Thanks for the links - these are links I've found and read repeatedly. I've even spoken to a law office who offered a free consultation.
This is what led me here to simply try to find somebody who has personally been through the same thing.
These legal articles, and having spoken to a lawyer. On the surface, they all start with the same thing - doom, gloom, no way through. Then, all of a sudden the talk of paying legal fees gets introduced by them - "if you want us to represent you, we can talk fee levels and we can help you find a way".
Reading between the lines - there is a way, and they're willing to get you there for a massive cost.
Since I'm not a fool (in spite of the tone of some of the responses), I understand the laws, the regulations and the red tape - but I also understand that there are real life cases that have yielded different results to those barriers.
A simple conversation with somebody who has encountered this scenario is what I'm seeking so together we can plan our approach and our next steps.