Sarah Ingram Email and Phone Number

You don't have to be divorced to be a good divorce lawyer. But it helps.I wasn't always a family solicitor. I started my career as a solicitor specialising in business disputes, as what in legal circles is known as commercial litigation. Over nearly 15 years my work included both general commercial and property, insolvency, asset finance and pensions litigation. I was involved in some high profile and even reported cases, one of which involved a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights. I loved my work.In January 2013 my world imploded. I became very ill and my marriage broke down almost immediately afterwards. My life as a single parent to a 6 month old and 3 year old began. At that time my work involved high value recoveries work for banks and finance houses, but the credit crunch finally reached me and I was made redundant. I found another role as a commercial litigator soon afterwards, by which time my divorce proceedings were under way. Having done court work for over a decade, I was arrogantly confident about how my divorce proceedings would be a breeze. Not so.I couldn't get my head around it all. Nobody seemed to be able to give me a clear direction of travel and I was entirely lost. I had been at court so much throughout my career, and so comfortable in the court environment, but my day in court was amongst the worst of my life. After the proceedings ended, I was chatting to a family solicitor about how family law works, and sometimes doesn't. At the end of our conversation she asked me to remind her why I had become a commercial litigator, not a family lawyer. I laughed and told her not to be so ridiculous. On reflection though, I knew staying in commercial litigation was no longer tenable. I had become so passionate about family law, and staying in commercial litigation was not going to cut it. I put a proposal to my then employer to retrain, which was accepted, and my career in family law began in May 2017. I have practised exclusively in family law since then, and I can wholeheartedly say this is my vocation.I was noted as a key lawyer and "well-regarded" in the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Legal 500, and am mentioned in client testimonials in the Legal 500 (2020). I am a member of Resolution and a trained mediator.I appreciate that when people come to see a divorce lawyer they dread it. I put clients at ease - I am not a stuffy lawyer. I am known for clear and practical advice, sound judgment, integrity, and my kindness to clients. As I said before, you don't have to be divorced to be a good divorce lawyer. But it helps.