Northern Family Law Support
Our People
David Pickup
(Founder)
David established Northern Family Law Support when he was approached by a person in a desperate situation, suffering from domestic abuse, who was trapped due to being unable to obtain legal aid and unable to afford the astronomical rates charged by solicitors. Within 6 days he supported her in making an application to the family court, attended court and successfully secured court protection from further abuse. It was life changing for that person.
David soon realised there were many other people in the same situation who were in desperate need of support in family law proceedings who also didn’t qualify for legal aid and simply could not afford solicitors.
David’s journey into family law began in 2011 when he met a divorce lawyer who would become his future wife. At the time she was working as a sole practitioner. David worked with her to develop a firm that within 4 years became the UK’s second biggest specialist family law firm. Through this David worked with his wife on hundreds of family law cases, from the straightforward to the highly complex.
This came in useful when David and his wife divorced several years later. David successfully represented himself in numerous proceedings against her to resolve complex disputes around finances and child arrangements.
David moved back to his native North East and spent time establishing a property company, while at the same time training to become an FCA Regulated Debt Advisor before going on to found Northern Family Law Support.
David is a Cambridge University graduate who before entering family law was Managing Director of companies such as Mr Kipling, Hovis, and Innocent Drinks.
In summary, Northern Family Law Support was inspired by David’s understanding of family law, knowing how to represent himself as a litigant in person, seeing the immediate impact of his advice on transforming someone’s situation, and hearing tales of others in the North East being trapped and unable to move on with their lives due to being unable to obtain legal aid and unable to afford solicitors.
Mariia Medvedieva
(Operations Manager)
Mariia is the Operations Manager for the business, responsible for all back office work including information technology, accounts, invoicing and billing. Prior to Northern Family Law Support, Mariia founded a successful on line retail business specialising in children’s games and toys.
Free initial 30 minute consultation
Where to find us:
Northern FLS Ltd,
11 Orchard Terrace,
Chester le Street,
DH3 3JU
Call Us:
+44 (0)7342 979477
Email Us:
help@northernfamilylawsupport.co.uk
Get in touch
See What Our Clients Say...
I simply cannot thank David enough for all of his support
Response from the owner 15:58 05 Nov 25
Hi Gillian It is my absolute pleasure to support you on your case. Step by step we will get there! Kind Regards Dave
Response from the owner 15:58 05 Nov 25
Hi Megan thank you for your review. Very much looking forward to supporting you on your case in the future. Kind Regards Dave
Firstly this is an honest and true review as always, what can I say but this I am truly honored and privileged to have met Dave at Northern Family law he is the most genuine honest guy and from day 1 he has had my best interests at heart his knowledge of family law is absolutely outstanding but moreover he is a compassionate and caring person who will give you his honest verdict I can’t recommend him highly enough all I can say is this if you are ever in a situation where you need this kind of help and guidance look no further than Dave at northern Family law he is the best by far
Response from the owner 08:00 01 Oct 25
Hi Andrew thank you so much for sharing this and for such kind feedback. Having been through divorce myself twice before, I know what people are feeling and going through, and helping people through their situation, on every step of the journey, to get to a better place, is what motivates me and drives me. 
I instructed David because of other reviews and I was not disappointed. The quality of his applications, written statements and analysis was incredible. I have used family solicitors before and David is just better. The one thing I was nervous about was speaking in court as he is a Mckenzie Friend so cant speak for me. I should not have worried. For each of my three hearings he worked with me to prepare a verbal summary to read to the judge. In court I answered the judges questions about things only I knew the answer to , but when legal questions came up I was able to ask Dave how to respond. The judges are fine with this. I cannot recommend David enough. Thank you for everything
Response from the owner 07:52 25 Sep 25
Hi Nick I was very proud of how you spoke in court. Your confidence grew hearing by hearing. The family court is nothing like the criminal courts or how courts appear on TV as you discovered. it is much more supportive; no gowns or wigs! The Judge was patient with you, listened to you, and gave you time to speak to me in court when you needed help. What really worked too was that you were in control of what you said to the Judge but your ex wasn't. She used a solicitor who made several factual mistakes and one major gaff and you ex could do nothing about it as she had representation so could not speak in court to correct the solicitor. We got a great outcome and it was a real pleasure working with you. Stay in touch but I hope that we never have to meet again in a professional capacity!
Dave is a brilliant support. He really takes the time to get to know every detail needed and provides extensive knowledge. Not only is his guidance excellent but he's also a great moral support. I would recommend him to everyone going through the family court process.
Response from the owner 13:33 12 Sep 25
Hi Ailsa It was a pleasure working with you and supporting you over the last few months. You were great to work with and were fantastic in court. So glad we got to a good place and a good outcome for you. 
Would highly recommend David, he helped with child arrangement order, he is brilliant at what he does, thank you so much
Response from the owner 07:57 16 Aug 25
thank you so much Lisbeth. I am just really pleased that you got the outcome that is in the best interests of your family. Thank you for choosing to work with us and thank you for your recommendation. All the Best Dave 
Dave helped me with a DV case. He was personable, knowledgeable and helpful. He gave me confidence in court and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him. Will definitely being using him again moving forward. Thanks again.
Response from the owner 18:18 14 Aug 25
Hi Christine it was lovely meeting you and I am glad you felt confident with me alongside too. You were fantastic in court, and I am glad we will be working together in the future as and when you need me. Thank you once again. Best Regards Dave
Dave was very helpful and informative from the start! He made me feel at ease with my the process and kept me up to date with everything! He replies are very quick - which does help when your feeling anxious
Thank you Dave for your everything
Thank you Dave for your everything
Response from the owner 20:35 15 Jul 25
Hi Hannah thank you for such a kind review. We do our best to be accessible and reply quickly. If you need us we are there as you know, whatever time or whatever day. It is a pleasure helping you and continuing to help you.
I am beyond thrilled with my experience with Dave at Northern Family Law Support. With a divorce, I looked at options with solicitors and was dumbstruck and beaten by the fee's they were asking. In reality, i didn't need a solicitor, I needed a legal advisor to hold my hand through the whole process and tell me what to do. This isn't a service I could find anywhere else is my area?
Dave was incredibly reassuring and supportive throughout the whole process, especially me being on the autistic spectrum I struggled a lot with what to do. He listened to my story and advised me on the best way to proceed with my case. Me, my daughter and my family are incredible grateful for his help!
All this, and he is only a fraction of the cost of what a solicitor would have cost me. He is a legend and I will definitely recommend his services.
Dave was incredibly reassuring and supportive throughout the whole process, especially me being on the autistic spectrum I struggled a lot with what to do. He listened to my story and advised me on the best way to proceed with my case. Me, my daughter and my family are incredible grateful for his help!
All this, and he is only a fraction of the cost of what a solicitor would have cost me. He is a legend and I will definitely recommend his services.
Response from the owner 22:11 17 Jun 25
Hi Jack thank you for your feedback and such kind words. It was a pleasure and a privilege to both meet you and your family and help you navigate through your case, and to achieve the right outcome for you and your family. All the very Best Dave Northern Family Law Support 
Highly recommend, Dave has been a huge support to my auntie and has made what felt like a really complex process simple. He takes the time to listen and understand and has been excellent and keeping in touch with both myself and my auntie as I support her through this process. Thank you Dave
Response from the owner 16:15 24 Apr 25
Hi Jessica thank you for these words. It was a real pleasure to meet your Auntie and help guide her through this work, and I will of course be keeping a close eye on matters through to their conclusion. All the very best David Northern Family Law Support 
If I could add more stars I would! 5 is simply not enough , Dave is very supportive listens to everything and makes the whole process of court smooth and straight forward I felt in safe hands , he is very intelligent and knowledgeable! Knows what he is talking about , he is just brilliant , 1000 percent recommend and will only use Dave moving forward
Response from the owner 13:21 08 Apr 25
Hi Alex. Thank you so much for these lovely words. We achieved a lot in the last 24 hours and it has been a pleasure working with you and seeing such good progress on your case. All the very best. Dave 
From first speaking to Dave I knew we had made the right choice as a family for the best support throughout family court. Dave listens, writes and understands extremely well and is always very professional in all aspects. Dave was always there for reassurance and made a difference to our lives and helped guide us through one of the most difficult times. We cannot recommend him enough! If you need support and reassurance northern family law is the support you need. Thankyou for everything ❤️
Response from the owner 16:50 09 Feb 25
Hi Rebecca Thank you so much for your lovely message. It has been a real pleasure supporting you and your family over the last 6 months and getting to know you all on this journey. I am just so pleased for you all that you got the right outcome too in what were very complex proceedings. Thank you for choosing us and thank you for recommending us. All the best for you and your family in the future. Dave 
Absolutely brilliant service provided by David from start to finish every stage was explained in layman's terms helping to get through a particularly stressful situation very professional and also very affable
Response from the owner 07:48 22 Dec 24
Hi Jon. Thank you so much for your message. Delighted to work with you and help you through this. All the Best Dave
Dave is an extremely knowledgeable guy.
He is very friendly and supportive, a good listener and also really good at bringing valid points to the table.
He is much cheaper than solicitors, I cannot recommend him enough.
He is very friendly and supportive, a good listener and also really good at bringing valid points to the table.
He is much cheaper than solicitors, I cannot recommend him enough.
Response from the owner 12:19 20 Dec 24
Hi Barry Thank you so much for your review. It is a pleasure working with you and your family on your case and I look forward to supporting you in reaching a conclusion. All the Best Dave
Response from the owner 12:21 20 Dec 24
Thank you Rebecca. Have a lovely Christmas and New Year with your family and we will catch up in the New Year. All the Best Dave
Dave sorted me out a really good deal on my divorce. He supported me in the negotiations , helped me do the form E and then all the papers at the end to send to through to the judge to get a final consent order.
Response from the owner 22:11 06 Oct 24
Hi Damian. Thank you for the feedback. Glad you were pleased with the outcome! 
David helped me out when I needed to get a Child Arrangements Order when I moved to a different part of the country. Me and my ex could not agree on a plan so he made the application for me, went to court with me and helped secure a new contact arrangement for me and my child.
Response from the owner 16:28 06 Oct 24
Hi Meg. Thanks for you review. It was a challenging case and one where I am delighted you got the outcome you wanted. 
David helped me resolve a very complicated situation involving an international element. He is really good at problem solving and working out what to do in complex situations. Cant recommend him highly enough !
Response from the owner 20:40 27 Sep 24
Thanks Jennie. Pleasure helping you on this. 
Dave is amazing. His knowledge of family law is vast. He is friendly, a good listener, writes really well and is able to work out the really important points to bring to the judge. He is much cheaper then solicitors. I would not hesitate to recommend him.
Dave was amazing and supportive. He has vast expertise and is very knowledgeable. While my world was falling apart, Dave was with me all the way. He is so caring. He helped me with domestic abuse, my divorce, finances and child custody issues. I totally recommend him.
Provided an excellent and affordable service to make my divorce application and also helped me sort out child custody
I was in an abusive relationship. I was quoted thousands of pounds by a firm of solicitors to go to court to try and get protection. I couldnt afford this. David did the work with me for much less. He wrote the application with me, wrote my witness statement with me and came to court with me. I got the protection I needed. Recommend him. He is very understanding, friendly and writes very well. I could not have done this without him. Thank you !
