Legal Rights for Unmarried Couples

Andrea is a Senior Associate Solicitor in the Family Law Department. She qualified as a Solicitor in 1990 after reading law at Nottingham Trent University. She has worked as a Family Law Solicitor in Surrey, Hampshire and London and joined Hart Brown in 2025.

Her practice involves advising on all aspects of family law and in particular, the financial aspects of divorce with a particular interest in cases involving capital gains tax and pension sharing. She also has extensive experience in negotiating and litigating financial settlements within a family breakdown situation. Her work includes advising family law clients in relation to financial matters to enable them to reach a negotiated settlement.

Andrea has a particular interest in cases involving family owned properties, inherited wealth, as well as businesses and pensions. She has extensive experience in representing clients from all areas of the community. She also deals with matters in relation to pre-nuptial agreements, deeds of separation and agreements in relation to cohabitation.

Andrea also assists clients in relation to children matters, particularly in relation to child arrangements within applications under the Children Act 1989. She has extensive experience in representing parents and wider family relatives and has considerable experience in acting in relation to issues of child protection and relocation of children abroad. She is aware of the sensitivity and extensive needs of children within a family breakdown situation. She has a particular concern for children with special educational needs.

Andrea frequently interacts with CAFCASS. CAFCASS is the department of the Family Court Service that undertakes child safeguarding assessments in children court cases. CAFCASS also represents children in complex cases.

Andrea has had extensive experience throughout her career in relation to the protection of clients where there has been a difficulty with domestic abuse. Such abuse can include coercive and controlling conduct by one family member against another including financial misconduct. Andrea can assist clients in relation to obtaining protective injunctions, such as non-molestation and occupation orders or financial freezing orders under S37 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, as well as signposting clients to obtain wider help within the community for practical support.

Andrea has been a member of Resolution for over 30 years. Resolution is the national organisation for family lawyers and other professionals involved within the resolution of family disputes. She is committed to the Resolution Code of Practice. Andrea is an experienced advocate within all areas of family law. Andrea has previously served on the committees for Surrey Resolution.

Andrea’s aim is to advise her family law clients carefully in relation to the variety of options that they have open to them in a relationship breakdown situation. She emphasizes the importance of collaborative and constructive communications with other family lawyers within our surrounding legal community.

Andrea is very much aware of the financial challenges and concerns for family law clients of all ages going through a relationship breakdown. She aims to provide legal and practical advice and representation that enables her clients to move forward in their lives as effectively and carefully as can be achieved.

Dimple is a Senior Associate Solicitor in the family law department. She qualified as a solicitor in 2007 after reading law at City University and has worked as a family solicitor in both Surrey and London. She joined Hart Brown in 2022.

Her practice involves advising on all aspects of family law and in particular the financial aspects of divorce and dissolution of civil partnership. She has extensive experience in negotiating financial settlements and advises clients with substantial assets including family businesses, pensions, trusts, foreign assets and inherited wealth as well as clients with more modest income and assets. She also deals with the variation and enforcement of existing financial orders.

Dimple assists clients to protect assets and family wealth through prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. She also assists cohabiting couples with cohabitation agreements, financial and property disputes as well as financial claims for children of unmarried parents under Schedule 1 Children Act.

Dimple has considerable experience advising on arrangements for children following divorce and separation including relocation of children both within England and Wales and abroad. She also assists clients where there are concerns around domestic abuse through personal protection injunctions such as Non-Molestation and Occupations Orders.

Dimple is a member of Resolution, a national organisation of family lawyers and other professionals committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes. She aims to provide practical, tailored advice to enable her clients to make informed choices with a focus on early settlement.

Dimple often receives wonderful feedback from her clients, here are just a few testimonials.

“Dimple is very professional and reliable. I was able to always count on her excellent advice, quick responses to my queries and sympathetic balanced communications with all parties. I would whole heartedly recommend her to anyone dealing with family legal issues”

“Dimple quickly understood the challenges I was facing and we spoke a lot on the phone which I found helpful and calming. She is very bright, professional and warm and just the person one needs when dealing with difficult and unfamiliar issues. Dimple is committed, has good judgment and eye for detail. She is a highly competent solicitor and I highly recommend her.”

“Thank you so much for your help, support and advice through this difficult process. I appreciate all you’ve done and look forward to a brighter future, thanks to your help”

“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. You were so easy to work with at every stage of the game and I really appreciated having you to turn to. I still can’t believe how smoothly everything went! And the good news is, I’m genuinely finding happiness again in my life.”

“Thank you for your assistance and support over the last few years in relation to my difficult and challenging divorce proceedings and help to conclude the child matters with the best result I could have hoped for. I appreciate all your efforts on my case. I am so happy that I am spending quality time with my son and that he is getting to know his extended paternal family. Thank you for helping to make this happen.”