Vincents Solicitors appoints domestic abuse specialists

Vincents Solicitors has appointed family law solicitor Fahrat Unnisa and paralegal Erica Fielding to its family and child care team.

The two new recruits will focus on helping victims of domestic violence with urgent and ongoing support. They join soon after child care solicitor Nina Ellement, formerly head of legal for Cumbria County Council, joined Vincents’ dedicated child care team.

Fahrat Unnisa joins Vincents from Farnworth Shaw in Nelson, prior to which she was at Watson Ramsbottom in Blackburn where she worked with Val Shaw, head of child care department at Vincents. Fahrat has spent most of her 22-year career working with victims of domestic abuse in East Lancashire.

She is also a member of the Family Law Advanced Panel for domestic violence and children, and speaks both Urdu and Punjabi.

Fahrat said: "I’m keen to focus exclusively on child care and domestic violence cases and to work as part of a really strong team. I was impressed with Vincents’ experience within the Family Law department, and the child care team in particular. Both Val Shaw and Nina Ellement are very well respected in this field and being able to work with Val once again was another huge draw for me."

Paralegal Erica Fielding is also a specialist in child care and domestic violence cases, having worked in this area for 18 years and provided direct support through regular refuge clinics. She joins the firm from Watson Ramsbottom in Blackburn, prior to which she was at Roebucks where she secured her Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX ) Level 3 qualification. Erica will continue her CILEX training to Level 6 with the support of Vincents’ in-house programme.

Val Shaw, child care department head, said: "Domestic violence and survivor support is a very sensitive area of work which requires the utmost professionalism and empathy, something which both Fahrat and Erica share. Their arrival complements the team’s existing strengths and provides our clients with access to highly skilled practitioners in all aspects of child care and private family law."