Services
Family
We advise on all aspects of family law and are market leaders, as is reflected by our legal directory rankings, industry awards and strong track record. Our clients benefit from advice that is based on years of experience, in-depth understanding, up to the minute knowledge and discretion.
The consequences of the breakdown of a relationship are often highly emotive and require a special set of skills, both professional and personal.
Our specialist group features some of the best legal talent in the country and advises wealthy individuals on the financial aspects of relationship breakdown (which can involve complicated tax and trusts issues) and complex children cases, including international relocation.
No matter what your requirements, every client is assigned a dedicated partner as a main point of contact, who will gather a bespoke team of specialists to cover every aspect of your case drawing on the support of our tax, o Corporate and contentious trust teams where appropriate. From the very beginning, we will keep you informed of all developments giving you clear advice while taking a practical route to achieve an appropriate outcome.
All cases where children are involved require a high level of sensitivity, discretion and specialist knowledge, and our family experts have years of experience in this particular field. No matter what the complexity or background to the case, we will always seek to gain a clear understanding of the issues before seeking a child-focused, practical and workable solution.
We advise on all private law matters involving children, such as the time a child spends with each of his or her parents (and possibly other relations), which school he or she should go to, and other practical matters, as well as situations where one parent wishes to move abroad with a child.
Our reputation is for minimising stress and resolving the most complex of family matters. Throughout the process you will have a dedicated family partner as your main contact, always accessible, to give you regular updates and answer any questions in the strictest of confidence.
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 allows same sex couples to acquire the same rights as married couples through the registration of their civil partnership. We advise clients both on the rights and responsibilities that they will acquire on entering into a civil partnership and on the consequences of ending a civil partnership. If necessary, we will pursue or defend a civil partner’s rights through court proceedings.
In the same way that couples who are due to marry may enter a pre-marital agreement, we regularly advise clients who wish to enter into civil partnership agreements and we have considerable expertise in drafting and negotiating these agreements.
You will be assigned a dedicated partner as a main point of contact who will always be available to you and answer any questions you may have. We always take a practical approach to our work and will offer you the most appropriate and cost-effective solution.
When unmarried couples separate, significant issues can arise over the ownership of property and the financial provision for any children. Issues about where children are to live and spend their time following the breakdown of their parents’ relationship are also common.
Our team of family specialists has considerable knowledge and experience in these areas.
We also advise upon cohabitation agreements, which set out at the outset the financial arrangements intended by the parties both during the relationship and beyond.
Every client is assigned a dedicated partner as a main point of contact, who will always be available to you and answer any questions you may have. We always take a practical approach to our work and will offer you the most appropriate and cost-effective solution.
We are very experienced in resolving difficult financial claims between divorcing couples. Our advice will be tailored to your own circumstances whether through court proceedings or otherwise.
You will be given clear and realistic advice at an early stage, even in the most complicated cases.
We are sensible and will encourage settlement negotiations as soon as is realistic. You will receive objective and practical advice – we do not adopt a win at all costs approach.
Our lawyers enjoy a strong reputation for cases involving difficult issues with trusts, tax and private companies – often involving international issues.
A dedicated partner will be your main point of contact who will always be available to you and to answer any questions you have.
We are very experienced in resolving difficult financial claims between divorcing couples. Our advice will be tailored to your own circumstances whether through court proceedings or otherwise.
You will be given clear and realistic advice at an early stage, even in the most complicated cases.
We are sensible and will encourage settlement negotiations as soon as is realistic. You will receive objective and practical advice – we do not adopt a win at all costs approach.
Our lawyers enjoy a strong reputation for cases involving difficult issues with trusts, tax and private companies – often involving international issues.
A dedicated partner will be your main point of contact who will always be available to you and to answer any questions you have.
We act for many international clients and have considerable experience in the issues that arise. One of the most important of these is in relation to jurisdiction.
If you have links with more than one jurisdiction, you may have a choice about where to have a marital contract, and to start divorce proceedings and any connected financial claims. Where you pursue your financial claims can significantly impact upon your likely financial award and so can have significant financial consequences.
We will provide you with clear, concise and up to the minute advice about the options available to you so that you can make a prompt and informed decision.
Although not strictly binding in this jurisdiction, the use of pre-nuptial agreements has increased dramatically in recent times.
We are recognised leaders in the field of drafting pre-marital agreements, advising and negotiating all terms of the contract. We focus on understanding you and your requirements, negotiating and refining the agreement to suit you.
We understand the difficult dynamics and emotional issues surrounding these agreements and will act with sensitivity and discretion. With a partner as a main contact, you will always be able to speak to a senior lawyer about your agreement, who will be there to support and guide you through every step of the process.
All family law issues involve highly sensitive, private information. Following a change in the rules in April 2009, the media can now attend most family court proceedings. Whilst the media has shown little interest in the vast majority of cases, those involving celebrities and well known personalities are likely to attract attention.
It is sometimes possible to apply to the court for an order that the media do not attend, and our specialist reputation management lawyers within our media team are able to assist us in making such applications when necessary and appropriate.
We will also deal with issues where one of the parties in a family dispute wishes to publicise private matters.