Catherine Cain qualified as a solicitor in December 2025, following successful completion of her training and Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE) after joining Switalskis in January 2022. Catherine’s practice includes all private family law areas including divorce, financial remedy, childcare, cohabitation and domestic abuse related matters, but she has a particular interest in Children Act cases due to a background in volunteering and working with children and in having thoroughly enjoyed her seat in Switalskis’ Childcare department.
What was your career path to your current role?
I received a First Class LLB Degree in Law from the University of Nottingham in August 2021. I began working as a Paralegal in Switalskis Family Law team in January 2022, following a short stint teaching children with special educational needs.
I commenced my SQE in Spring 2023 and finished in Summer 2025, passing both exams on the first attempt and in the top quintile. I completed a short seat in our Childcare team in 2025 and qualified as a solicitor in December 2025, returning to work in the Private Family team.
Did you have any other career ambitions?
I considered a career in teaching, following in the footsteps of my mother and grandparents. However, with my A-Level choices and grades, I was asked to think about undertaking a law degree, to open more doors. I have indeed completed my degree and now qualified as a lawyer, and I aim to continue to progress in this career. Other ambitions include continuing to work with charities, both in a voluntary role and perhaps in the future as an advisory role too.
What keeps you motivated in your work?
Without sounding cliché, I find my work rewarding and fulfilling, because I enjoy helping people to get through what is often one of the most difficult periods of their lives. Many clients need someone to listen to them, to reassure them and to advocate for them, and it is a privilege to be that for someone. Outside of work, I find that reading, travelling and spending time with family and friends helps me to unwind and come back to work feeling refreshed.
What has been the best development in family law in the last 20 years?
The introduction of ‘no fault divorce’ in 2022 has been an incredible and long overdue development in family law. The notion that people could be forced to remain married to each other because their marriage was not deemed ‘bad’ enough to the court to be divorced was completely unfair and antiquated.
And the worst?
Decades of underfunding the justice system has created a significant backlog of cases going through court proceedings. Some clients are waiting 3-4 months for a first hearing, and even longer for interim and final hearings. This means that, even in fairly straightforward cases, timescales of 1, 2, 3+ years are completely normal. These sorts of timeframes result in people being unable to move on with their lives and this causes anger, stress, anxiety and depression. This cannot continue.
If you could bring in one new piece of legislation for the sector, what would it be and why?
More transparency of children in private law and care proceedings. Judges should see photos of the child, know their interests, perhaps have spoken to them via letter or video call in some cases, before making final decisions about where they should live. Far too often, decisions are made on a one-size-fits-all basis instead of considering a child’s individual wants, hopes and needs. This does however come about as a result of the point above- that the courts are underfunded and judges currently do not have the time or capacity to get to know every individual child in each case.
What piece of legislation would you take off the statute books and why?
Not legislation, but the government intend to remove the statutory presumption in favour of contact and this is, overall, a welcome reform.
What’s the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you regarding your career?
‘Don’t let anyone dull your shine, stay sparkly’ – a reimagination of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic quote which was my high school year book quote and a mantra I try to live by!
What advice would you like to give to someone just starting out?
The SQE will take over your life- appreciate this and make sure you have a good support network around you to get you through the hard times. I couldn’t have done it without them.
Tell us something people may be surprised to know about you…
In 2024, I had a 7 month sabbatical where I travelled around South and Central America. The highlights included: Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; trekking to Machu Picchu without a guide or a map; climbing Mount Fitz Roy in Patagonia (the mountain from the Patagonia brand logo), visiting the southernmost city in the world- Ushuaia in Argentina; holding a wild sloth in the Amazon rainforest, and ziplining in Costa Rica! I love travel and I am currently teaching myself Spanish!
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