Steve has a wide range of experience in private family law, including divorce,
finance and children matters and is particularly experienced in matters
affecting un-married families.
Although an experienced litigator, most of Steve's cases settle outside of the
court room. He is committed to achieving the best for his clients but to do
so in a way that produces an efficient, fair and positive result. He is a founder
member of Staffordshire Collaborative Lawyers and a strong supporter for
Alternative Dispute Resolution.
He was born and raised in the Wirral and his first degree was in Chemistry
from Oxford University, where he spent a year in post-graduate research. Having
decided on a career in the law, he completed his legal studies in Manchester.
Admitted as a Solicitor in 1988, Steve practised with RJ Kelley & Co, in Coventry
before he joined Nowell Meller in 1994. Managing Partner of Nowell Meller
from 1997 until its incorporation in 2005 and Managing Director since that date.
Steve was awarded an LLM in Advanced Legal Practice Management by
Staffordshire University in 2000 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Legal
Finance & Management. He divides his time between our Stafford and
Burslem offices.
Steve now specialises in Private Family Law, focusing primarily on private
client financial cases and is a Resolution Specialist in Cohabitation,
Pensions and Domestic Abuse. He was elected to Resolution's National
Committee in 2009 and elected National Treasurer in 2010. Steve is also
Chair of Resolution's Cohabitation Committee. He was a member of Lord
Lester's Advisory Group on the Cohabitation Bill introduced into the House
of Lords in 2008-2009 and is now Resolution policy spokesman on
Cohabitation law reform, appearing on national radio and TV in that
capacity.
Steve has experience as a trainer, writing and speaking on a range of
family law finance topics, most recently Cohabitation, Bankruptcy and Divorce
and Pre-Nuptial Agreements. He has contributed to Welfare and Family:
Law and Practice (emis professional publishing) and is a contributing
author to the Family Law Protocol (The Law Society (pub. 2010)) and
co-author of Cohabitation Claims - A Resolution Guide (pub. 2011).
Steve worked as Local Conciliation Officer for Staffordshire for
the Legal Complaints Service for some years until it ceased to exist in late 2010
helping clients to resolve their difficulties with their own solicitors.
Memberships:
- Resolution National and Executive Committees
- Resolution Cohabitation Committee (Chair)
- Resolution Staffordshire (Chair)
- Resolution Collaborative Practice Group
- Staffordshire Collaborative Lawyers
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
- Institute of Legal Finance and Management (Fellow)
- Law Management Section of the Law Society
- American Bar Association - Law Practice Management & Family Sections
- Strategy Board of Stoke Childrens' University
- Director and Honorary Treasurer of the North Staffordshire Law Society
When not working, Steve enjoys relaxing with a good book, films and the
occasional holiday.
Steve has a blog at http://stevekirwan.wordpress.com/
Steve is on facebook at http://facebook.com/steve.kirwan2
