Experienced family law specialist Karen Willis has joined the team of partner-level solicitors at Woolley & Co.
Karen, based in Dersingham, Norfolk, will serve clients across North and West Norfolk and the wider East Anglia region, to bolster the strong Woolley & Co team already in the area.
Previously a partner at a Hunstanton law firm, Karen has more than 20 years’ experience in practising family law, with particular experience in finances and high-net-worth cases.
“I like dealing with people and that is what attracted me to family law,” said Karen, who studied at Nottingham University and is married with two daughters.
“After graduating, I moved to Hong Kong to teach English as a foreign language. I found a lot of my clients were legal firms and soon came to see that what they were doing sounded a lot more interesting! So I came back to the UK, converted to law and did my training with a family law practice in London.”
Working from an office in King’s Lynn, Karen can advise on all aspects of divorce, related financial matters, cohabitee disputes, prenuptial agreements and issues relating to arrangement for children.
She is a big supporter of the push for a no-fault divorce and feels actions on this issue are now needed rather than the talk which has gone on for far too long.
“There needs to be some kind of decision now,” she said.
“I would estimate that 50 per cent of my cases in recent years would have been helped by having a no-fault option, rather than couples having to come up with reasons why they want to divorce. This only increases animosity. It starts the process off on the wrong footing.
In her spare time, Karen enjoys running and supporting her children in their athletic pursuits. She believes the business model at Woolley & Co, with senior lawyers working from their own offices and keeping hours to fit around the needs of the clients, will help her with the work/life balance that is so difficult to find for many these days.
Karen has joined an extremely strong team in East Anglia, with new colleagues Karen Agnew-Griffith, Tamara Glanvill, Nick Wiseman and Abby Smith, all being praised in the latest edition of the Legal 500, the industry leading guide to finding top legal practitioners in the UK.
