One of Wales' best known family lawyers has been named 'Family Law Firm of the Year' for the Midlands and Wales at the 2022 Family Law Awards. Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice was the only Welsh nomination beating tough competition from reputable Midlands-based firms to receive the presitigious award.
The annual awards ceremony took place at the Westminster Park Plaza in London with nearly 1,000 attendees. The law firm had previously been nominated in 2019 and in 2017 was crowned winner for the first time of the then Welsh-only category.
The panel of independent judges highlighted the firm's strong commitment to pro-bono work, community activities and the development of its staff. The firm has been heavily involved in pro-bono work since it was founded in 1996 by the late Wendy Hopkins and Melanie Hamer.
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The Cardiff-based firm was the first specialist family law firm in Wales and is still one of the largest in England and Wales. It has supported Welsh homelessness charity Llamau for the past two years and recently its solicitor Bethan Tapper teamed up with the charity to create a legal clinic, providing free legal advice to those who have no means of obtaining it.
The practice also has a track record of hiring young lawyers and developing them into highly-talented family law practitioners. Directors Sarah Wyburn and Rebecca Knight, associate Sam John, and solicitors Gabriella Evans, Ms Tapper and Fay Jones all started as trainees. Esther Ifan joined in July 2021 as a paralegal and was awarded a training contract in August of this year.
Founding director Ms Hamer said: “ I am so proud of each and every member of our dedicated team who regularly go above and beyond expectations . This reward is truly the result of a team effort. Winning this award in a group with so many English competitors is really fantastic. It also reflects the fact that we already attract so many clients from England who are impressed by the service we offer”.
Ms Hamer has been a trustee of the Cardiff City Football Club Foundation, is a current trustee of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity, a member of Aberystwyth University Governance and Compliance Committee, and a member of Monumental Welsh Women.
Director Thea Hughes is a trustee of Family Mediation Cymru, the only non-profit family mediation provider in Wales, while David James has acted as a trustee for Relate Cymru and is involved with Cardiff University’s School of Law and Politics. Rebecca Knight is an independent director of Hockey Wales.
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