Lesley Powell

Lesley is an Senior Associate Solicitor in the Family Team and has a wide-ranging practice. This includes advising on divorce and resolution of financial matters on breakup of a relationship, including children issues, post and pre-nuptial agreements and domestic violence issues.

As a member of Resolution and Accredited with the Law Society Lesley is a dedicated family law specialist who believes that separating couples should try to resolve the issues between them as amicably as possible, particularly where there are children. She is a trained Collaborative Lawyer and takes a collaborative approach when dealing with relationship breakdown to advise and assist her clients through this difficult time.

Lesley also advises and represents parents, children, extended family members and children’s Guardians in all types of public law proceedings. These include proceedings where the Local Authority has applied for Emergency Protection Orders, Supervision and Care Orders, as well as where parents have made an application for contact with children in care or a family member has made an application to be a Special Guardian. Lesley will also advise and assist in the pre proceedings process where the Local Authority are considering taking Court action.

Lesley is a member of the Law Society Children Panel.

Lesley joined Battens in 2015 after starting her legal career in the Court Service before moving into private practice which included working for a well known south west law firm. She therefore brings a wealth of experience to the family team. She is proactive in working with her clients to achieve results.

Notable cases:

• Successfully representing foster cares on an application to adopt an Afghan child where matters had to be expedited due to the need to have an Order made prior to his 16^th birthday
• Obtaining an Order discharging a father’s parental responsibility where the father was deemed to be a significant risk to the child
• Acting for a father who was able to become drug free and have his child returned to his full-time care
• Successfully negotiating a financial settlement and concluding divorced proceedings for a wife who had instructed previous solicitors without moving matters forward
• At a Final Hearing in Financial Remedy Proceedings in a case valued in excess of £2milion successfully defending a claim by the Wife that the Husband, our client, should pay her litigation costs
• Parties in their 60s after a long marriage: Obtaining a Pension Sharing Order for a Wife in circumstances where the Husband was vehemently opposed to the same, achieving a fair split of all assets of the marriage enabling the client to purchase a home mortgage free and support herself financially