Profile description
As a former solicitor for 18 years, Dominic is able to assist you with providing expert advice and legal representation in all matters in the civil, family and criminal courts. Dominic is based in the North West of England and so usually covers cases involved in courts in Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Chester, Wigan, St Helens, Stockport, Blackpool, Blackburn and north Wales but often travels further afield when necessary throughout England and Wales.
Civil litigation
The sorts of civil cases Dominic also deals with include:
- Claims for money owed
- Claims for possession and repossession
- Landlord & Tenant claims
- Disputes with builders
- Boundary disputes
- Being cut out of a will, inheritance disputes or problems with probate
- Disputes over ownership of houses and property, or arguments as to shares of the property (also known as Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees claims)
- Business disputes and contract issues
- Domestic violence in the Family Court
- Problems with Contact or Residency for children
- Financial issues after divorce
- Being overcharged by solicitors
Dominic has extensive experience of arguing cases before the courts, and negotiating settlements in the quickest possible time. As a friendly and approachable lawyer, clients feel at ease and are helped to understand all the options open
Family law (Children and Divorce)
His family law practice, focused on contested Child Arrangements proceedings. He is routinely instructed on complex and protracted disputes and offers accomplished and robust advocacy in court. He is excellent for fact-finds and contested final hearings. Dominic's family work includes cases featuring the following issues:
- Child Arrangement Orders
- Prohibited Steps Orders
- Specific Issue Orders
- Applications to relocate
- Enforcement Applications
- Local Authority involvement
- Fact-findings (involving allegations of domestic violence, sexual abuse and substance abuse)
- Parental Responsibility
In addition to Dominic's Child Arrangements practice, he is frequently instructed to advise and represent clients in relation to divorce and financial settlement proceedings. Dominic has extensive experience in this area and can be instructed at an early stage to provide initial advice on merits and settlement, right through to FDA, FDR and contested Final Hearings. He also accepts instructions in the related area of TOLATA, dealing with disputes over the division of equity in property shared by unmarried couples.
Criminal and regulatory
Criminal and quasi-criminal proceedings in the Magistrates' Courts, including defending clients faced with licensing matters, local authority regulatory prosecutions (including planning enforcement) and the full range of motoring offences (including speeding, driving under the influence and dangerous driving). In motoring cases, Dominic has extensive experience of running exceptional hardship and special reasons arguments on behalf of his clients.
Examples of cases that Dominic has dealt with include:
- Clients (a family) whose mother died leaving the property to them. However, an unknown person came forward to say he was their mother's secret partner and wanted a share of the children's inheritance to be given to him. After taking the matter to trial, a settlement was reached at the last moment.
- All manner of motoring offences, including drink and drug driving, dangerous and careless driving and speeding offences.
- A publican was prosecuted by Sky TV for allegedly unlawfully showing Sky football matches to customers in the pub without payment. After taking the matter to the Magistrates and ultimately the Crown Court, the client was acquitted of all charges.
- A client was charged in excess of £50,000 by his solicitors for work done on defending him against the council who alleged he hadn't paid his parking tickets. The solicitors' bill was put forward for assessment by the court, who finally ruled the solicitors had overcharged the client and reduced their bill by nearly half.
- Dominic also regularly appears before the courts on behalf of clients in the Family court seeking protection from abusive ex-partners and trying to resolve arrangements for the children.
