The latest Today's Family Lawyer Podcast explores the increasing importance of specialising in certain areas of the law and being regarded as an expert in your field.

Kim Lehal, Partner and Head of International Children at RWK Goodman, is one of just 49 accredited firms on the Ministry of Justice's Child Abduction: Accredited Solicitors Referral List. As such she is regarded as an expert in International Children matters specialising in international abduction, cross border adoption, surrogacy arrangements and other children matters.

She explains how important it is to be seen as the expert; how clients are far more sophisticated and looking for the best representation. They have access to greater information about their lawyers via the web which makes building credibility all the more important.

On a practical level, the constantly evolving nature of law means becoming expert in just a handful of areas is much more achievable; gone are the days of writing a client's will in the morning, and dealing with a divorce in the afternoon.

And alongside legal expertise, tactical and practical advice is important to the role of the family lawyer. Understanding how a situation might unfold and preparing for it.

It is critical, says Kim, the public have trust and confidence in us as lawyers. We should be personable, honest, and have confidence in our own abilities. It is a relationship with a client and therefore both client and lawyer need to comfortable working together.

In a fascinating discussion Kim shares how she came into family practice, how she began to specialise in children, and the importance senior lawyers play as mentors to junior practitioners.

The Today's Family Lawyer podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider and at www.todaysfamilylawyer.co.uk.

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