Wales’s largest firm of family lawyers – Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice – has continued to expand with the appointment of Claire Cooper as a qualified solicitor and Sophie Jardine as a new trainee solicitor.

The Cardiff based firm, which is also one of the UK’s leading specialist family law firms, was founded with just three solicitors in 1996 as the first law firm in Wales devoted entirely to family law.

It now has 12 female and two male lawyers, enabling it to give both a female and male perspective to its divorce clients.

The firm covers all aspects of family law including divorce and separation, children matters, finances and services for the elderly.

Ms Cooper joined the practice as a trainee solicitor two years ago, having obtained her LLB with honours at Swansea University followed by the legal practice course at Cardiff University.

She has become a specialist in dealing with financial disputes surrounding matrimonial issues, including cases with multiple foreign assets and co-habitee disputes. She also supports the firm’s partners with intricate high net worth cases and Children Act matters.

Ms Jardine completed her law degree at Cardiff University and the Legal Practice Course at the University of Glamorgan.

A graduate of Whitchurch High School, Cardiff, she joined the practice earlier this year as a temporary legal secretary, before being taken on this winter as a trainee solicitor.

Melanie Hamer, Joint Managing Partner of Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, said, “Claire has made a significant impact at the firm since she joined us and we are delighted to have appointed her as a solicitor following her qualification.

“Her excellent work on cases where there is an international financial element demonstrates has demonstrated her determination to provide considerable added value to the firm’s work.

“As for Sophie, she has been with us several months and has been recruited as a new trainee solicitor in recognition of her contribution to date and the continued increase in our workload across the practice.”

Welsh rugby may have found a perfect marriage with national coach Warren Gatland – but for an increasing number of fans, divorce is very much in the air.

That’s according to Wales’s largest firm of family lawyers, Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice of Cardiff, which is warning that the period around the Six Nations rugby internationals is now firmly established as one of the busiest divorce times of the year.

“We had our largest number of new clients ever last week,( an increase of 20% on our previous figure ) which of course coincided with Wales’s away match in Paris,” explains Melanie Hamer, Partner at the Windsor Place practice.

“Weekends such as those featuring rugby matches often bring tensions to a head and are unfortunately sometimes affected by excess alcohol consumption, which exacerbate any relationship problem that may already exist,” she added.

It ties in with previous research which showed that Welsh marriages suffer from too much sport with 15% of those interviewed citing hobbies such as sport as a problem, said Melanie , who has also counted a number of leading Welsh rugby stars among her clients in recent years

Figures from South Wales Police also show that incidents of domestic abuse increase during major sporting events because people drink more with 39% of cases of domestic violence involving alcohol.

The Wales Tackles Domestic Abuse campaign launched at the beginning of the Six Nations Campaign aims to encourage those suffering from abuse to break their silence and seek the support and protection they need.

Melanie, a family lawyer of 20 years said another contributing factor was that the Six Nations coincided with the period after Christmas, when families have stuck together for the festive period for the sake of their children.

"Issues will often rumble on for a few weeks after the new year period and come to a head when Welsh rugby enjoys its busiest period,” said Melanie.

“The last thing we want to do is put a dampener on any success Wales are enjoying on the field, but understanding divorce trends is important to society as a whole as well as professionals involved in supporting families at a difficult time.

“However, our advice is not to rush into divorce but to seek help from Relate or Family Mediation.”

Women were warned yesterday that being married can be bad for their health.

Scientists found that wives in strained marriages were prone to risk factors for heart disease stroke and diabetes.

However, the same was not true of their husbands according to the research.

Psychologists in the US studied 276 couples aged 40 to 70 who had been married an average of 20 years.

Each couple filled out questionnaires designed to assess the good and bad aspects of married life.

Among the positive influences were mutual support, emotional warmth and friendliness – while negative effects included arguments, feelings of hostility and disagreements over topics such as children money and sex.

Participants were also given ’depression scores’ based on self-reported symptoms.

Couples were then examined in a clinic where doctors measured the size of their waists took blood pressure readings and tested level of cholesterol triglyceride blood fats and glucose.

The tests determined whether or not the volunteers had ‘metabolic syndrome’ – a collection of symptoms known to increase the risk of heart disease stroke and diabetes.

In women, marital strain was associated both with depression and a larger number of metabolic syndrome symptoms.

But although husbands in unhappy marriages were also depressed they managed to avoid the adverse health effects suffered by their wives.

Researcher Nancy Henry from the University of Utah said: ‘We hypothesised that negative aspects of marriages like arguing and being angry would be associated with higher levels of metabolic syndrome.’

‘We further anticipated that this relationship would be at least partly due to depressive symptoms. In other words those who reported experiencing more conflict hostility and disagreement with their spouses would be more depressed which in turn would be associated with a higher risk of heart disease due to metabolic syndrome.’

‘We found this was true for wives in this study but not for husbands. The gender difference is important because heart disease is the number one killer of women as well as men and we are still learning a lot about how relationship factors and emotional distress are related to heart disease.’

‘The findings were presented yesterday at the American Psychosomatic Society’s annual meeting in Chicago and women in Wales said they were not surprising results.’

Melanie Hamer a family lawyer of 20 years of Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice in Cardiff said: ’When clients first come in to see me they are often at their worst when their marriage is dwindling. In the first interview the women are more emotional than the men. Sometimes it’s the first chance they get to offload their problems which have been going on for years. There’s still a traditional idea that women are the pivotal person in the family. They have more responsibility for the children. Women tend to like things organised and when you’ve got a bad marriage you haven’t got any security and stability.

‘After the divorce they usually have a new lease of life and sense of freedom. Women stay in a marriage longer than they should because of the children. It doesn’t do them any favours for their health, as it shows in the survey. I’ve had clients tell me they realised their marriage was going wrong five to ten years earlier. They sacrifice their own happiness,

‘I’ve had more women clients who are on prescribed medication then men, who’ve volunteered that information. That would seem to suggest that women’s health is more adversely affected than men’s. I’ve had clients who can’t eat or sleep because of the state of their marriage.’

There’s a lot of truth to the old saying “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”, as Silvio Berlusconi has found.

The billionaire media magnate has become the latest to suffer the backlash, after his wife Veronica Lario reportedly demanded a divorce at the most awkward of times.

The former actress hit out at her husband and confirmed she was seeking to end their 19-year marriage because she was fed up of the 72-year-old’s wandering eye for younger women. It came after he attended a birthday party for an 18-year-old model.

But Berlusconi is not the only other half to feel the effect of a peeved partner.

Spurned wives have hit the headlines here after cutting up their partners’ clothes and giving away their collections of fine wines.

In Wales there are numerous examples of women who have wreaked revenge on their husbands after they have strayed.

Melanie Hamer, a partner at Cardiff’s Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, has come across her fair share of incidents of spouses hitting back.

“I know of someone who went on holiday and took all the fuses out of the plugs to stop their partner using the electricity while they were away”, she said.

“One woman reported her husband to the tax man whereas another sewed prawns into the curtains before she moved out so the house stank of fish. Another lady painted her husband’s flash car with thick outdoor paint.

“I even dealt with one lady who’d been married 50 years. When I asked her when she knew her marriage was over she said “50 years ago”, and the reason for it was her husband’s flatulence – she’d put up with it for all that time but had finally had enough.”

She added: “People feel their worst during the process of a divorce and often behave their worst too. We do try to encourage amicable outcomes though, and try to dissuade clients from acting in a vengeful way.”

One South Wales woman, who asked to remain anonymous, admitted doing lots of little things to get back at her husband during their divorce proceedings.

She said: “I turned all his clocks back, including his wrist watch. So he was late for everything.

“I poured mouthwash into his aftershave bottle, put cactus needles on his pillow, and slashed all the backs of his leather sofas so he didn’t realise what I’d done until he went to move them.

“I liked the idea of doing something that my partner wouldn’t find out about immediately, because it gave me that anxious, exciting feeling of waiting for him to discover what I had done.

“My husband would also pick his nose when he was driving but would claim it was just dry skin, so one day I put real nasal waste on his steering wheel – it was a great feeling when he put his hand on it.”

The divorcee said she knows of friends who have cut up their husbands’ suits in an act of revenge, but would advise people not to do anything in the heat of the moment.

“If you’re determined to damage your partner’s property, firstly make sure it’s not criminal and secondly make sure that the item you’re damaging is not part of your settlement”, she added.

“I keyed all the sides of my husband’s car and was later awarded with it so I’ve learned from that mistake.

“It’s also very important to have someone with a good sense of humour like Ms Hamer to help you through your divorce.”

As for Ms Berlusconi perhaps she should bear in mind one word of warning from Ms Hamer.

“They do say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but men can be equally as bad.

“I know of a case where a judge told a couple their contents had to be divided equally, so the husband chopped all their furniture in half, including their expensive dining table”.

From 20 members when it was established three years ago, a club for businesswomen has grown to a membership of more than 500.

South Wales Ladies Business Club was started in December 2006 and it is now one of the fastest-growing business organisations in Wales, according to its founders.

With about 550 women involved, the club attracts several dozen to its regular meetings and – despite the effect of the economic downturn – continues to increase in numbers by the month.

It will stage its third annual charity ball in Cardiff in January, its annual Christmas lunch in December and will further aim to capitalise on its popularity when a new club website, www.southwalesladiesbusinessclub.co.uk, goes online next month.

The founders of the club – tax specialist Alison Hazledine, banker Rebecca Collins and lawyer Melanie Hamer – have remained closely involved and helped drive its rapid expansion.

Ms Hamer, managing partner of Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, Cardiff, said: “While everyone in the club is primarily involved because they are in business, we have not set out to put business issues and problems as our main reason for meeting.

“Instead we have tried to make it more of a social club, often with a charity fundraising initiative thrown in. We hoped in this way the club would be more popular – and it’s worked a treat.”

The club saw a gap in the market in 2006 for a female networking club as an alternative to the normal networking events which are sometimes dominated by men.

“However, many of its attendees and its organisers also attend the usual mixed networking events and this is most definitely not a feminist splinter group,” stressed Ms Hamer.

Ms Collins, corporate manager with Handelsbanken, Cardiff, said business problems and opportunities were inevitably discussed.

“Ideas to tackle problems and opportunities are not put on our club agendas but they are certainly an important part of the club activities, particularly given the recent business climate,” she said.

Ms Hazledine added: “Key to our success is that our meetings are informal and relaxed and give female professionals the opportunity to build a network with like-minded women. Interest continues to grow, and we are always pleased to see new faces.

“We know that many ladies have a busy working life, so attendance is not expected at every event and ladies are free to attend as few or as many as suits their diary.”

The club’s next meeting will combine a tour of Cardiff Bay Barrage with lunch at the Custom House, Penarth, on September 2; followed by a “Girls’ Night In” at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, Cardiff, on October 7, featuring drinks, canapés and a beauty demonstration in aid of charity.

The club’s Christmas lunch is on December 2 and its annual charity ball on January 29, 2010 at the Mercure Holland House Hotel, in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. For details email alison.hazledine@kilsbywilliams.com, mhamer@wendyhopkins.co.uk, or reco01@handelsbanken.se

Melanie has specialised as a family lawyer since 1989 and co-founded Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice LLP in 1996 as the first niche family law practice in Wales. Her previous background was in Eversheds, Cardiff. Melanie’s particular expertise is in dealing with divorces and cohabitee disputes for high net worth individuals. The Firm is top ranked in The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners where Melanie is also ranked as a “Leading Individual”. She is an accredited Member of Resolution and the Law Society’s Children’s Panel and is regularly interviewed on the radio.

A Facebook group formed as a discussion forum for the profession by a Cardiff lawyer has mushroomed into a 2,800-strong European legal network – in just a year.

The European Lawyers organisation launched by South Wales law professional Claire Cooper, was established to discuss issues commonly faced by lawyers in different jurisdictions.

As well as becoming a group with global membership, it has recently developed into an event management group for the European profession, and this weekend Ms Cooper will be a keynote speaker at its conference in Brussels.

It was launched on Facebook by Ms Cooper, a relatively recently-qualified young solicitor with Cardiff-based Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, along with Güvenç Ketenci of Ketenci Law Office, Turkey, and Alberto Alemanno an associate professor of EU law at HEC Paris University.

There are now more than 2,800 members from around the world, most of whom are lawyers and academics. However an increasing number of people without a direct connection to the legal world, such as accountants are now showing an interest.

“This has led to a dramatic increase in membership over the past few months and I suppose it would be fair to say the rate of growth has taken us all by surprise” said Ms Cooper, who since joining the Windsor Place practice has become a specialist in dealing with financial disputes surrounding matrimonial issues, including cases with multiple foreign assets and co-habitee disputes.

“We had an idea that Facebook was the best way to contact like-minded lawyers, but we were certainly not prepared for the immediate impact of social networking.”

European Lawyers successfully hosted a networking event in Paris in January this year, which attracted lawyers from around the globe and allowed them to forge new relationships on an international scale.

The next event is at Espace 53 in Brussels tomorrow and Friday when Ms Cooper, 26, will be one of the keynote speakers.

There will be networking events and lectures from six speakers on European Law.

Ms Cooper said “In the modern era of needing reliable and quick resources over many continents it is fundamental to lawyers to be able to rely upon good contacts in alternate jurisdictions

“It is hoped that the group will go from strength to strength and grow into an international organisation facilitating networking and lecture events across the globe.”

Melanie Hamer, joint Managing Partner of Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice said
“This is an excellent example of the power of internet networking for young professionals and I am not aware of a single professional initiative that has taken off at such a remarkable speed as European Lawyers.

“Claire is a first-rate advocate and has clearly made a significant impact on the legal profession after a short-time in it. Her efforts have also helped raise the profile of the legal profession in Wales and deserve to be widely applauded.”

The Brussels event information can be found at: - www.europeanlawyersevents.com and Ms Cooper can be contacted directly on claire.cooper@europeanlawyersevents.com.

Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra was last night urged to pay his childhood sweetheart a whopping £3m for just five weeks of marriage – or risk an even costlier courtroom showdown.

Leading divorce lawyer Melanie Hamer said the Bluebirds star’s model wife Heather Swan could be legally entitled to 50% of her hubby’s estimated £6m fortune – because they were together for seven years and have a baby.

And Ms Hamer of Cardiff-based Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice said she would advise the City marksman to settle out of court, or end up forking out massive legal fees. Ms Hamer, who has represented a host of footballers in divorce battles, said: “I think it’s a disaster when these cases get to court because the only people who win are the lawyers. The Heather Mills and Paul McCartney case was a really good example of how not to resolve these issues.  Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s split was a far better way of doing things. I certainly think Heather’s going to do really well out of this divorce, especially as they’ve got a young son.”

She said that if £25,000-a-week Chopra, who has battled a gambling addition, was her client, she would tell him: “Get a good lawyer then settle because the court costs are so huge.”

She added: “It’s stressful, especially when there are children involved, it’s time consuming and can end up in the papers.”

Goal ace Chops, 26, wed Heather, star of ITV2’s Wags Boutique, in front of 200 guests in a £150,000 ceremony at Orchardleigh House in Somerset last June.

But the pair clashed just hours after taking their vows and were still rowing at breakfast the next morning.

They argued throughout their Capri honeymoon with ex-Newcastle United forward Chopra returning to the UK and Heather flying on to Barbados.

They have been married for more than a year but are said to have been separated for months.

Ms Hamer said “Divorce courts in this country are some of the most generous in the world when it comes to wives. The starting point is equality and there are things that can shift the payout up or down.  Children always come first and the court wants to make sure the child is looked after in a decent house and, if the child’s with the mother, that she has plenty of money to live on.  In a long marriage the wife will do better than in a short marriage.  But in a case where they’ve ‘moved seamlessly from cohabiting into marriage’ the court will look at the length of the period of cohabitation.”

Ms Hamer said if the ex-Sunderland star and his wife lived together for all or part of the seven years they were together before tying the knot, that would count in the court’s judgment.

Just last month Chops who cost Cardiff £4m this summer, claimed he was “the happiest man in the world”.

He told Wales on Sunday: “Everything’s going fine, on the pitch and off. I went to America for four weeks with Heather and the baby Sebastian and enjoyed every moment of it.  Both Heather and the baby are still up in Newcastle as she’s working on finishing her website.  But whenever we get time off we see each other.  Once Heather’s website and business is up and running they’ll stay down here and we’ll settle here as I have a three year contract.  So things are looking great.  Football is going well and my life in general is going well.”

But now it looks like the relationship is finished for good.

Neither Chopra nor Heather were available for comment last night.

Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra has been urged to pay his childhood sweetheart £3m for just five weeks of marriage – or risk an even costlier courtroom showdown.

Divorce lawyer Melanie Hamer said the Bluebirds star’s model wife Heather Swan could be legally entitled to 50% of her hubby’s estimated £6m fortune for seven years and having a baby.

Ms Hamer, of Cardiff-based Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, said she would advise him to settle out of court.

Ms Hamer, who has represented a host of footballers in divorce battles, said “I think it’s a disaster when these cases get to court because the only people who win are the lawyers. The Heather Mills and Paul McCartney case was a really good example of how not to resolve these issues. Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s split was a far better way of doing things.  I think Heather’s going to do really well out of this divorce, especially as they’ve got a young son.”

She said if £25,000-a-week Chopra, who has battled a gambling addiction, was her client, she would tell him: “Get a good lawyer then settle because the court costs are so huge.”

Chopra, 26, wed Heather, star of ITV2’s Wags Boutique, at Orchardleigh House in Somerset last June

From 20 members when it was formed three years ago, South Wales Ladies’ Business Club has grown to a membership of 550, making it one of the fastest-growing business groups in Wales.

It will stage its third annual charity ball in Cardiff in January, its annual Christmas lunch in December and launches a new website www.southwalesladiesbusinessclub.co.uk next month.

Founders – tax specialist Alison Hazledine, banker Rebecca Collins and lawyer Melanie Hamer – saw a gap in the market for a female networking club.

Ms Hamer, managing partner of Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, Cardiff, said: “While everyone in the club is primarily involved because they are in business, we have not set out to put business issues as our main reason for meeting.  Instead, we have tried to make it more of a social club often with a charity fundraiser thrown in.”

Ms Collins, Cardiff-based corporate manager with Handelsbanken, said business problems and opportunities were inevitably discussed.

“Ideas to tackle problems and opportunities are not put on our agendas, but they are an important part of the activities, particularly given the recent business climate”, she said. 

Mrs Hazledine added: “Key to our success is that meetings are informal and allow members to build a network with like-minded women.”

The next meeting is a Girls’ Night In at Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, Windsor Place, Cardiff, on October 7, featuring drinks, canapés and a beauty demonstration in aid of charity.

Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice has announced further expansion, increasing its team of lawyers to 15.

The Cardiff-based family-law practice, has also admitted David James as its fourth Partner and promoted Kate Edwards to Associate level.

The new recruits are Sarah Wyburn, who has joined as an Associate, and law graduate Ciara Walker, a new trainee solicitor at the offices in Windsor Place, Cardiff.

The firm was founded with just three solicitors in 1996 as the first law firm in Wales devoted entirely to family law. It covers all aspects of family law including divorce and separation, children matters, finances and services for the elderly.

David James, aged 42, joined the firm from Cardiff commercial practice, Merrils Ede Solicitors, where he was the head of its Matrimonial Department.

Admitted as a solicitor in 1991, he has worked exclusively in family and matrimonial work and is a specialist in family law, including financial divorces.

Ms Edwards has made a significant impact since joining the firm in 2006 and has established strong links with several local women’s aid charities and is Chair of Pontypridd Women’s Aid. She specialises in supporting victims of domestic abuse and regularly lectures on the subject.

Having worked recently in Cowbridge, Sarah Wyburn has rejoined the firm as an Associate. She last worked for the firm between 2000 and 2006 and qualified as a solicitor in 2002. She has considerable experience of high net asset and high-profile cases.

New trainee solicitor Ms Walker has already undertaken considerable pro bono work for the National Centre for Domestic Violence and completed her Legal Practice Course in the College of Law in Chester with a commendation

Joint Managing Partner Melanie Hamer said, “As the firm continues to enjoy strong growth, it is more important than ever for us to secure the services of the best legal talent and reward the achievement of those within the practice.

“These promotions and appointments reflect the progress we have made in recent years and the market-leading position we have held for a considerable period in Wales.”

Leading divorce lawyer, Melanie Hamer, said the behaviour of Katie Price and Peter Andre during their break-up is typical of a lot of divorces. “While one person in the relationship moves on quite quickly, often the decision-maker, it normally takes the other party much longer to adjust to the situation” she said.

“I suspect Peter had been thinking about ending the marriage for a while and had probably spent a lot of time behind the scenes sorting it out. It hit Katie like a bombshell, but instead of admitting she was struggling to catch up, she put on a brave face and went round saying she was glad to be rid of him. She was really hurt and wanted to hurt him back, so it’s no surprise she started behaving in a silly way and bad-mouthing him”.

Ms Hamer, a partner at Cardiff-based Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice, said she would also advise patience – rather than rushing into a divorce. “If they push too hard and too quickly it will backfire and things may become nasty and difficult,” said the mother-of-two. If I am acting for the person who’s had the decision thrust upon them, I advise them to take time to deal with the situation and not feel bullied into rushing things through. I always give couples options, including that of reconciliation. Some give it a go and it fails, but at least they’ve tried to patch things up. It’s important not to rush into things too quickly. Because Katie and Peter are in the public eye, I think they were desperate to get the divorce petition in first so they could say, ‘Haha, I’m the one divorcing you, it’s your fault’. There was a lot of ego involved”.

Ms Hamer has dealt with a number of couples who have thought they wanted a divorce, but after giving it a bit of time and thought, have opted against it. She said “One of the saddest cases was an elderly couple. The husband suddenly decided he wanted a divorce, which was completely out of the blue for his wife, so she defended it and eventually they got back together. However, he died not long after they reconciled. They’d spent a year in a divorce battle and he died a few months after it was sorted. What a waste of 12 months of their lives together."

"Another couple had been married for many years, but then the wife discovered her husband had been unfaithful on a number of occasions. Although she was upset, they decided to try and reconcile because they’d been together for such a long time, and at the moment, it’s working”.

The divorce lawyer has also dealt with partners who have rushed though a divorce, and then decided to get back together again.

“This is really sad because they spend a huge amount of money on splitting but then change their mind and decide to give it another go”, she said.

“They could’ve saved all that money had they not just taken time to talk things through and patch things up before rushing through with a divorce. “Take Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor for example – they married each other twice”.

She added: “People don’t realise what’s involved in a divorce. I think you need to get both husband and wife on the same page and in the same emotional state before going through with it so it can be dealt with amicably and not aggressively and so each party can come out of it with their dignity intact”.