Sadie is a solicitor and partner in the Private Family Law Team
Sadie graduated from Staffordshire University in Law, completing her training contract at a large London firm. Sadie qualified as a solicitor in 2006, and has specialised in family law across a number of well-established firms. She joined Machins as a Partner in July 2023.
Sadie has a particular emphasis on divorce and financial settlements, ranging from low to high net worth matters both straightforward and complex.
Priding herself in adopting a sensitive, down-to-earth and practical approach in all cases, she draws on personal and professional experience to provide a high level of client care. Sadie has practiced as a solicitor for over 17 years, building up excellent client relationships throughout.
Sadie is a member of Resolution, an organisation which promotes the need for a practical and non-confrontational approach in all Family matters.
Sadie is also a published author, with her book, ‘A Practical Guide to Short Marriages for Family Lawyers’, published in June 2022.
Sadie is a recommended lawyer in the Legal 500.
In 2024 Sadie will be presenting a two webinars for family lawyers:-
Divorce Proceedings & Death of a Spouse – An Update for Family Lawyers – Webinar
Barder Events in Financial Remedy Proceedings – A Guide for Family Lawyers – Webinar
Specialist practice areas
It has been widely reported this week in the mainstream media that a couple had their divorce finalised in error following a mistake by solicitors which a senior judge has refused to overturn. The couple were separated and had applied for a divorce which had reached conditional order stage of the divorce. It would appear
Termination of Parental Responsibility is rarely made by the Court and only ever in exceptional circumstances. Following a recent private family law case acting for a mother who successfully obtained a termination of Parental Responsibility order to end the father’s Parental Responsibility, we asked Laura Martin-Read, Senior Associate Solicitor to explain what Parental Responsibility is
Millions of employees now have the right to request flexible working to determine where and when they work. The new rights are part of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill, which came into effect on 6 April. Flexible working is a broad term and can relate to working hours or pattern including part-time, term-time, flexi-time,
Jeremy Hunt delivered his Spring Budget on 6 March, and it will probably be his last major fiscal announcement ahead of this year’s anticipated general election. With a focus on reducing tax for the working population and helping parents, there were several announcements in the Budget that affect businesses and employees which I consider and
Latest Government figures show that 42% of people now get divorced. Frequently, one or both of them will have an interest in a business. Divorce can have a disastrous impact. It is therefore important to take good legal advice. The law states that on separation, all the circumstances of the case must be taken into
Local members of the family justice body Resolution have welcomed new research which shows most people back a change in the law to give cohabiting people more rights. Currently, cohabiting couples have few or no rights in the event of a relationship breakdown meaning that unlike married couples there is no mechanism for splitting assets.
The Government is planning new measures to deal with parents who refuse to pay child maintenance. Those who fail to meet their obligations will face accelerated sanctions following the introduction of powers to speed up enforcement action and other reforms to make the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) fairer. A consultation is now taking place on
Leading law groups have warned the government against making mediation compulsory in family disputes. The Ministry of Justice has just completed a consultation on compulsory mediation for all ‘suitable low-level’ family court cases. The Law Society says it supports government efforts to secure amicable resolutions in family disputes but believes mediation should only be voluntary, not
New regulations are being introduced to impose tougher sanctions on parents who fail to pay child maintenance. The government says the Child Support (Enforcement) Act will see families paid faster as it gives the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) the power to use a liability order to reclaim unpaid child maintenance instead of applying
Usually, in financial remedy proceedings, the decision about whether or not to sell the family home (or any other property) will not be made until the final hearing. However, there could be very good reasons for a party wanting to do so prior to the final hearing. This could be, for example, if the parties