family and divorce
/
services to union members
Janet Baines
Partner
tel: 0844 346 3147
email: jbaines@walkersmithway.com
office:
Chester
Janet joined Walker Smith Way as a trainee legal executive in
1983. She qualified as a solicitor in 1995 after part-time and
full-time study and was made a partner in 2002.
Janet specialises in all matters relating to divorce, but has
particular experience in advising clients with partnerships or
small businesses.
Janet is also a qualified family mediator, a member of The
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and has recently been granted
permission by the Ministry of Justice to conduct Mediation
Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) which are now a
pre-requisite for many people wishing to issue a court
application regarding their relationship breakdown. Download our mediation information sheet here or see Janet's Q&A mediation
article here. Also, view our press release on divorce
mediation here.
Janet also handles separation agreements, co-habitation and
pre-nuptial agreements.
Janet is trained in collaborative law and is an active member of
the Cheshire Collaborative Law Group. She is also the chair of
Cheshire Resolution (formerly known as the Solicitors Family Law
Association) and a qualified family law mediator.
"Janet Baines is based in the Chester
office of Walker Smith Way Solicitors. She is trained in
collaborative law and mediation, and she is admired for her
ability to "cut out the superfluous issues and get straight to
the point" Chambers & Partners - the leading
guide to the UK legal industry, 2012 edition
"Janet Baines is chair of Cheshire branch of
Resolution. Janet deals with high-value matrimonial relief cases
and is described as 'an excellent matrimonial lawyer who is always
able to see the wood for the trees. She has marvellous client care
skills and is very thorough in her analysis of cases"
Chambers & Partners - the leading guide to the UK legal
industry, 2013 edition
Why did you choose to specialise in this
particular area of law?
I studied family law whilst qualifying as a Fellow of the
Institute of Legal Executives and somehow managed to achieve the
highest mark that year in the exam. I therefore thought it would be
the appropriate direction for me to take!
What has been the highlight of your career so
far?
After many years of studying part-time whilst also working
full-time, it's got to be the day when I first signed a document as
"Solicitor."
What do you feel most passionate about within your
working life?
I love being able to empower people at a difficult time in
their lives, to help them through the emotional turmoil, and make
sense of a confusing time - and sometimes even being able to have a
laugh with them!
What do you feel most passionate about within your
home life?
Many things! Spending time with my family and friends and
trying to enjoy life to the full and my tortoise Lily.
Have you written anything that's been
published?
An article for the local newspaper when I was ten for
which I won a mug (my dad still has it). I also regularly write
articles for Cheshire Life and a questions and answers section for
Country and Border Life.
If you won the lottery tomorrow, what's the first
thing you'd do?
Despite loving my job I would love to be able to sing. I was
told once that anyone could be taught to sing so I would pay for
lessons, then I would make a CD and film a video. Oh, I'd need
dancing lessons as well. I guess I would then run out of money so I
would go back to working as a solicitor!