Statutory Declaration
If you need a copy of a document certified as a true copy of an original ('a certified copy') then you may need help from a practising Solicitor or a Notary Public.
Certified copies may be required for example by banks in connection with opening a bank account, by prospective employers as part of the recruitment process or by immigration authorities in connection with travel visas, work permits or immigration. Often certified copies are needed if you are conducting legal business outside the UK.
For a certified copy for use within the UK you usually need to see a Solicitor. I
For a certified copy for use outside the UK you usually need to see a Notary Public. More information about finding a Notary Public is available from the Notaries Society.
Affidavits and statutory declarations are formal statements which the maker is swearing on oath to be true. They are usually made in front of a Solicitor. Fees are fixed. At the time of writing they are £5 for the statement itself and £2 for every accompanying document.
You will not be given any advice on the legality or wisdom of what you are doing. My role is simply to ensure compliance with the formalities. You will need to employ your own lawyer to advise you.
Our Bristol office services
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Divorce Solicitors
Advice and representation on divorce, legal separation & associated financial issues
We are specialist family and divorce solicitors. Where an informal agreement exists between parties, we are able to create legally binding documents to formalise the contract. Where mediation, negotiation or even court proceedings are required to reach an agreement, we can give expert advice and assistance every step of the way, working with you and barristers where necessary to achieve the best possible result.
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Financial Settlements
If you can agree the division of your assets, either between yourselves or with mediation, I can help to put your agreement into a binding and enforceable financial consent order, a court order. A voluntary divorce settlement becomes legally binding when you apply for a fiancial consent order through the family court and have this approved by a judge. In this situation, neither of you have to go to a court hearing and the process is usually faster and less expensive than litigation.
We can also negotiate by correspondence for you.
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Cohabitation
There is an “urban myth” that couples who are living together can be seen as part of a “common law marriage” and offered the benefits and security that married couples have. Although this may have been the case many years ago, there are many legal differences between living with a partner and being in an official marriage .
The law is quite complicated when it comes to who has a legal right over possessions bought jointly and it can be difficult to prove who has ownership of what. If you are the sole owner of the house or apartment you live in, you may also be concerned about the possibility of your partner claiming to have “beneficial interest” in it if you break up, entitling them to a share of the property.
Solicitors in Bristol
Laurence Holmes Solicitors Bristol
Our registered office is Laurence Holmes Solicitors, Elms Farm, Brinsea, Congresbury, Bristol BS49 5JL and Laurence Holmes Solicitors Bristol is our only office address and we’ve been here since 2011. We’re an established part of the community and our location is easy to reach if you need a solicitor in Bristol. Our postal address is also Laurence Holmes Solicitors, Elms Farm, Brinsea, Congresbury, Bristol BS49 5JL
You will not incur Bristol’s new Clean Air Zone carge travelling to our Bristol office as we are outside this.