You don't need to live in Cornwall to be able to take advantage of a quality service at competitive rates! Family Law in Cornwall is the specialist family law practice of Robert Waddell who is a solicitor in Cornwall. He has been in the legal profession and dealing with family law for over 30 years. He has been a Resolution Accredited Specialist, remains a committed member of Resolution and is a Mediator and was a member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal Scheme for eighteen years.
Please note that what is set out on these pages is a broad statement only, sometimes a personal opinion, and is not intended to be a definitive statement of the law which is always changing and that is why it is important to take specialist advice as soon as an issue arises.
I regret that due to pressure of work and number of new enquiries throughtout the summer I am not in a position to take on any new clients at present, particularly not if urgent work is needed, as that would not be fair to them or to existing clients.
Please note that what is set out on these pages is a broad statement only, sometimes a personal opinion, and is not intended to be a definitive statement of the law which is always changing and that is why it is important to take specialist advice as soon as an issue arises.
I regret that due to pressure of work and number of new enquiries throughtout the summer I am not in a position to take on any new clients at present, particularly not if urgent work is needed, as that would not be fair to them or to existing clients.
Services
On these few pages we have highlighted some of the issues which can arise where couples are thinking of getting together or separating and problems that can arise with children.
We have set out the various ways in which you may contact us so please feel free to do so for an informal discussion on how we may help and how much it may cost or to arrange a meeting.
I am able to offer a link to the Family Law Lab pathway called Engage which helps gather relevant information to provide a factual background to be to be able to give advice.
We have set out the various ways in which you may contact us so please feel free to do so for an informal discussion on how we may help and how much it may cost or to arrange a meeting.
I am able to offer a link to the Family Law Lab pathway called Engage which helps gather relevant information to provide a factual background to be to be able to give advice.
Robert Waddell is a solicitor of wide experience having started his legal career with the Principal Registry of the Family Division in London, worked for a legal aid firm in Islington before exploring the lives of barristers by becoming Senior Clerk at a well known family set of chambers in Inner Temple.
He returned to qualify as a solicitor at the prestigious Bedford Row firm Simmonds Church Rackham before moving to Cornwall in 1988.
Here he joined Graham & Graham becoming a partner in 1989 and, in 2001, Senior Partner whereupon he steered the firm through Lexcel and Investors in People accreditation, the first firm in St Austell to acquire both.
He returned to qualify as a solicitor at the prestigious Bedford Row firm Simmonds Church Rackham before moving to Cornwall in 1988.
Here he joined Graham & Graham becoming a partner in 1989 and, in 2001, Senior Partner whereupon he steered the firm through Lexcel and Investors in People accreditation, the first firm in St Austell to acquire both.
Most aspects relating to children upon divorce or breakdown of a relationship and also care proceedings are governed by the Children Act 1989 as amended and supplemented by other statutes.
Under the Children Act 1989 the interests of the child are paramount and there is a welfare checklist set out for the Court to consider in exercising its powers.
The Court will not make any order unless it is positively in the child's interests to do so.
The law on children changed lmost six years ago now and emphasises the importance of children having an ongoing relationship with both of their parents following family separation, when it is in the child's interests and is safe and secure.
Under the Children Act 1989 the interests of the child are paramount and there is a welfare checklist set out for the Court to consider in exercising its powers.
The Court will not make any order unless it is positively in the child's interests to do so.
The law on children changed lmost six years ago now and emphasises the importance of children having an ongoing relationship with both of their parents following family separation, when it is in the child's interests and is safe and secure.
Divorce is the process leading to the legal ending of your marriage.
Dissolution is referred to in reference to ending a Civil Partnership.
The only ground for divorce is that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.
To prove this you have to rely upon one or more of five facts as no-fault divorce is not yet with us.
The other party has behaved in such a way you cannot reasonably be expected to live with them ('unreasonable behaviour').
The other party has deserted you and you have lived apart for a continuous period of at least two years.
Dissolution is referred to in reference to ending a Civil Partnership.
The only ground for divorce is that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.
To prove this you have to rely upon one or more of five facts as no-fault divorce is not yet with us.
The other party has behaved in such a way you cannot reasonably be expected to live with them ('unreasonable behaviour').
The other party has deserted you and you have lived apart for a continuous period of at least two years.
A complex subject.
In divorce proceedings financial issues are generally known as Ancillary Relief (now formally called Financial Remedy Proceedings or applications) where the Court has some statutory guidelines on factors to consider.
Despite some well publicised cases there is no hard and fast rule that assets will be divided equally.
Indeed the overriding message from the Courts is one of fairness.
Of course, what one person feels is fair is not what another sees as being that and you can be sure that if they leave it to a judge to decide neither will feel happy with what the judge considers fair, particularly not after incurring heavy legal bills and reducing what assets there were.
In divorce proceedings financial issues are generally known as Ancillary Relief (now formally called Financial Remedy Proceedings or applications) where the Court has some statutory guidelines on factors to consider.
Despite some well publicised cases there is no hard and fast rule that assets will be divided equally.
Indeed the overriding message from the Courts is one of fairness.
Of course, what one person feels is fair is not what another sees as being that and you can be sure that if they leave it to a judge to decide neither will feel happy with what the judge considers fair, particularly not after incurring heavy legal bills and reducing what assets there were.
Reviews (1)
Courtney
Feb 23, 2025
Report
Believed A fraudulent man. Conned an elderly family member out of alot of money , this solicitor was working as a single person with his wife taking phone calls at home from clients, repeated requests were made in forms of unoffical letters that appeared offical to an elderly relative demanding power of attoney over her, the relative was of in health and of clairtity and refused , we have evidence to believe this solicitor was working alongside fraudulent con artists who were all attempting to obtain our elderly relatives home and finances , as paperwork had be drawn up by this solicitor we believe to encorage and demand that our elderly relative sell her house for a 1 to a stranger. Upon the advice of this solicitor he encouraged her that it was ok and above board to do so ,obviously this was a con and our elderly relative had been subject to grooming techniques we duscovered later on when the police luckily interviened and informed us her family , what had been occuring and made us aware of the fraud .
This solicitor also was involved in a case regarding the same elderly relatives daughter where the grandson of our elderly relative had been taken illigally from the daughter while the daughter had suddenly become very ill and hospitslised unexpectedly with migraine and sickness symptoms and had been rushed to hospitial, during this sudden emergency the grandmother arranged to pick up her grandson yet he was illigally taken by social services while the mother was unaware in hospital unconcious, this solicitor purposely we believe misadvised and mis represented the grandmother which led to the break up of the family and the loss of the child, this wad unfirgivable yet this solicitor we believe used this emergency situation to orchestra the situation towards his favor and the favor of the criminals he was working with to attempt to obtain financial abundance and property from the grandmother and her direct family by attempting to erradicate the family members who stood to inherit in the family in any way possible . This is manipulation of the law, coearsion, abuse of the law and his posistion as a solicitor, fraud and goodness knows what else, the family has suffered ever since and has endured substansial losses due to this mans fraudulent intensions. Luckily other family members had suspicions of this solicitor and his involvement and strange interest in the family and strange interactions with our elderly relative and realised something fishy was occuring and unprofessional, evidence was being collected where possible against him and written records kept on his interactions with the family, police reported paperwork requesting our elderly relative sell her house for 1 was obtained and believed to of originated from this solicitor. Investigations are still on going in to this situation as the elderly relative mentioned here suddenly went missing for 6 months afew years after this situation believed abducted and was held against her will, her property was broken in to at this same period of time and robbed of everything including a family safe abd all paperwork , all solicitors paperwork and all paperwork relating to her grandson and the property. Our elderly relative was later discovered deceased under unusual circumstances at a hospitial 6 months later after being abducted, fraud had occured. We believe this soilicitor had involvement and that what had occured was organised crime , money laundering and this distroyed our family who they had attempted to wipe out to financially gain , our family was targeted . Others need to be warned or encouraged to come forward regarding any circumstances that their familys may of endured at the hands of this solicitor who we believe distroyed our family.
This solicitor also was involved in a case regarding the same elderly relatives daughter where the grandson of our elderly relative had been taken illigally from the daughter while the daughter had suddenly become very ill and hospitslised unexpectedly with migraine and sickness symptoms and had been rushed to hospitial, during this sudden emergency the grandmother arranged to pick up her grandson yet he was illigally taken by social services while the mother was unaware in hospital unconcious, this solicitor purposely we believe misadvised and mis represented the grandmother which led to the break up of the family and the loss of the child, this wad unfirgivable yet this solicitor we believe used this emergency situation to orchestra the situation towards his favor and the favor of the criminals he was working with to attempt to obtain financial abundance and property from the grandmother and her direct family by attempting to erradicate the family members who stood to inherit in the family in any way possible . This is manipulation of the law, coearsion, abuse of the law and his posistion as a solicitor, fraud and goodness knows what else, the family has suffered ever since and has endured substansial losses due to this mans fraudulent intensions. Luckily other family members had suspicions of this solicitor and his involvement and strange interest in the family and strange interactions with our elderly relative and realised something fishy was occuring and unprofessional, evidence was being collected where possible against him and written records kept on his interactions with the family, police reported paperwork requesting our elderly relative sell her house for 1 was obtained and believed to of originated from this solicitor. Investigations are still on going in to this situation as the elderly relative mentioned here suddenly went missing for 6 months afew years after this situation believed abducted and was held against her will, her property was broken in to at this same period of time and robbed of everything including a family safe abd all paperwork , all solicitors paperwork and all paperwork relating to her grandson and the property. Our elderly relative was later discovered deceased under unusual circumstances at a hospitial 6 months later after being abducted, fraud had occured. We believe this soilicitor had involvement and that what had occured was organised crime , money laundering and this distroyed our family who they had attempted to wipe out to financially gain , our family was targeted . Others need to be warned or encouraged to come forward regarding any circumstances that their familys may of endured at the hands of this solicitor who we believe distroyed our family.
