Yael Selig is a partner and head of the Hampstead office at Osbornes Law. She has more than 30 years’ experience in the sector and is skilled in all aspects of family law with particular expertise in handling complex financial disputes and children arrangements. Yael is a qualified mediator and collaborative lawyer. She is also a native Spanish speaker and regularly advises on cross-border issues, including in Gibraltar where she is from.
What was your career path to your current role?
I come from a family of lawyers, so it was no surprise when I chose to pursue the same career and I knew from day one that I wanted to do family law.
I was called to the Bar initially, first in England and Wales and then Gibraltar where I am from, but I decided I was more suited to being a solicitor. Don’t get me wrong, I could more than hold my own in court, but I found I preferred connecting with people – I am just as fierce an advocate for my clients now. One even nicknamed me “The Rottweiler!”
I went to university with Mark Freedman who was at Osbornes Law and persuaded me to join him. It’s the best move I’ve ever made.
What keeps you motivated in your work?
It sounds corny, but it’s the clients. They’re often very vulnerable when they come to us, for example, they may be trapped in an unhealthy or abusive relationship. Two that spring to mind are a new mum who needed help to get away from her coercive, controlling partner and also a terminally ill client whose wife was intent on pursuing divorce proceedings despite his prognosis.
There’s a responsibility that comes with acting for them and it’s not one that I take lightly. If something happens over the weekend and a client is clearly distressed, it’s not the kind of thing you can put off until Monday so that often means working long hours and weekends.
There’s still this perception that lawyers are simply in it for the money, but it’s not an easy job and I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t passionate about it.
If you could bring in one new piece of legislation for the sector, what would it be and why?
I would level the playing field for cohabitees and give them the same rights as married couples. The law is outdated and unfair in this regard, and I think most family lawyers would agree.
Reform has been on the cards for a while and I do believe it will happen eventually, but it can’t come soon enough. Marriage rates continue to fall while the number of cohabitees is at an all-time high, yet still most people don’t realise they have very little protection if the relationship turns sour and it’s awful when you’re the one that has to break it to them.
What advice would you like to give to someone just starting out?
Family law isn’t for everyone and it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted so make sure that it’s right for you. It can be stressful, but it is rewarding at the same time. You are dealing with people at a terrible time in their lives and it’s your job to listen and help them through it, so you need to be empathetic but also resilient.
I would definitely say attention to detail is key. If you make a mistake on a financial or a children’s order then that’s set in stone, you cannot go back. Being the type of person who works well under pressure is also important as you are often working to tight court deadlines.
It can be full on, but it’s also incredibly rewarding when a client’s world is shattered and you have helped to put it back together. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
If you’d like to appear in a future profile, email press@todaysfamilylawyer.co.uk with ‘Profile’ in the subject line.
