Mike Devlin, Head of Family at Stephensons, has been elected as the Vice-President of the Manchester Law Society.
He heads one of the country’s largest family law teams at Stephensons, the national law firm. The practice represents parents, children, local authorities and other interested parties in divorce, care proceedings, adoption cases, residence and contact disputes and applications in wardship as well as the exercise of Inherent Jurisdiction of the High Court. He has been involved with and reported in several high profile cases.
Mike has been a member of the Law Society Children Panel (now Solicitors Regulation Authority Children Panel Accreditation Scheme) since its inception in 1984. He is also a legal advisor to After Adoption's adoption panel and the Chairman of the Salford Diocesan Child Protection Commission.
Mike has for many years featured in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners guide which lists him as an “Eminent Practitioner” for his industry leading expertise in children matters.
Mike Devlin, Head of Family at Stephensons said:” I look forward to serving the Manchester legal community. The profession has weathered many changes over the past years, including deep cuts to legal aid, rising court fees and changes to the small-claims limit. It is more important than ever for solicitors to remain focused on providing high quality advice and representation whilst adapting their working practices to be able to compete in an ever changing and increasingly competitive market”.
Fran Eccles-Bech, Chief Executive of the Manchester Law Society commented: “I am delighted to be able to announce the appointment of Mike Devlin. He is a highly regarded and nationally renowned leader in the field of children law whose contribution to the Manchester legal community has been second to none. We look forward to working with Mike Devlin in the years to come”.