The company, which is the oldest legal firm in Scarborough, has appointed experienced lawyer Alison Lewis as a family solicitor to head up the new department.

Ms Lewis, who recently moved from Leicester to Scarborough, has worked in family law for the past 15 years and is a member of Resolution, the association of family justice solicitors.

She deals with all aspects of family law, including divorce, civil partnership dissolution, co-habitation, separation agreements, financial issues on separation and injunctions.

She also deals with disputes regarding arrangements for children and acts for grandparents as well as parents in private children law proceedings. As a member of Resolution, she is committed to dealing with family cases in a non-confrontational and constructive way.

Ms Lewis said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for me. Birdsall & Snowball have an excellent reputation as a first class law firm across US and I am honoured to have been asked to lead their new family law department.

“There is no doubt that the past 12 months have been challenging for everyone and have inevitably placed strains on family relationships. Sadly, as we emerge from lockdown, there will be many families in this area who are struggling with emotional and marital issues.

“I completely understand that trying to resolve family issues can be very emotive and worrying, but my over-riding aim is to provide friendly and affordable expert advice and

assistance to all my clients at what is often a very difficult time.

“I always seek to negotiate successful outcomes for my clients without the need for court proceedings, resulting in quicker, more amicable and cost-effective solutions. However, if court proceedings are necessary I will ensure my clients are robustly assisted and represented throughout their case.”

Evette Abbey, partner at Birdsall & Snowball, said: “We are delighted to welcome Alison to our team.

“She has a wealth of experience in family law and we are very pleased to be able to add a family law service to those legal services we already provide at our Scarborough

office.”

Birdsall & Snowball was established in 1886 and is the longest-running law firm in Scarborough and Filey and one of the oldest in the region.

Although the firm has offices based in Scarborough and Filey, its client base extends beyond this, so it can help people with their personal and commercial legal affairs across the country.