Areas of Practice
Track Record
Acting with Harriet Errington 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 HNW fund manager husband in his financial remedy proceedings following his divorce (B v B (2013) EWHC 1232 (Fam)in a two week trial in the High Court, which is now the lead authority on how valuable private equity funds are to be treated in HNW financial remedy proceedings following a divorce
Acting for Mr Don Gallagher, a male civil partner in the case of Lawrence v Gallagher [2012] EWCA Civ 394 which was the first civil partnership financial relief case to reach the High Court and subsequently the Court of Appeal. The case was widely reported in the media, being the first of its kind
Awards & Rankings
Spear’s Family Lawyers Index, Top Recommended , 2019 – 2022
Chambers UK, Ranked Individual, 2017 – 2020, 2022
Legal 500, Leading Individual, 2018, 2020 – 2022
Chambers HNW, Ranked Individual, 2017 – 2021
Tatler HNW Address Book 2020, Specialist in Family Law and Founding Partner
Spear’s Family Lawyers, Distinguished Individual, 2018
Education & Qualification
University of Nottingham
Qualified as a solicitor in 1983
Recommended by James
In The Times, Family Partner, Emily Brand reflects on the delays in the Family Courts and how this increases the financial and emotional cost for the parties involved.
Read more 9 min read 20 Jun 2022 300 years of family life – science, sex or psychology?In a recent edition of the ThoughtLeaders4 HNW Divorce magazine, Partner, Emily Brand and Associate, Genevieve Smith provide a detailed account of the diverse and illuminating panel discussion the team held around modern relationships, love, sex and marriage to celebrate the firm’s long and illustrious history.
Read more 3 min read 06 Jun 2022 The Surrogacy Landscape Podcast – Episode Three, The Future.In Episode Three, Family Partner, Harriet Errington welcomes Barrister, Andrew Powell and intended parent, Stuart Armfield to delve into the future of surrogacy. Harriet, Andrew and Stuart explore some peculiarities with the laws surrounding surrogacy in the country and consider what intended parents might want to change, what could be adopted from other jurisdictions and what reform might look like in the future.
Read more 8 min read 26 May 2022 Marriage renegotiation: the rise of post-nuptial agreements and ‘relationship MOTs’ amongst long-married couplesIn The Telegraph, Family Partner, Emily Brand considers ‘relationship MOTs’ and post-nuptial agreements for long-married couples.
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