Machins Solicitors Announces Promotion of Victoria Grant to Senior Associate
Machins announce the promotion of Victoria Grant to Senior Associate in the Family team.
Joe Colley
Family, Children & Separation
Senior Associate Solicitor, Private Family Law Team
Contact Information
Testimonials
Joe Colley is a stand-out associate. He works tirelessly and diligently for his clients. He has a thoughtful and measured approach and his cases are meticulously prepared. He quickly gains the trust of his clients and offers robust, pragmatic and strategic advice to cut through the issues and ensure his clients achieve the best possible outcome.
Legal 500 2025
Joe Colley and his team at Machins gave me help, advice and guidance. Joe was a huge support to me during an extremely difficult and emotional period in my life.
He showed me empathy and reassurance throughout whilst remaining professional. Without Joe's support and legal advice I would have been lost.
Client Feedback Form - August 2025
I just want to thank you and the whole team at Machins for your tireless efforts with my case. Your support and advice have been so helpful and I genuinely don’t know how I would have got to this stage alone. It has genuinely meant the absolute world to me to see my baby girl again and especially before Christmas.
I would like to say a huge thank you to you. You showed such care and compassion whilst being very professional too. I felt very comfortable talking to you despite some of it being very personal and difficult to discuss. I would definitely recommend you.
Everything was excellent and I couldn't have asked for better support.
I wanted to say what an absolute pleasure Joe is. He has taken such good care of me and I so appreciate his professionalism, knowledge and advice.
Joe is an absolute star
About Joe
Joe is a senior associate solicitor in our Private Family Team. He rejoined Machins Solicitors in June 2022 after working for one of London’s leading family teams.
Joe trained at Machins and spent 75% of his training with the Family Law Team. He has over eight years’ experience advising clients on all areas of family law including high net worth individuals, same sex couples, international matters and has worked alongside leading counsel. He has successfully challenged an appeal application and is a confident advocate in the court room. Joe thrives on achieving great results, loves being busy and gains the trust and confidence of his clients from day one.
Joe is also involved with Pro Bono work and has acted as a Legal Advisor to the local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Joe graduated with a Law degree from Bournemouth University and completed his Legal Practice Course at the University of Law in London where he also received his Master’s in Law. Before originally joining Machins in 2017, Joe previously gained experience in other areas of law including corporate law which is invaluable when dealing with complex company structures and commercial arrangements found within family law cases.
Memberships and accolades
- Member, Resolution
- Resolution accredited specialist family lawyer in both Complex Financial Remedy cases (low to medium net worth) and Private Law Children cases
- ‘Key Lawyer’, Legal 500 (2025 and 2026)
Specialist practice areas
- Divorce and separation
- Civil partnerships
- Prenuptial arrangements
- Cohabitation disputes
- Children matters
- Same-sex couples
- Private Children Act cases including internal and external relocation, child arrangements and Prohibited steps
- Domestic abuse
Latest news by Joe Colley
Wife Ordered to Pay £275,000 for Litigation Misconduct
A £275,000 costs order shows how seriously the court treats litigation misconduct in divorce finances.
Custody Myths: Why “Custody” No Longer Exists in Family Law
The concept of “custody” no longer exists in family law. Learn how child arrangements after divorce are determined today, focusing on shared parental responsibility and the child’s best interests. We address common misconceptions and clarify what modern family law means for parents.
Cohabiting couples face long wait for legal protection, MPs warn
A cross-party group of MPs has warned that cohabiting couples may have to wait for several years before legal reforms are implemented to better protect their rights. The MPs have urged the government to reconsider its timetable and speed things up. Unlike married couples, cohabitants have very few legal protections if their relationship breaks down.
New move to help separating couples prioritise their children
A new course and set of resources to help separating couples prioritise their children’s needs has been launched by Cafcass on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. Cafcass is the organisation that protects the rights of children in family disputes and court proceedings. It says that when couples separate, the risk of a deterioration in