Who We Are

Collaborative Law Wales is an organisation of specialist family lawyers who share a commitment to resolving the issues following relationship breakdown in a constructive and amicable way.  We are all members of Resolution and all trained Collaborative lawyers.  Some of us are also trained mediators, arbitrators or accredited as specialist by The Law Society and/or Resolution.

Choosing a lawyer that is right for you is one of, if not the most important decision you can make.  Take time to explore our members’ profiles and individual firm websites.  Please do also feel free to call us for an informal chat to see whether the Collaborative process is right for you.

Some of the CLW members

Malcolm Stevens

Malcolm qualified in 1977 and has been Head of the Family Law Department at Hugh James for almost 12 years. He specialises in high net worth financial claims and private law children matters. The ethos of the Department is to provide support in a professional and sensitive manner and to achieve solutions by negotiation rather than litigation if at all possible. The Department has the advantage of being able to call upon expertise within the firm in the fields of tax, asset management, employment, trust and corporate law. Malcolm has been recognised in the 2012 edition of Legal 500 as having “a strong reputation, within the region and beyond, and regularly acts in multi-million pound divorce cases”. In the 2011 version he was described as having an “excellent, client-based, focused attitude, and is commercial: a very safe pair of hands”. The Department has a top tier rating. In Chambers UK 2011 Malcolm was described as having clients who have “absolute trust in him because he won’t settle for second best”.

Karina Russell

I am a UKCP registered Systemic and Family Psychotherapist with 30 years experience of working with children and their families in various capacities including as a Solicitor, Social Worker, Child Guidance Specialist and presently as a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. I have a Masters degree with distinction and my private practice includes offering a service as a Family Consultant in conjunction with Collaborative lawyers. Much of my therapeutic practice has involved working with families following marital disharmony or breakdown. I draw on systemic ideas and brief therapy approaches which focus not only on emotional difficulties experienced by an individual but within family relationships and the context in which they live. My approach is relationship-based, collaborative and non-judgemental where I offer a supportive space in which individuals, couples and families can explore choices and dilemmas, access their own resources and seek positive solutions. I also undertake therapeutic assessments, particularly in situations where contact with a parent is in dispute Here, I explore the potential for progressing the issue of contact in a way that is constructive for children and acceptable for both parents. My training has covered various modalities including cognitive-behavioural, humanist, solution-focussed and Rogerian person-centred therapy which I integrate with systemic psychotherapy.

Rachel Davies

  Rachel is a member of the Family Department at Martyn Prowel Solicitors where she specialises in financial cases and private law children matters. She has been practising exclusively in the area of family law for 20 years and is a member of the Law Society’s Advanced Family Law Panel. She qualified as a Collaborative lawyer in February 2009 and is convinced of the benefits to clients of dealing with cases in a collaborative way. She was a founder member of the local collaborative pod of solicitors and has recently been appointed Chairman.

Gerard Griffiths

Gerard is an experienced Family Solicitor.  He has a wide range of experience in all aspects of matrimonial law.  He is a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel, a Higher Court Advocate in Civil matters and a Resolution Accredited Specialist in European and International Law.  Having conducted a number of Collaborative Cases he has become even more committed to the view that the Collaborative process offers families the best solutions to their problems.

Sophie Hughes

Sophie is a Partner and Head of the Family Team with expertise in high value financial arrangements following divorce and also cohabitation disputes. Sophie trained and qualified at a “magic circle” firm in London in 1991. Sophie is an accredited specialist of Resolution; the first in South Wales to be accredited for small and big money cases. She also holds specialist accreditation for domestic abuse cases. Sophie became a collaborative lawyer in 2010. Sophie always looks for creative solutions; “thinking outside the box” – which is an attribute ideally suited to the collaborative process.