 Finchley 2 Phone: 020 8343 2998 Fax: +44 (0) 208 343 4950 Email: [email protected] Website: www.divorcesolicitors.com Established in 1992, Lloyd Platt & Co offers a wide range of services in the divorce and matrimonial law practice areas, as well as white collar crime. As one of the country’s leading divorce law specialists and a freelance journalist Vanessa has been called upon to provide her expert opinion on a number of high profile divorce cases, including the Paul and Heather McCartney case, as well as commentating on the latest industry developments for media outlets around the world. As such it is imperative that she remains at the forefront of the latest changes in the market, which also helps Lloyd Platt & Co to offer the most creative services to clients. Vanessa explains how the firm, which prides itself on offering innovative and unique divorce solutions to meet client’s ever changing needs, stays one step ahead of the latest industry evolutions. “Here at Lloyd Platt & Co we take great pride in our innovative divorce solutions, which include being the first firm to offer ‘Divorce Vouchers’ for Christmas. These unique gifts allow friends and family to support those going through a divorce by paying part of the cost in the form of a gift voucher similar to those offered by many high street chains. “More recently we have just worked closely with the Blue Cross animal charity to create the industry’s first pet pre-nuptial agreement, which ensures that spouses looking to buy a pet together can safe guard to welfare of the animal should their relationship fail, as well as enabling those who already have a pet to ensure that it remains in their possession should their marriage break up. Pre and post-nuptial agreements are a core staple of our work and have become increasingly popular in recent years.” Mediation is also a cornerstone of the firm’s service offering, which helps to ensure an amicable arrangement, particularly where children are concerned, which Vanessa is particularly proud of. “Offering a mediation service helps to reduce conflict and ease the path towards a mutually fulfilling arrangement. One key issue we notice increasingly is divorced partners with children trying to cut out one or both sets of grandparents, who are often the most unsupported party in any divorce case, and as such we work hard to ensure that everyone involved with the child’s wellbeing is supported and allowed equal access.” Moving forward, one key trend which Vanessa believes will only get bigger and more relevant is the rise in ‘Silver Splitters’; clients getting divorced in their 50s and over. As such this poses a challenge for their children, who are often relying on their parents to support them financially due to the rise in house prices, as Vanessa is eager to emphasise. “Looking to the future our focus will be firmly on raising awareness of the impact which the rising age of divorcees will have on their children and grandchildren, as they are often financially dependent. This will affect the housing, private school and luxury goods markets, as many younger people will be unable to afford these expenditures without support from their parents, who are increasingly focusing on using their money to fund their own lifestyles rather than supporting the younger generations. “Another area which we are keen to raise awareness on is the shift in recent years away from lifetime maintenance for divorced couples. Women are now expected to work longer and take less compensation from their former husbands, and as such we are working to raise awareness to our clients, both men and women, on how this new development can affect them.” BU160008