Pictured above: New Associate for Challinors family team: Pramila Meghani with the firm's chief executive Andy Hodges

The former head of the family team at Nottingham law firm Fraser Brown, Pramila Meghani, has joined Midlands law firm Challinors to lead its ambitious development plans for its family law team in the East Midlands.

Pramila joins Challinors as an Associate, after 20 years with Fraser Brown, where she was head of the family team and a Partner for 18 years.

At Challinors, she rejoins Fraser Brown's former chief Andy Hodges, Challinors' chief executive since 2007, and corporate Partner Jeremy Hale, who was with Fraser Brown for 13 years, including as a Partner in the commercial litigation department.

As a trained and practising Family mediator since 1995, and member of Resolution, the national organisation of family lawyers committed to non-confrontational divorce, separation and other family problems, Pramila is to focus on developing a family law service with an emphasis on general private client, financial and mediation matters. She will operate from each of Challinors' Midlands network of offices, that includes Nottingham, Birmingham and West Bromwich. 

Of joining the firm, Pramila comments: "I am looking forward to the new challenge with Challinors, establishing the family law practice in Nottingham and across the East Midlands and nurturing its growth, as well as once again working with former colleagues at Fraser Brown."

She adds: "I am passionate about assisting clients, during what is very often the most difficult and changing period in their lives, so that the right solution is found for the individual and their family. This can often be achieved by working collaboratively, or by working as a mediator, so that I can help find and achieve the very best outcome. Where necessary, I will of course vigorously present the case through the courts as well. Each client has a unique need and thanks to my extensive experience in the specialist area of family law, I am very often able to meet these needs."

Pramila boosts Challinors' Midlands-wide family team, which includes its dedicated Child Care team, to 32, including 21 fee earners, covering all family issues, from representing high net worth clients to complex child care work. The team is led by Partner Fiona O'Sullivan, based in Birmingham. Challinors has seven members of its Child Care Team on the Law Society Children's Panel, including Claire Butterfield and Ravi Gakhal, who have recently been accepted onto the Panel.

Challinors' Andy Hodges adds: "With the changes to Legal Aid introduced in April, requiring divorcing couples to consider mediation before issuing court proceedings, Pramila's family mediation experience and training will enhance and strengthen our team's existing mediation skills and make a relevant addition to our family law and child care services."

Challinors provides a complete legal service for businesses and individuals, with core service legal teams in the East Midlands including dedicated Civil and Contract, Corporate Finance, Employment and Criminal specialists.

The firm has offices in Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Halesowen and Nottingham. Challinors has 22 partners and over 100 fee earners, and is ranked as one of the top legal firms in the West Midlands - The firm's Family Law team received top tier, Band 1 ranking in the latest, 2010, Legal 500 Directory and is ranked in Band 2 of the Chambers UK Directory. The firm is Number 1 in the Chambers UK Directory in a number of categories, including Fraud, Business Defence, and Clinical Negligence.