Pictured: Claire Butterfield
Claire Butterfield of Midlands law firm Challinors has been
appointed to The Law Society's Accredited Children's Panel.
Claire's appointment brings the number of employees at
Challinors to have been awarded a place on the Children's Panel to
five, placing the firm as one of only a handful in the Midlands
with five or more employees who are panel members.
A Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives (FILEX), Claire is
an Associate in Challinors' 32-strong Midlands-wide family team,
operating across its region-wide network of offices in Birmingham,
Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Halesowen, Nottingham and
Loughborough. Of the 7000 registered Fellows of ILEX, Claire is one
of just seventy to attain Advocacy qualification and status in the
country.
Partner and Head of Challinors' West Bromwich office where
Claire is based, Ghulam Sohail, comments: "Claire Butterfield's
excellence in the complicated and ever demanding practice area of
child care has been rewarded by her recent appointment to the Law
Society's Accredited Panel of Child Care Lawyers.
"Claire was the first FILEX to be promoted to the position of
Associate at Challinors and by virtue of her Panel appointment is
now in a minority of one percent of FILEX's to attain advocacy
qualification, and able to individually represent the interests of
children in court in what is seen as one of the most difficult
practice areas of the law. We are well aware of the high regard in
which Claire is held by Judges and other lawyers and Guardians who
meet with her daily in the courts."
Challinors other Law Society Children Panel members are Fiona
Bowen, Associate Solicitor, Angela Houston, Associate Solicitor,
John Chapple, Solicitor, Ravi Gakhal, and Associate and Head of
Challinors in the East Midlands, Pramila Meghani.
Pramila is also a trained and practising family mediator, a
member of Resolution, the national organisation of family lawyers
committed to non-confrontational divorce, separation and resolving
other family issues, and a member of the Advanced Family Panel.
She is also a trained collaborative lawyer having worked
collaboratively on several cases.
According to the Law Society, membership of the Children's Panel
is a demonstration of the appropriate level of skills and knowledge
to undertake work for clients requiring legal representation over a
matter related to a child. Approval as a Panel member means
individuals have been verified and their accomplishment is
recognised by the Law Society. Before being considered for the
Panel, solicitors must be three years qualified and an ILEX must
undertake additional Advocacy training.
Children Representatives on the Law Society's Panel work in
private practice and act for children in all proceedings under the
Children Act 1989, the Adoption Act 1976, and the Adoption and
Children Act 2002. They can also represent parents, grandparents
and other adult parties in public law proceedings.
Challinors' Midlands' family team includes its dedicated Child
Care team comprised of 21 fee earners, covering all family issues,
from representing high net worth clients to complex child care
work.
Challinors has offices in Birmingham, West Bromwich,
Wolverhampton, Halesowen and Nottingham. It has 18 partners and
over 100 fee earners, and is ranked as one of the top legal firms
in the West Midlands. The firm is Number 1 in the Chambers UK
Directory in a number of categories, including Crime and Clinical
Negligence. 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.