WSP Solicitors launches outreach service to support Forest of Dean families

 Leading Gloucestershire-based law firm WSP Solicitors has announced the launch of a new family law service to provide rural outreach and legal aid support to Forest of Dean residents.

According to Gloucestershire County Council data the county has a significantly larger rural population than the national average, with 28% of the people living in rural communities compared to just 17% across the rest of the country.

Highlighting the need to bring specialist professional services closer to where people live, WSP Solicitors has seen a 62% increase in new cases over the last year from those living in postcodes outside of the region’s major cities and towns, such as Gloucester and Stroud.

The new service will improve rural residents’ access to specialist family law support, offering legal aid assistance for those who qualify, across care proceedings, social services involvement, child arrangements, domestic abuse, special guardianship advice and adoption cases.

Fixed-fee legal advice will also be made available for people facing divorce, separation, and cohabitation disputes.

Senior Associate Lydia Andrews, who is heading up the new family law service, said: “Gloucestershire is a largely rural county and accessing professional family law advice or wider support is not always straightforward. For instance, there are currently no law firms in the Forest of Dean offering legal aid to residents and people are having to travel to find this support.

“By having a stronger footing in the local area, providing access to legal aid support to those who are eligible and with fixed fees and pay-as-you-go on some of our services, we hope to remove the barriers that can prevent people from seeking early legal advice.”

The firm has also seen an increase in cases involving neurodivergent clients, as well as victims of domestic abuse, and those with learning difficulties, struggle with addiction, or their mental health.

Andrews added: “Our highly-trained and experienced team use a trauma-informed and neurodiversity-informed approach to support our clients throughout. With more vulnerable and neurodivergent clients coming to us for help, we recognise that legal support cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether that means using everyday language, adapting how we communicate, or meeting them in a space that is more familiar to them, we tailor our service around each client’s needs.

“When someone is facing issues around separation, child arrangements, care proceedings or sensitive cases involving domestic abuse, being able to speak to someone locally and in a safe environment can make a real difference.” 

Forest of Dean residents will also have access to the firm’s wider legal expertise which includes residential conveyancing, Wills, Trusts and Probate, and advice for business owners on commercial property transactions and contracts. 

Access to the new family law service will be available by appointment at Vantage Point Business Village, Mitcheldean, Gloucester, GL17 0DD.