WENDY HOPKINS FAMILY LAW PRACTICE LIMITED - Key Persons
Amanda Jenkins is a Legal Secretary at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice. Amanda joined the firm in 2001.
Bethan Tapper (‘Beth') joined Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in 2018 and qualified as a Solicitor in May 2020. She previously worked at a large local firm and a firm in Bristol.
Originally from Cardiff, Beth studied Law with Legal Studies in Europe in Reading. Beth's third year was spent studying Law at Universität Trier, in Germany. Beth achieved an Upper Second-Class Honours overall and achieved the Boyes Turner EU Law Prize for best performance in EU Law. Beth then went onto complete her LPC LLM in Professional Legal Practice at the University of Law, Bristol where she was awarded the highest mark in Family Law for the academic year 2015 - 2016. Beth achieved a Distinction in her LPC and Masters.
Caitlin Evans is a Paralegal and joined Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in January 2024.
After graduating from the University of Exeter in 2023 with a degree in Law, Caitlin worked as a Paralegal in another law firm in Cardiff. Caitlin is eager to complete the SQE to qualify as a Solicitor and is passionate about specialising in family law.
EDUCATION
2020-2023 - University of Exeter - LLB Law
PERSONAL
Caitlin was raised in Dinas Powys. In her spare time, she enjoys socialising with friends and family and going to the gym.
Chloe Dixon is a Trainee Solicitor and joined Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in August 2022.
After graduating from Swansea University in 2019 with a degree in Law, she went on to complete the Legal Practice and Advanced Drafting Course in December 2021.
EDUCATION
2015-2019 - Swansea University - LLB Law
2019-2021 Swansea University - Legal Practice and Advanced Drafting Course
LANGUAGES
English
Chris Sadler is a Legal Secretary at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice. Chris joined the firm in 2010.
Ever since he qualified in 1991, David James has specialised in family law and has become one of the most senior practitioners in the field in Wales. David joined Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in 2006.
Specialising in the financial issues arising out of divorce and cohabitation disputes, David has wide experience of high net asset matters, including cases involving family businesses, taxation, pensions and issues requiring forensic accounting and analysis. David also deals with private children matters, including Children Act applications relating to where children should live and time spent with the other parent.
David has been interviewed by ITV Wales News on developments in Family Law and has been a guest of Radio Wales on various occasions to discuss topical Family Law issues.
David has also presented at a Solicitor Panel Event at Cardiff University School of Law and Politics.
EXPERTISE
Divorce
Financial Matters
Separation
Children
Pre & Post Marital Agreements
Civil Partnerships
International Family Law
Surrogacy
Esther Ifan is a Trainee Solicitor and joined Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in July 2021.
After graduating from Cardiff University in 2019 with an integrated degree in Law and Welsh, she also went on to complete the LPC and LLM in Cardiff in 2020.
Esther was raised in Aberystwyth and is a fluent Welsh speaker. She completed all her undergraduate Law exams through the medium of Welsh and is therefore very familiar with working in both languages.
EXPERTISE
Divorce
Financial Matters
Separation
Children
Pre & Post Marital Agreements
Civil Partnerships
International Family Law
EDUCATION
2016 - 2019 - Cardiff University - LLB Law & Welsh
2019 - 2020 - Cardiff University - LPC
2019 - 2020 - Cardiff University - LLM
MEMBERSHIPS
Junior Law Division (Cardiff and South East Wales) - Welsh Officer
LANGUAGES
English
Fay Jones is an Associate Solicitor at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice having joined in October 2019.
Fay completed her training contract with the firm and qualified as a Solicitor in October 2021. During her training contract, Fay assisted senior members of the team on their high-net-worth cases, gaining a wealth of valuable experience. In addition, Fay dealt with a small case load of her own before qualifying.
Fay obtained her law degree from Cardiff University before returning to study the LPC and LLM where she wrote her master's dissertation on no-fault divorce. Fay has always been interested in Family Law and received the Trish Whiting Legal Services for Children Scholarship during her time at University.
Fay aims to take an amicable approach to matters where possible and will always do her upmost to support her clients through the legal process from the outset. Fay's main priority is to ensure that her clients are put at ease and are able to be open with her. She strives to deliver a high standard of service for all of her clients. Fay takes a friendly and empathetic approach to matters and will always aim to do her very best to achieve the best result for her clients as quickly as possible.
In addition, Fay is a fluent Welsh speaker and can assist in both English and Welsh.
Fay is originally from Ceredigion and outside work, she enjoys spending time on the beaches of West Wales with her dog, Rodni. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends - eating and exploring!
Geoff Tan is a Legal Secretary at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice. Geoff joined the firm in 2006.
Jan Sullivan is the Office Manager at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice and joined the firm in January 1997.
Janine Butler is a Legal Secretary at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice. Janine joined the firm in February 2010.
In 1996, Melanie Hamer co-founded Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice. A leader in the field of family law, Melanie has helped put the firm in the top band in ‘Chambers and Partners' and ‘The Legal 500'. She has considerable experience in big-money divorce cases and prenuptial agreements and has acted for high profile celebrity clients.
Melanie was one of the first two solicitors in Wales to gain entry to the Solicitors Family Law Association (Resolution) specialist panel.
Melanie features regularly in the press and was identified as a businesswoman who is a leader in her field by The Western Mail.
Melanie trained at Eversheds (commercial property, company and commercial, employment law and private client). When she qualified in 1989, she stayed on in the private client department at Eversheds.
EXPERTISE
Divorce
Financial Matters
Separation
Pre & Post Marital Agreements
Civil Partnerships
International Family Law
Melanie Hamer is recognised in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame because her exceptional legal skills have received praise from clients in the last ten years.
Owen Day is a Paralegal and joined Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in October 2022.
After graduating from the University of Exeter in 2021 with a degree in Law, he worked in London for a year and has now moved back to his home city of Cardiff to pursue his career in Law. Owen hopes to complete his LPC and train to become a Solicitor.
EDUCATION
2018-2021 - University of Exeter - LLB Law
PERSONAL
Owen was raised in Dinas Powys. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to live music, ice skating, bouldering and travelling.
Pamela Jones is an Office Administrator at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice. Pamela joined the firm in February 2023.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Quality and Without Doubt a Future Partner
- Straight - Talking' Associate
Rebecca Knight has been with Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice since 2011 and qualified as a solicitor in 2014. She has won acclaim for her work on many complex, high-value and high-profile cases developing a strong reputation as an extremely skilled family law practitioner.
Ryan Price is the Marketing Manager at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice; he joined the firm in July 2022.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Law Society 's LGBTQ Solicitors Network
Sam John joined Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in 2015 and qualified as a Solicitor in 2017. He is known for being "professional" and "supportive", and for going the extra mile.
Sam specialises in all aspects of family law, including divorce and dissolution, matrimonial finances, cohabitee disputes, separation, prenuptial and cohabitation agreements, private children matters and injunctions.
Sam John has represented professional athletes, business owners, lawyers and accountants. Sam regularly gets interviewed on national radio in relation to current family law news stories.
EXPERTISE
Divorce
Financial Matters
Separation
Children
Pre & Post Marital Agreements
Civil Partnerships
International Family Law
Surrogacy
EDUCATION
2010 to 2013 - Swansea University - Law, LLB (Hons)
2013 to 2014 - Swansea University - Legal Practice Course (LPC)
MEMBERSHIPS
Sam is a member of the Law Society's LGBTQ+ Solicitors Network.
Sarah Wyburn has a formidable reputation in divorce, financial and children matters. She has considerable experience of high profile cases and in matters involving high net assets. Sarah regularly acts for clients where complex property, pension, and business arrangements are involved. Sarah regularly represents business owners, medical professionals, legal and financial professionals, and professional sports people.
She also has in-depth knowledge and experience of the law relating to civil partnerships, and her work in this field is highly regarded.
Sarah is very experienced in acting in complex private law children matters involving arrangements for children, including relocation cases.
Receiving consistently high praise from her clients, Sarah's exceptional professionalism is widely recognised. She has achieved spectacular results for her clients and is regarded as one of an elite group of family lawyers in Wales.
Stacey Bruce is a Solicitor at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice having joined in July 2023.
Stacey obtained her law degree from the University of Sheffield in 2010. She qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2019 and then went on to study the LPC LLM with BPP University Bristol and cross qualified in March 2022.
Stacey deals with many aspects of family law such as divorce, finances, separation following cohabitation and children matters. She is dedicated to offering an approachable, professional service to all clients and supporting them throughout the process.
Stacey is a fluent Welsh speaker and can assist in both English and Welsh.
EXPERTISE
Divorce
Financial Matters
Separation
Children
Pre & Post Marital Agreements
EDUCATION
2007 - 2010 - University of Sheffield
2017 - 2019 - Cardiff and Vale College (CILEx)
2021 - 2022 - BBP University Bristol
LANGUAGES
English
Stacey Williams is a Solicitor at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, having joined in October 2023.
Stacey obtained her law degree from Swansea University in 2013. She then went on to study the LPC at Swansea University the following year and qualified as a Solicitor in June 2019.
Since qualification, Stacey has advised clients in all aspects of family law, including divorce and dissolution, matrimonial finances, separation, cohabitee disputes, pre and post nuptial and separation agreements and private children matters. Stacey is committed to providing her clients with a professional and approachable service and will do her very best to support her clients throughout the process. Stacey aims to approach matters from the outset in such a way to achieve the best outcome for her clients as efficiently as possible.
EXPERTISE
Divorce & Dissolution
Matrimonial Finances
Separation
Cohabitee Disputes
Pre & Post Marital Agreements
Private Children Matters
Injunctions
EDUCATION
2010 - 2013 - Swansea University (LLB)
2013 - 2014 - Swansea University (LPC)
After beginning her legal career at Eversheds in Cardiff, Thea Hughes moved to head the family department of a branch office of Hugh James, before joining Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice as an associate in 1997. She became a partner in 1998.
Thea is regarded by her peers as being one of the best family lawyers in Wales. She is able to advise on relationship breakdowns whether the parties are married or not, and provides a well-balanced viewpoint to achieve a fair outcome.
Thea deals with all aspects of family law, specialising in the financial issues arising from separation or divorce. She has a wealth of knowledge and wide experience in this area. Thea also deals with high net worth cases including those involving lottery winners.
Independent research has ranked Thea Hughes as one of the top family lawyers in Wales, describing her as "a credit to the legal profession".
Chambers UK has recommended her highly, praising her "spot-on advice and her just and fair approach, which sets her apart as a leading light". She has been described as a ‘Leading Individual' and included in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame for consistently being praised by clients in at least eight of the last ten years. The Legal 500 also describes her "flawless professionalism" and her "calm and approachable handling of high-value financial cases and complicated private law matters". She is also listed in The Good Lawyer Guide.
Thea is a collaborative lawyer and is a Trustee of Family Mediation Cymru. She is a member of Resolution, and regularly contributes to topical news stories on radio and television.
What her clients say:
"Thea is insightful and very experienced."
"Going through a divorce is a fraught and dispiriting experience, but the advice I received from Thea was thorough and supportive."
"I was completely supported by Thea Hughes of Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in seeking to deal with the divorce petition entered by my wife and do not think I could have found a better person to help and represent me."
"Thank you for being such an amazing solicitor Thea. You have been brilliant throughout this whole process. From the beginning you have made me aspire and reach for the best outcome for myself without giving me false hopes or unrealistic expectations."
"I felt supported at all times and that Thea had a genuine desire to ensure a fair outcome for myself and my children."
"Thea was wonderful, and the advice and support provided was invaluable. I knew exactly where I stood and what I was entitled to, which helped enormously."
"Thea dealt with my divorce in an honest and practical way whilst also remaining sympathetic and sensitive to my state of mind - for this I am grateful."
"Thea provided the perfect mix of empathy and steely independence in ensuring that my interests were protected."
"I have always been thoroughly impressed by your professionalism, attention to detail and consideration throughout this challenging time, and for allowing me reach a far better, happier place."