Family law expert Justin Creed joins as Director

Lodders’ top-ranking Family Law team has appointed family law expert Justin Creed as legal director.

Justin has exclusively practised family law since 2003, focusing on the resolution of financial affairs and settlements for separating couples. A partner at Wright Hassall since 2006, he joins Lodders after almost ten years as head of the Leamington firm’s family law team.

Lodders’ Birmingham-based family law team, led by Beverley Morris, is consistently recognised for its experience and expertise across the spectrum of family law, placed Band 1 in Chambers & Partners and Tier 1 by the Legal 500.

Of his move to Lodders, Justin – a trained collaborative lawyer, member of Resolution and the Coventry and Warwickshire Collaborative Lawyers pod – says: “Lodders’ family law team is the first choice for discerning clients seeking dependable, discreet legal advice and support, particularly financial remedy work.

“I am looking forward to working with Beverley and the team, utilising my experience and passion in resolving family money issues, assisting clients to reach a settlement with their spouse on separation, and maintaining my collaborative work for non-court-based resolution.

“Lodders is an ambitious and progressive firm, with an excellent reputation for its high quality of advice and work. This new role delivers the opportunity to make full use of my family law experience, and return to Birmingham where I began my career in law in 1992.”

Financial remedy

Beverley Morris adds: “Justin and I have known each for over 20 years, and I am pleased to welcome him to the team. He has a wealth of experience in family law, and a particular strength in financial remedy work, which complements the work already undertaken by me and Caroline Dresden.

“The team provides advice on all aspects of family law, is widely recognised for its advice over the division of matrimonial assets for high-end financial remedy work, and its strength in issues relating to children, including those with an international element. I am looking forward to the ongoing progression of Lodders in these times when family law continues to make headlines, both for the concern at London being labelled the divorce capital of the world, and the continuing trend of ‘forum shopping’ for the purposes of divorce.”

Mediation

Justin adds: “The legal sector has been through a number of changes in recent times. There has been the implementation of the new no-fault divorce law in April, the Statement of Efficient practice in family cases published in January which controls court proceedings, and the move to more remote hearings. As a result, alternative dispute resolution processes such as arbitration, mediation and collaborative law will be used more and more, as the courts grapple with the backlog created by the pandemic, and likely use these processes to keep the number of cases reaching courts to a minimum.”

Image (left to right): Beverley Morris, head of Lodders’ family law team, with newly appointed Legal Director, Justin Creed.