Michele Zerbino Consultant Family Solicitor

Michele is a highly experienced family law solicitor. After qualifying in 1990, she spent many years working within the court service, gaining extensive experience in both criminal and family law, before specialising exclusively in family law. During her time with the court service, she progressed to the role of Legal Team Manager in South East Wales, where she managed all family legal advisers and provided legal training to both lawyers and magistrates.

Areas of Expertise 

• Child arrangements orders, determining where children should live and with whom they should spend time
• Parental relocation cases, including applications to move with a child within the UK and abroad
• Specific issue orders, such as disputes about a child’s name, education, or other important decisions
• Prohibited steps orders, including preventing a child from being taken abroad or changes to schooling
• Declarations of parentage
• Applications involving grandparents’ and other family members’ rights
• Non-molestation orders
• Occupation orders

Approach to work and clients

Since moving into private practice in 2022, Michele has continued to build on her substantial court experience, offering clients the benefit of insight from both a judicial and advocacy perspective. She undertakes as much of her own advocacy as possible and is regularly called upon by the court to conduct cross-examination on behalf of unrepresented parties, particularly in cases involving allegations of domestic abuse.

Michele’s approach is flexible and client-focused. She recognises that some matters require urgent action, while others benefit from a more measured pace, and she adapts her approach accordingly. She is known for giving clear, realistic advice about likely outcomes and, while she is always prepared to litigate where necessary, she strongly advocates for mediation as a first step and views court proceedings as a last resort.

She prides herself on providing consistently child-focused advice and on her ability to help parents reach agreement wherever possible. Michele firmly believes that arrangements agreed by parents themselves are more sustainable and more likely to support a child’s long-term welfare and relationships with both parents and extended family.

Career highlights

A recent career highlight includes successfully representing a father in a multi-day contested relocation case, enabling him and his son to move away and begin a new chapter together despite opposition.

Outside of work, Michele enjoys keeping fit and spending time with her two rescue dogs.