The Family Court locations this site covers are Bristol, Gloucester and Weston-Super-Mare. If you or your child lives in or around these locations any court hearing is likely to be held in one of these courts. Below is some information about each of those courts.
In Bristol the Family Court is located in the Bristol Civil & Family Justice Centre on Redcliff Street, Bristol (shown in the picture on this page). You can find out about the court and how to find it here. It is easy to walk to from Templemeads Station or from the Centre of Bristol and the Bus Station and there is parking nearby (although much of it is short stay only).
Various services are located in the court that might be useful for people involved in family cases :
- Court Office (9.30-2pm Mon-Fri)
- Personal Support Unit (Supports people going through the court process without legal representation to manage their case for themselves through offering practical, emotional or moral support in hearings. Ground floor 9.30-4.30pm Mon-Fri).
- UWE Bristol Law Court Clinic (first floor), operated by students undertaking professional vocational law courses at UWE Bristol, dependent on volunteer availability
- A Free Advice Clinic runs every other Thursday, appointment only. Download a leaflet about the scheme here and book an appointment via the PSU. (Lawyers who wish to volunteer should read this blog post).
- LiP Service : University students run information sessions on court procedure, what to expect in court and preparation for a court hearing. The sessions include a tour of the court and run from 1-2pm. Applicants : 1st and 3rd Friday, Respondents : 2nd and 4th Friday. To book call 01483 216 571 (ask about LiP Service).
- The court holds open days for members of the public from time to time. We will put details of those on this site in the News section when they are coming up.
- Wifi hotspots are available but there may be a cost and users report the service is unreliable.
- Mobile phone signal within the building is very poor
Bristol is the biggest of the Family Court venues in the area, and much of the administration of the Family Court in the area is done here. It has fifteen courtrooms dealing with a range of family and civil cases.
These videos were filmed in Bristol and will give you some idea of what the court is like.
The other local courts are :
- Weston Super Mare, which is located in the North Somerset Courthouse in Worle, Weston Super Mare.
- Gloucester, which is located in Kimbrose Way, Gloucester.
- Bath, which is located at North Parade Road (opposite the Cricket Club, walking distance of train station and city centre).