Christmas wishes and reflections on 2023
18 December 2023
Thank you and Merry Christmas
As we approach the end of the year and think ahead to the Christmas break, it is often a time for reflection. First and foremost, we wish all our colleagues, clients, partners and friends a wonderful Christmas and every best wish for 2024. We hope you can relax and enjoy some good cheer over the festive period.
Thank you for working with or supporting Edward Cooke Family Law this year, we have been delighted to have had such a positive impact across a diverse range of cases this year, helping our clients navigate their changing circumstances in the most constructive way possible.
Our offices will be closed from noon Friday 22 December and will reopen at 9am on Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Making a difference this Christmas
We were proud to learn of the significant impact the £7,000 raised from our charity event this summer had for Opora, a charity supporting Ukrainians to rebuild their lives sustainably in the UK. The money enabled them to fund a mental health project co-ordinator as well as build a comprehensive resource page on their website.
We have donated to Opora again this Christmas in lieu of sending Christmas cards and gifts. We know their work is having a huge impact and we want to help them extend this further with our continued support.
Reflections on 2023
We have been reflecting on what has been a truly memorable year at Edward Cooke Family Law, and wanted to share a few of our highlights with you. All of these are testament to our wonderful team who work so diligently for our clients whilst maintaining a supportive, positive workplace. There are many reasons to feel proud, so we hope you don’t mind us taking a moment to share some of our successes. Thank you for being part of them.
Charity and Community
Charity and community support has always been important to us. This year, through money we raised or from direct sponsorship we are proud to have supported Opora, International Rescue Committee, St Wilfrid’s Hospice, V2 Radios’ Back to School Campaign, Petworth Festival, Festival of Chichester and Grayshott Cricket Club.
We have also launched a new community page on our website to share more on who we support and how. Do take a look.
Team and Business Success
We celebrated our fifth birthday this year with a team away day and also with new initiatives including our one couple, one lawyer service, Consensus and the launch of a new website with videos, guides and other useful content.
We welcomed three new specialist family lawyers to the team in 2023 and have a new colleague joining our support team in January, followed by an additional family lawyer joining us in February.
The firm and individuals have been recognised at a national level. Edward won Family Law Partner of the Year at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards 2023 and was shortlisted for Resolution’s ‘The Children’s Champion Award’. The firm are finalists in three awards in the British Family Law Awards to be held in January 2024, including: Family Mediator of the Year (Edward Cooke), Boutique Law Firm of the Year and Best Place to Work.
The firm and several team members – Edward, Michelle, Lauren and Victoria - were recognised in Chambers and Legal 500. Edward has further enhanced his ranking in Chambers, as he is now ranked in band 1 of Family Lawyers in the South as well as in the mediation (ADR) rankings.
Industry Involvement and Recognition
Resolution invited Edward to join a two-part podcast, ‘In Conversation with Sir James Munby’, a thought-provoking discussion flagging issues in the family justice system affecting separating parents. Edward was also invited to speak at the 10th annual Johannesburg Family Law Conference on developments in family dispute resolution in the UK.
Michelle was elected as Chichester and District Law Society President and raised significant sums at the quiz night she organised.
Lauren appeared on ITV Meridian News, talking about changes to the law around children conceived through donation and co-wrote an article for The Review on relationship breakdown and immigration status.
We were involved in national events including National Surrogacy Week, Resolution Awareness Week and Family Mediation Week. We also supported the launch of Family Solutions Group report ‘A Child’s Right to Matter’ at the Houses of Parliament and sponsored the ‘Chichester Healing Classrooms’ conference with the International Rescue Committee.
With thanks to our wonderful team for making all this incredible activity happen in addition to our work with clients.
Merry Christmas from all at Edward Cooke Family Law.
