Divorce and Family Solicitors in Melton Mowbray

If you are looking for divorce and family law solicitors in Melton Mowbray, Belderbos Solicitors offers a specialist team that practises exclusively in family law. We help people across Melton Mowbray, the Vale of Belvoir and the wider Leicestershire and Rutland area with divorce and separation, children matters, financial settlements and domestic abuse.

Our nearest office is in Oakham, around ten miles from Melton Mowbray along the A606, and we also see clients by appointment in Leicester.

Family matters are rarely just legal problems. They are personal, often painful, and they affect the people you care about most. Our role is to give you clear, practical advice, take the pressure off where we can, and help you reach a settlement that protects your future and your children's wellbeing. Take the first step with a free, no-obligation discovery call before you commit to anything.

Why choose Belderbos for family law in Melton Mowbray?

There are general high-street practices that handle family work alongside conveyancing, wills and other matters. We are different. Belderbos is a dedicated family law firm, and that focus is exactly why clients in Melton Mowbray choose us.

Family law is all we do. Every solicitor here works in divorce, children and finance matters day in, day out, so you benefit from genuine specialist knowledge rather than a generalist who covers family work occasionally.
Resolution members. Our team includes solicitors with Resolution accreditations as Specialists, a Collaborative Family Lawyer and a Mediator. Resolution's code commits us to a constructive, non-confrontational approach that lowers conflict and cost.
Resolution-first, out of court where possible. Court is sometimes necessary, but it is rarely the best first step. We look to settle matters through negotiation, mediation, collaborative law or arbitration wherever that is right for you, keeping decisions in your hands rather than a judge's.
Child-focused and empathetic. Where children are involved, their welfare guides everything. We give calm, honest advice and avoid escalating tension between parents.
A genuinely local staffed office. Our Oakham office is fully staffed and only about ten miles from Melton Mowbray, with a direct train link, so specialist help is close to home.
A free discovery call. Before you commit to anything, you can speak to us at no cost and with no obligation to understand your options and what happens next.

Ready to talk it through? Book your free discovery call or call us on 01572 490660.

Our Melton Mowbray team

Belderbos runs a single family law team across both offices, so wherever you live around Melton Mowbray you have the whole team behind you. For clients in the Melton area, the Oakham office is the nearest base.

James Belderbos – Director and Founder. James founded Belderbos Solicitors with a straightforward aim: to give clients specialist family law advice without the impersonal service that can come from larger practices. He leads the firm's resolution-first, client-centred approach.
Sophie Ball – Family Law Solicitor. Sophie is a family law specialist whose approach centres on reducing conflict and finding workable solutions for clients dealing with divorce, financial matters and arrangements for children.
Nick Robertshaw – Family Law Solicitor. Nick is an experienced, Resolution-accredited family law specialist who advises on divorce, children proceedings and financial disputes, including more complex matters.
Emma Potter – Family Law Solicitor. Emma brings a careful, client-focused approach to cases involving divorce, financial matters and child arrangements, guiding clients clearly through each stage.

You can read more about our approach and values on our Why choose Belderbos page, or see what clients say about us on our testimonials page.

Our family law services in Melton Mowbray

Whatever has brought you here, we can help. Below is a summary of the family law services we provide to clients in Melton Mowbray and the surrounding villages, each with a link to find out more.

Divorce and separation

We guide you through the no-fault divorce process from start to finish, explaining each stage and keeping things as straightforward and low-conflict as possible. Learn more about divorce and separation.

Children matters

From where your children live to how time is shared and decisions about their upbringing, we help parents reach child-focused arrangements and, where needed, apply for child arrangements orders. See our children law services.

Financial settlements

Dividing property, pensions, savings and other assets fairly is often the most important part of a separation. We advise on settlements and consent orders that reflect your needs and circumstances. Read about financial settlements.

Domestic abuse

If you or your children are at risk, we can act quickly to seek protective orders such as non-molestation and occupation orders. Find out how our domestic abuse solicitors can help.

Nuptial agreements

Whether you are planning to marry or are already married, a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement can set out how assets would be handled if the relationship ends. Explore nuptial agreements.

Cohabitation and separation

Unmarried couples do not have the same automatic rights as married couples. We advise on cohabitation agreements and on resolving property and financial disputes when an unmarried relationship ends. See our cohabitation solicitors.

Out-of-court solutions

Most family disputes can be resolved without a contested court hearing. We offer a full range of out-of-court solutions, including family mediation, collaborative law, family arbitration and lawyer-led negotiation. See our out-of-court solutions overview.

Court proceedings

When agreement genuinely cannot be reached, we represent you firmly and clearly through court proceedings, while always looking for opportunities to settle.

Serving Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire and the surrounding areas

Belderbos acts for clients right across the Borough of Melton and the surrounding countryside. As well as Melton Mowbray itself, we regularly help people in Asfordby, Bottesford, Long Clawson, Waltham on the Wolds, Wymondham, Somerby, Frisby on the Wreake, Gaddesby and Stapleford, along with the villages of the Wreake Valley and the Vale of Belvoir.

For most clients in the Melton area, our Oakham office is the nearest, sitting around ten miles away on Church Street in the centre of Oakham. If it is easier for you to come into the city, our Leicester office on Market Street is available by appointment. You will find full details for both, plus all the ways to get in touch, on our contact page. Many clients are happy to handle matters by phone, email and video call, so you can get specialist advice without travelling far at all.

Local resources in Melton Mowbray

Alongside the advice we provide, it can help to know where to turn locally.

Leicester County Court and Family Court. Melton Mowbray does not have its own family court. Divorce, financial remedy and children proceedings for the Melton Mowbray and wider Leicestershire area are dealt with by Leicester County Court and Family Court. You can find its contact details and opening information on the UK Find a Court or Tribunal service.
Citizens Advice Leicestershire. For free, independent guidance on benefits, debt, housing and related issues, Citizens Advice Leicestershire serves the Melton area through its telephone and online adviceline. They can be a useful first port of call for practical, non-legal support while you take specialist family law advice from us.

Please note that we are unable to offer legal aid.

How to reach our family solicitors in Melton Mowbray

Our nearest office to Melton Mowbray is in Oakham, around ten miles away. Here is how to reach us from Melton Mowbray.

By car. The drive from Melton Mowbray to Oakham is a straightforward run of about ten miles along the A606, the road that links the two towns directly through the countryside towards Stamford. Allow roughly twenty minutes. Our office is at 20A Church Street in the centre of Oakham, with a pay-and-display car park opposite and further town-centre car parks within easy walking distance.
By bus. Regular bus services connect Melton Mowbray with Oakham and the surrounding villages. Buses set down in Oakham town centre, with stops within a short walk of Church Street.
By train. Melton Mowbray and Oakham both sit on the Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport line, so there is a convenient direct train between the two stations that takes around eleven minutes. From Oakham railway station it is roughly a ten-minute walk to our Church Street office.

Plan your journey. You can plan your exact route to our Oakham office, by car, bus or train, using the directions on our Oakham office page.

Accessibility

We want meeting us to be straightforward for everyone. Our Oakham office is our main staffed office, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Our Leicester office is available by appointment and is not permanently staffed, so please arrange a time with us before visiting. If you have any specific accessibility requirements, or if it would be easier to meet by phone or video call, let us know when you book and we will do everything we can to accommodate you.

Book your free discovery call

If you are dealing with divorce, separation, children matters or any other family law issue in Melton Mowbray, we are here to help. Your free, no-obligation discovery call is a relaxed, confidential conversation with a specialist family solicitor about your situation and your options, with no pressure to take things further.

Call us on 01572 490660, email admin@belderbossolicitors.co.uk, or book your free discovery call online at a time that suits you. Whether you are in Melton Mowbray, Asfordby, Bottesford or anywhere across the Vale of Belvoir, we are here to help you move forward with confidence.

Frequently asked questions about family law in Melton Mowbray

Costs vary depending on the type of matter, its complexity and the approach taken, so there is no single figure that fits every case. We believe in being open about fees from the outset, and we will explain how our pricing works and give you a clear sense of likely costs during your free discovery call, before you commit to anything.

You can apply for a no-fault divorce yourself, and the application itself is fairly administrative. However, the divorce does not deal with money or children. Most people benefit from advice on a financial settlement and a consent order, and on arrangements for any children, where getting things right matters a great deal. We can take on as much or as little of this as you need.

Since the no-fault rules came in, the minimum time from application to final order is around 26 weeks. This includes a 20-week reflection period before the conditional order and a further six weeks and one day before the final order. In practice many cases take around seven to eight months, and longer if finances are still being resolved, which we usually recommend settling before the final order is made.

A Child Arrangements Order is the court order that sets out who a child lives with and how they spend time with each parent. It has replaced the older terms “custody” and “access”. The child’s welfare is always the court’s paramount concern. Wherever possible we help parents agree arrangements between themselves, often with the help of mediation, so that a contested court order is not needed.

Yes. We offer a free, no-obligation discovery call of up to around 30 minutes, by phone or video, so you can tell us what is happening and we can outline your options and next steps. It is a chance to see whether we are the right fit for you, with no pressure to go any further.

In mediation, a neutral, trained mediator helps you and your former partner reach your own agreement on issues such as finances and children. It is usually quicker, less stressful and less expensive than court, and you stay in control of the outcome. Going to court means a judge decides for you, which is sometimes necessary but is generally a last resort. Most family court applications require you to consider mediation first through a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM). We can advise on which route suits your situation and support you through either.