“Leading LGBT+ specialist” Legal 500
Bridget Garrood (She/Her) trained as a solicitor with The Family Law Company (then Hartnell & Co) in 1992, and has circled back, re-joining in May 2025 as a Consultant Solicitor. She supports clients through many aspects of family law, but with a particular specialism in the financial consequences of family breakdown. For those who have neither married nor registered a civil partnership, her expertise extends beyond the family law jurisdiction, to the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA).
In addition to her longstanding specialism in the specific legal needs of LGBTQ+ family members, Bridget also welcomes the opportunity to accommodate clients with ADHD, autism and other neurodiversity.
She has trained in and committed to supporting all clients with a trauma-informed approach, which draws on her former role as volunteer counsellor and trustee of the Exeter Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Service.
She prides herself on
- her wellbeing role, supporting lawyers to support others, as a founder member of the Association of Family Law Supervisors
- her writing , including for LawCare and in Resolution Review’s Spotlight on Wellbeing
In her spare time Bridget can often be found bobbing about in the sea. Back on dry land, she indulges her weakness for musical theatre, whether treading the boards amongst the altos on local stages, or cheering from the audience in the West End.
Her work includes:
- Collaborative Family Law
- Pre-nuptial and pre-civil partnership agreements
- Cohabitation Agreements
- Advising LGBTQ+ clients on legal parenthood and family formation
- Civil partnership dissolution and divorce
- Representing trans and non-binary clients in family law matters
- Advising and assisting family law clients with relevant issues and applications under the Gender Recognition Act 2004
Professional Memberships
- UK& Ireland LGBT Family Law Institute
- International Academy of Collaborative Practitioners (serves on the IACP Learning and Excellence Committee)
- Resolution member since 1992 (currently serves on the Resolution Dispute Resolution Committee. Former chair of Devon Resolution)
- The Law Society LGBTQ+ Solicitors Network (Former committee member and project lead – Trans and Non-Binary Inclusion Project)
- Neurodiversity in Law
Qualifications
1984 BA (Hons) Exon (Soc St) – University of Exeter
1992 Law Society Finals – University of the West of England
1994 Admitted as a Solicitor by The Law Society of England & Wales
2005 Collaborative Foundation Training – Resolution
2022 Diploma in Family Law Supervision – FliP Faculty
