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Harriet Errington

Harriet Errington_010web

Partner
Family

+44 (0) 20 7079 8378 download vcard
Harriet Errington_010web

Harriet is an accomplished family law partner, experienced litigator and skilled negotiator.

She has been advising clients at the Firm for over a decade, steering them sensitively and assuredly through complex personal matters. She has been widely recognised for her achievements by the legal directories including Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.

Harriet’s practice covers all aspects of family law, including divorce and the financial consequences of relationship breakdown, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, children disputes and cohabitation claims. Harriet has particular expertise in international cases, specialising in complex financial disputes involving high net worth individuals. Harriet has acted for some of the wealthiest and high profile families in the Middle East and Europe.

Harriet also specialises in complex international private children law matters including international leave to remove and child abduction cases. These cases can be highly emotional, but Harriet guides her clients through them sensitively and assuredly.

Complimenting her vast experience of litigation and dispute resolution, Harriet is also an adept settlement negotiator. She has helped clients obtain a range of positive out-of-court settlements, including the negotiation and agreement of complex financial settlements, resolving children disputes in a sensitive and positive manner as well as successfully negotiating the terms of pre- and post-nuptial agreements.

Areas of Practice

Family & Divorce, Divorce, Financial Claims in Divorce, Children, Pre & Post Nuptial Agreements, Living Together Agreements, Divorce with a Private Business, Trusts & Divorce

Track Record

Acting with James Ferguson and Katie Male for the wife in the case of KA v MA (prenuptial agreement: needs) [2018] EWHC 499 (Fam), [2018] All ER (D) 92 (Apr) concerning the extent to which a court should uphold the terms of a pre-nuptial agreement which the wife sought to disregard. Taking into account all of the circumstances of the case the court largely overturned the pre-nuptial agreement, on the basis that it failed to meet the wife’s reasonable needs, and provided the wife with an award of £2.73 million, well in excess of the provision in the pre-nuptial agreement

Acting for the husband in the case of Iqbal v Iqbal [2017] EWCA Civ 19 concerning the husband’s appeal against six orders made during the course of long-running divorce proceedings. All of the orders, which had been made in the context of financial remedy proceedings spanning over six years, were successfully overturned by the Court of Appeal in favour of the husband

Acting for the wife in the case of AB v CB [2014] EWHC 2998 (Fam) concerning the wife’s claim to property held in trust by the husband’s family

Acting for a high net worth wife in divorce and financial remedy proceedings against a husband who was a director and shareholder of an international publicly-listed company. The case involved complex issues regarding the parties’ pensions in light of recent changes imposed by HMRC. Other assets included various properties situated in England and overseas and substantial shareholdings in other companies held by both parties

Acting for the mother in abduction proceedings resulting in her successful relocation from South East Asia to England

Awards & Rankings

Chambers UK, Ranked Individual, 2022

Legal 500, Next Gen Partner, 2021 & 2022

Spear’s Family Law Index, Recommended, 2021

Chambers HNW, Up and Coming, 2020

Citywealth Future Leaders, Family Lawyer of the Year – Senior/Managing Associate – Silver, 2019

Chambers UK, Associate to Watch, 2020

Legal 500, Rising Stars, 2020

Citywealth Future Leaders Top 100, 2019

Chambers HNW, Associates to Watch, 2017 – 2019

Citywealth Future Leaders – Shortlisted, 2017 & 2019

Publications

International Arbitration Journal

New Law Journal

STEP Journal

Tolley’s Estate Planning

Memberships

Resolution

Education & Qualification

University of Bristol and University of Wurzburg

Qualified as a solicitor in 2009

Acting with James Ferguson and Katie Male for the wife in the case of KA v MA (prenuptial agreement: needs) [2018] EWHC 499 (Fam), [2018] All ER (D) 92 (Apr) concerning the extent to which a court should uphold the terms of a pre-nuptial agreement which the wife sought to disregard. Taking into account all of the circumstances of the case the court largely overturned the pre-nuptial agreement, on the basis that it failed to meet the wife’s reasonable needs, and provided the wife with an award of £2.73 million, well in excess of the provision in the pre-nuptial agreement

Acting for the husband in the case of Iqbal v Iqbal [2017] EWCA Civ 19 concerning the husband’s appeal against six orders made during the course of long-running divorce proceedings. All of the orders, which had been made in the context of financial remedy proceedings spanning over six years, were successfully overturned by the Court of Appeal in favour of the husband

Acting for the wife in the case of AB v CB [2014] EWHC 2998 (Fam) concerning the wife’s claim to property held in trust by the husband’s family

Acting for a high net worth wife in divorce and financial remedy proceedings against a husband who was a director and shareholder of an international publicly-listed company. The case involved complex issues regarding the parties’ pensions in light of recent changes imposed by HMRC. Other assets included various properties situated in England and overseas and substantial shareholdings in other companies held by both parties

Acting for the mother in abduction proceedings resulting in her successful relocation from South East Asia to England

Chambers UK, Ranked Individual, 2022

Legal 500, Next Gen Partner, 2021 & 2022

Spear’s Family Law Index, Recommended, 2021

Chambers HNW, Up and Coming, 2020

Citywealth Future Leaders, Family Lawyer of the Year – Senior/Managing Associate – Silver, 2019

Chambers UK, Associate to Watch, 2020

Legal 500, Rising Stars, 2020

Citywealth Future Leaders Top 100, 2019

Chambers HNW, Associates to Watch, 2017 – 2019

Citywealth Future Leaders – Shortlisted, 2017 & 2019

International Arbitration Journal

New Law Journal

STEP Journal

Tolley’s Estate Planning

Resolution

University of Bristol and University of Wurzburg

Qualified as a solicitor in 2009

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Recommended by Harriet

3 min read 21 Dec 2021 Princess Haya divorce: difficult for Sheikh to avoid paying a large part of record £554m settlement, say lawyers

In CityAM, Bloomberg Wealth, The Law Society Gazette and Spears, Family Partner, Harriet Errington comments on today’s record £554m divorce settlement awarded to Princess Haya in her divorce from Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

 Read more 11 min read 06 Dec 2021 Relationships: Life on the edge?

In the recent edition of the Family Law Journal (Legallease), Family Partner, Emily Brand explores whether there should be legal reform to protect the rights of ‘throuples’.

 Read more 5 min read 22 Nov 2021 Divorce & the family business: The lessons that can be learnt from The Archers

As the divorce storyline in the country’s favourite radio soap opera, The Archers, unfolds Family Partner, Harriet Errington highlights that the best way to ensure that family business assets are protected in the event of a divorce is to enter into a pre-nuptial agreement, which ring-fences the shares and provides alternative ways of meeting the other party’s needs.

 Read more 4 min read 15 Nov 2021 Call for legal reform after surrogacies fall

Prior to Covid, surrogacy had been steadily on the rise in recent years. Parental orders, which transfer the parentage of a baby born to a surrogate mother to the intended parent, rose 17% from 441 in 2015/16 to 520 in 2019/20. However, coronavirus-related restrictions, for example on travel, have led to the first drop since 2014/15.

 Read more