Catherine Oonagh Boyle

I have been practising law for almost 25 years. With the areas I work in, I have been involved in dispute resolution in highly emotive and sensitive family cases during which significant assets of the marriage or cohabitation relationships have to be divided between the parties. I therefore have significant first-hand experience of the processes involved in helping the parties in dispute to reach agreement. The vast majority of the cases in which I have been involved do reach settlement either by way of a matrimonial agreement or Consent Order through the court. Throughout my practice as a solicitor, I have always advocated a non-adversarial approach to proceedings.

I have also been responsible for handling employment law cases in our firm. Again I have liaised closely with the Labour Relations Agency when I have represented both employers and employees and have endeavoured to encourage parties with a safe form within which the employment issues can be discussed in a non-adversarial setting.

I am committed to the mediation process and increasingly use it with clients as an alternative to the court process. The parties involved very much feel more ownership of the process in the mediation situation and the outcomes for future relationships between the parties, particularly in a case where there are children.

Postgraduate entry into law at College of Law, Chancery Lane and Guildford to obtain CPE qualification. Obtained Honours in final exams.

BA (Hons) and Postgraduate Certificate in Education