O'Sullivan Family Law - Hove

Robert Price

Throughout the very difficult process Jo was supportive, skilled, pragmatic, and most importantly, strove for fair outcomes. Highly recommend her.

Chaun Wilson

Jo is a highly professional, perceptive and non-biased practitioner - I truly believe had we found her earlier, our separation and divorce would have been far less painful and our relationship may even have been saved.

Using mediation and working collaboratively, Jo worked really hard to understand the underlying issues causing dispute and driving our behaviour and decisions. Though sensitive to our individual emotions she appropriately challenged any misconceptions and misunderstandings we had and was invested in finding a middle ground that worked in everyone’s best interests.

Though not out of the woods yet her advice and support has been invaluable and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone considering or currently separating.

Sarah Taraz

I have been in contact with Jo at various points during the past three years. From the start, she provided excellent advice and guidance on the issues in question and I would not hesitate to recommend her services to others. Jo was supportive and explained things clearly during the difficult process of going to court. She worked diligently on the case and kept me informed and up to date. Jo has also helped me to link in with other professionals relevant to the circumstances following the court case which has been greatly appreciated.

K H

Jo is an excellent lawyer and lovely lady. She does her best to ensure conflict resolution, but when this is not possible (as in my case) Jo ensured that the entire process was as painless as possible.
Since my case was quite lengthy it was very reassuring to know that I could rely on her 100 per cent to get back to me on a range of issues.
She is very efficient and this makes her extremely cost effective too.
Another reassuring thing about Jo is that she really knows her stuff and was clear and honest about potential costs and outcomes from the start.
I have no hesitation in recommending Jo and her firm.

Danni Crayford

Really disappointed. I reached out for some legal support at a stressful time of my divorce and I felt batted away at the first opportunity. As I only wanted minimal legal support, it seemed obvious that this was perhaps not going to be lucrative enough for Jo to bother with.

T H

Your solicitor should at least attempt to manage your expectations during a divorce. My collaborative divorce process with Jo was an unmitigated disaster. It ended over 5 months ago, allowing me enough space to now share my experience in a practical and advisory manner.

If you are considering using Jo to represent you in the collaborative process I strongly advise that you read on.

At our first meeting she appeared sympathetic to my situation. Jo recommended that I use the collaborative divorce process, in which she was qualified to be my representative. This is where you and your ex meet around a table, each with a solicitor qualified in the process as counsel, to discuss how you will separate and untangle your shared assets and finances.

Unfortunately, as my specific situation proved complex, (children, a shared house and business) it became apparent that she represented me and my interests very poorly, all but advising me to take the increasingly ludicrous demands of my ex 'on the chin'. The sympathy seemed to dry up pretty fast too. If I questioned any decision or advice given by Jo she was quick to become very defensive over what she had/hadn't said.

Perhaps she was distracted, but in collaborative meetings she appeared stumped by the belligerence and aggressive nature of my ex (and her counsel) offering no real work around - and rarely reprimanding them for failing to collaborate, cooperate, compromise or even be civil - all of which the process requires.

Jo often took days to respond to telephone and email questions and even famously failed to show up for one timetabled collaborative meeting, leaving me to represent myself (!) in the meeting until she got into the office.

In my opinion, my ex and her solicitor seemingly ran rings around Jo in a series of meetings, climaxing with Jo encouraging me to accept an unscheduled and out-of-the-blue settlement ultimatum from my ex.

I was then, thankfully, invited to seek a second opinion. My new lawyer questioned almost every aspect of the settlement proposal that I had been encouraged to accept deeming it most unfair.

Also, having discussed my situation with her colleagues, my new solicitor raised serious concerns about the way that the collaborative process had been administered.

I consider myself extremely lucky that I did not agree to the first settlement proposal. When I reported the list of raised queries back to Jo, she questioned the legal expertise of the second opinion solicitor (I supplied Jo with the new solicitor's web biography - a partner in a highly successful firm, and advisor to the government on family law) and Jo even went on to joke: "Well, I look forward to seeing what a judge will make of these proposals in court" - in other words, she disagreed fundamentally with my new legal counsel.

The collaborative process subsequently collapsed. Hugely disappointing and a considerable waste of time and money. If you are in a divorce situation, and especially if you are considering the collaborative approach, you owe it to yourself to consider other options.

Needless to say, I have been infinitely happier with my new solicitor. May your journey through your divorce be smoother and better advised than mine was.

M Mills

Jo has supported me through a straightforward divorce and more recently complex issues around child maintenance, I cannot rate her highly enough.

She is very much a people person so throw away any stereotypes you have about stuffy legal type solicitors when working with her.

She’s perceptive, listens, explains the legal minefield in a language you will understand and will support you in the decisions you make. She won’t make those decisions for you but gives clear and informed options to enable you to.

Jo works in a collaborative style, but does step up and play hard ball when she needs to. She knows her stuff and how to get the outcome that works for you. She’s very clear on managing expectations, the shenanigans of the other parties and at least with me ‘says it like it is’ which I really appreciate!

She manages paperwork and communication efficiently and keeps on top of costs throughout the process so you can budget.

All in all, she has made a very stressful time much more manageable.

C Speak

I cannot recommend Jo more highly in what was a very emotionally hard process. Her support was over and above what I would have expected from a divorce lawyer. She was quick and efficient in all aspects of the process. I can honestly say I think I was very lucky to find her.