A West Midlands firm has introduced a fixed-fee pathway for fathers navigating child arrangements on separation or divorce.
The service from Higgs LLP brings together legal advice, mediation and, where needed, access to specialist representation in court, with the aim of giving fathers a clearer understanding of their options and likely costs from the outset.
Richard Westley, a child law specialist in the Family Law team at Higgs LLP, said he is highlighting the struggle or uncertainty that many fathers have when it comes to child arrangements whilst also offering a supportive and clear pathway to resolution.
He explained: “As many as four in 10 fathers lose regular contact altogether with their child or children on separation or divorce, and despite changing family dynamics, many fathers still feel they are starting from a position of disadvantage.
“Many fathers are unaware of their rights, or that parental responsibility is not automatic in every cases. That’s a worrying statistic. The number of lone fathers is increasing (around 17% of single-parent families) while the majority of children still primarily live with their mother.
“This lack of understanding of their options means that by the time they come to me for legal support, the situation has already escalated and there’s much uncertainty around outcomes, procedure and costs and, where to even start.
“Traditionally, navigating separation involves multiple steps, often without cost visibility and realistic expectations on the possible outcomes. That’s precisely why we’re offering fathers the chance to get legal advice, or mediation at a fixed cost.”
The fixed-price packages start at £840 for mediation and £2,500 for legal representation.
There are an estimated 3.8 million children with separated or separating parents in the UK. At the same time, demand on the family courts is rising, with over 38,000 private law children’s cases recorded between April 2025 and February this year. In just one quarter of 2025, 65,709 new cases were started in family courts, including child arrangement disputes.
