FINANCIAL REMEDIES JOURNAL - Key Persons
Alice Thornton is a family barrister at Coram Chambers who specialises in all areas including public and private children cases as well as financial remedy proceedings.
Job Titles:
- Barrister at St Ives Chamber
Andrew Day is a barrister at St Ives Chambers, Birmingham, and a Recorder, arbitrator and private FDR evaluator.
Ashley is the most experienced specialised divorce and financial remedy junior barrister and private FDR judge in the North West. Having been the first on Circuit to specialise exclusively in such work almost three decades ago and a Recorder in crime and family cases for 27 years, he has been recognised nationally as a leading barrister in high value financial remedy work and an innovator in practice generally. He also has many published articles in leading law journals to his name and is the author of the acclaimed section on Prenuptial Agreements in the standard legal textbook "Cohabitation, Law, Practice and Precedents" and has presented seminars both in this country and abroad.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Financial Analyst and Director of Mltpl
Ben is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Director of Mltpl. He previously worked at a leading global disputes and valuation practice and brings a wealth of experience in the preparation of expert reports and supporting analysis, in both family and commercial disputes.
Charlotte John is a Barrister at Gatehouse Chambers. Charlotte's practice focuses on Chancery and property litigation and encompasses both traditional Chancery and commercial work. She has particular expertise in matters concerning the administration of estates and trusts, contentious probate, real property as well as Court of Protection property and affairs matters.
Chris Goodwin is a senior actuary and expert witness for pensions on divorce matters with Mathieson Consulting. He has over 30 years of experience in the UK pensions industry, holds a PGCE in the teaching of mathematics and has also taught economics to actuarial students at the Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing.
Daniel Mutton is a barrister at 29 Bedford Row, with a practice primarily focused on financial remedy proceedings, along with experience in private children applications.
David is a Partner, Mediator and Collaborative Lawyer at Burgess Mee Family Law. He deals with all types of family law work including advising upon divorce and separation, matrimonial finance (often involving substantial assets and/or with an overseas element), Schedule 1 applications (financial provision involving unmarried parents), pre-and post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation disputes and complex private children matters (including internal and international relocation). He has a particular specialism in 'intervenor' cases involving third parties asserting an interest in matrimonial assets where he has acted for individuals both for and against the claims being made.
District Judge Sheren Guirguis sits at Liverpool Civil and Family Court, sitting exclusively on family cases, including complex financial remedy cases. As a barrister, her practice was predominately family finance work.
Edward is a pupil barrister at specialist family chambers, 1 King's Bench Walk, and begins the practising period of his pupillage in April 2022. Prior to beginning pupillage, Edward worked as a paralegal in a London family solicitor's firm, during which time he contributed to articles and blog posts in the sphere of matrimonial finance.
Elissa has been a practising barrister for over three decades, having worked in the law for almost 50 years. Practising from New Court Chambers, she is a specialist in matrimonial finance and TOLATA claims and also takes on private law children work, particularly relocation cases, both domestic and international. Although a fearless advocate, Elissa is committed to non-court dispute resolution and is a qualified mediator, collaborative lawyer and Family Law Arbitrator (Finance).
Emily Ward is a barrister specialising in family law practising from Broadway House Chambers. She sits as a Deputy District Judge, is a qualified Arbitrator, and acts as a Private FDR practitioner/evaluator. Emily is the Secretary of the Yorkshire and Humber FLBA Committee and is a member of the Farquhar Committee and the President's Transparency Implementation Group. Outside of her court practice Emily is part of the writing team at Butterworths Family & Civil Law Service, and is a co-author of Cohabitation: Law, Practice and Precedents.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Family Law at Bristol University
Emma Hitchings is a Professor of Family Law at Bristol University and has undertaken a range of empirical studies on financial remedies and family justice issues. She is the co-editor of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law and is co-author of Bromley's Family Law (OUP, 2021).
Farhana is a Director in the Family Law Partners London office and joint head of the team based in Marylebone. She is an accredited family law specialist, a collaborative lawyer and a qualified mediator. Farhana has extensive expertise across the full family law spectrum, including divorce and separation, cohabitation and children cases. She has additional skills in supporting clients in same sex relationships, modern families and clients from a faith background, including those of Jewish or Islamic heritage.
Fiona is a barrister at QEB. She acts in all aspects of private family law including financial remedies, cohabitation disputes, private law children and applications brought under the Family Law Act 1996. She has experience of jurisdiction disputes and also in Inheritance Act claims.
Gillian Douglas FBA is Professor Emerita at The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London and an Honorary Bencher of Gray's Inn. She is a co-author of Bromley's Family Law, and a former co-editor of Family Law case reports and the Child and Family Law Quarterly. She has led several empirical studies into aspects of family law, including financial arrangements on cohabitation breakdown. She recently chaired the JUSTICE Working Party on Improving access to justice for separating families.
Job Titles:
- Head of the Family Department at BBS Law
Graeme Fraser is Head of the Family Department at BBS Law (incorporating OGR Stock Denton) and has been supporting, guiding and enabling people to achieve fairer outcomes, often at a difficult time in their lives, for over 25 years. He is renowned for improving protections for cohabiting couples through his practice, through his work with Resolution as Chair of its Cohabitation Committee and through commentary in the media.
Gwynfor is a barrister at The 36 Group and a member of both the Chancery Bar Association and the Family Law Bar Association. He specialises in financial remedies (MCA 1973 and CA 1989 Sch 1), trusts of land, proprietary estoppel, probate / inheritance disputes, and presumption of death claims.
Helen is a barrister and arbitrator at Pump Court Chambers working in the fields of matrimonial finance and inheritance, trusts and estates. She complements that with private Children Act 1989 work. She writes and lectures frequently on matters of interest, including document manipulation, cryptoassets, financial provision for adult children and issues arising in TLATA and proprietary estoppel. She has a particular interest in Italian law and culture.
Henrietta Boyle is a family law barrister at 1 Hare Court, specialising in financial remedy cases.
Holly is a barrister at 5 Pump Court whose practice focuses on financial remedies and TLATA 1996. From 2020 to 2021 she was a judicial assistant in the High Court (Family Division) and was involved in some of the most high-profile cases during the period. Holly regularly speaks at seminars on a variety of topics and provides training to other legal professionals.
Jemma is a partner in the Family team at Russell-Cooke. She advises clients on a broad range of family matters including divorce and financial matters following separation and pre and post-nuptial agreements, often with an international element. She has a particular specialism in Schedule 1 cases regarding financial provision for children alongside property disputes between both separating couples and family members. Jemma also has extensive experience in private law children matters including international relocation cases.
Jennifer Lee is a specialist family law practitioner at Pump Court Chambers. She has a thriving practice in the area of family finance, and has successfully represented high net worth clients in cases involving family businesses, inherited wealth, substantial pensions, nuptial agreements, and trusts. Many of her cases also involve foreign assets, tax complications, and cross jurisdictional issues, such as the validity or otherwise of an overseas marriage or divorce, or competing claims in multiple jurisdictions (including cases pertaining to Asia and Africa). Jennifer also sits as a fee-paid Judge in the Tax Chamber (FTT).
Jo is a partner and Head of Family at Mayfair firm Forsters LLP. She specialises in financial remedies on divorce for high net worth couples, both in the context of complex litigation, often with an international element, and in her mediation practice. She also has extensive experience in children work. A former Chair of Resolution, Jo heads its Family Law Reform Group and in that role has lobbied for law reform, given evidence to parliamentary committees and has featured extensively in broadcast and print media. She is currently involved in the Fair Shares project and working with various not-for-profit organisations on the Parents Promise initiative.
Joe is a junior barrister at QEB. He has a specialist matrimonial practice, with a focus on financial remedies and cases brought under TLATA 1996. He has appeared in several well-known reported cases and writes and lectures frequently on a variety of topics.
Jonathan is a pensions actuary with 18 years of experience in the UK pensions industry. He qualified in 2009 and serves as a Principal at Mathieson Consulting Limited, the leading provider of actuarial expert witness services in England & Wales, specialising in pensions settlements arising on divorce. His earlier career was spent as a corporate pensions actuary with PwC, advising employers on pension scheme liability management, scheme funding and benefit design.
Judith was admitted as a Solicitor in 1993. She was appointed as a Fee-paid Legal Member of the Family Health Service Appeal Tribunal in 2002, becoming a Fee-paid Judge of the First Tier Tribunal, Health Education and Social Care Chamber (Primary Health Lists) in 2010. She was appointed as a Deputy District Judge in 2007 and District Judge in 2014. She sits in the CJC Manchester solely within the Family Jurisdiction and covers Public and Private law and Financial remedy complex work. She also is a tutor for the Judicial College and the District Judge representative on the Family Justice Council.
A barrister at 1KBW, Katherine advises and acts in all areas of matrimonial finance and has experience in dealing with complex cases involving high net worth and high-profile individuals. She advises and acts in relation to claims brought under Sch 1 of the Children Act 1989. She also practises in all areas of private law children work where she has experience in dealing with complex cases involving internal and external relocation and intractable contact disputes.
Job Titles:
- Associate Solicitor at Vaitilingam Kay
Kathryn is an associate solicitor at Vaitilingam Kay. Kathryn is experienced in the financial and children issues that arise from relationship breakdown. She has worked on many complex financial cases, and has been involved in a wide range of international cases that require consideration of competing legal systems.
Laura is a barrister at 1KBW whose finance practice encompasses matrimonial finance, cohabitation disputes, applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 and related enforcement proceedings. She is regularly instructed in cases involving business assets, trust structures, intervening parties and allegations of non-disclosure. She also acts on all aspects of private law proceedings relating to children including intractable contact and residence disputes, allegations of abuse and parental alienation, applications for leave to remove and internal relocation, fact-finding hearings, and surrogacy.
Job Titles:
- Solicitor and Partner at the International Family Law Group LLP
Michael Allum is a Solicitor and Partner at The International Family Law Group LLP. He specialises in finance cases with a particular emphasis on matters with an international element. He is also regularly instructed on cases regarding financial provision after an overseas divorce (Part III).
Mr Justice Peel is a High Court Judge of the Family Division and National Lead Judge of the Financial Remedy Court. He was previously a barrister specialising in financial remedy cases.
Nicola is a non-practising barrister specialising in all aspects of financial matters in family law dispute resolution, conducting Private FDRs and Early Neutral Evaluations, as well as offering independent opinions in collaborative law cases.
Job Titles:
- Certified Financial Planner and Director of Oak Barn Financial Planning
Paul Cobley is a Certified Financial Planner and Director of Oak Barn Financial Planning. He specialises in providing pensions on divorce advice and is a member of The Pension Advisory Group and Resolution's Pensions, Tax and Financial Remedy committee. He also works as an adviser with the early dispute team at The Pensions Ombudsman.
Pieter is a partner in the Real Estate team at Russell-Cooke. He advises developers, investors, charitable organisations and private individuals based in both the UK and abroad on a wide range of commercial real estate transactions, including site assembly, development, the acquisition and disposal of investment assets, landlord and tenant matters, and real estate finance.
Polly is the sole author of the textbook Morgan's Family Law (Oxford University Press 2021) and contributes the chapter on financial remedies to Lamont's Family Law (2nd edn Oxford University Press 2022). An associate professor at UEA Law School, Polly is also Director of the multi award-winning UEA Law Clinic. A solicitor and law firm co-founder, she now practises exclusively in the free family law advice clinic of Norfolk Community Law Service. She is a Transparency Project committee member, former Chair of collaborative pod Good Divorce Group Norfolk, and a former committee member of the Norfolk & Norwich Law Society and Norfolk Resolution.
Rebecca is a partner in the Private Client group at Russell-Cooke advising families and individuals on all aspects of private client law including wills, estate planning, administration of estates, trusts and powers of attorney. She specialises in advising family lawyers and their clients on trust and tax issues that arise in the context of family breakdown as well as advising multi-generational family businesses and entrepreneurs on succession planning, and is a director of Russell-Cooke Trust Company
Rebekah is a junior barrister at Pump Court Chambers. Rebekah is regularly instructed in private family law proceedings and has a keen interest in financial remedies.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Editorial Board & Journal Editor
Rhys Taylor is a barrister at The 36 Group and 30 Park Place. He is a member of the Family Procedure Rule Committee and the Pension Advisory Group. Bencher of the Inner Temple. Contributing Editor to The Family Court Practice and co-author of Pensions on Divorce: A Practitioner's Guide. Regular lecturer including to the Judicial College. Rhys is a Recorder, arbitrator, mediator and a neutral/evaluator in the private FDR setting. He tweets @RhysTaylor32
Roger Isaacs is an award-winning chartered accountant and experienced expert witness. He is a partner in Milsted Langdon LLP, a regional accountancy practice with offices in London and the South West of England. Roger lectures and writes regularly on accountancy related topics in the context of separation and divorce.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Law and Socio - Legal
Rosemary is Professor of Law and Socio-Legal Studies at Kent Law School at the University of Kent.
Sam Hillas is a senior member of SJB's matrimonial finance team, dealing exclusively with financial remedy work. Commended by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 as a "charismatic and client-friendly advocate" who "works like a Trojan", Sam specialises in high net worth and/or complex cases, especially those involving marital agreements, trusts and corporate structures, cases involving non-disclosure and Schedule 1 Children Act.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Dawson Cornwell
Sarah Jane Lenihan is a partner at Dawson Cornwell in the matrimonial team. She has far-reaching experience in family law, specialising in financial remedies advising individuals with substantial income and assets with complex international elements, and a variety of financial, business and trust structures. Sarah Jane has a Family Law Advanced Accreditation from the Law Society, demonstrating her specialist knowledge in family law with a particular expertise in financial remedy and domestic abuse.
Shannon Knight is a barrister at 29 Bedford Row, specialising in financial remedy proceedings and private children matters.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Milsted Langdon
Simon has been a Partner at Milsted Langdon since 2008. The breadth and depth of his expertise covers many areas, from insolvency and business recovery to specialist advice for the Cannabidiol (CBD) sector. Whilst he continues to deal with insolvency matters, having spent many years dealing with businesses facing financial challenges, he now uses the experience gained to help clients in a wide range of circumstances, assisting when decisions need to be made and then helping to ensure those decisions are implemented.
Sir James Lawrence Munby is a retired English judge who was President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales.
Sir Paul Coleridge is a former High Court Judge of the Family Division.
Stephanie Coker is a barrister at FOURTEEN. She specialises in financial remedies following the breakdown of a relationship (including TOLATA matters), complex private children matters and international family law. Outside of practice, she was awarded a PhD and has acted as an Associate Lecturer where her teaching responsibilities spanned across family law, land law and foundations of property.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Financial Planner, Fellow of the Personal Finance Society
Tamsin Caine is a Chartered Financial Planner, Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and Resolution Accredited Divorce Specialist Financial Planner. She founded Smart Divorce in February 2018 and now spends the majority of her time working with divorcing and separating couples (as a financial neutral) and individuals. She is on the national Resolution Innovation Committee and the local Greater Manchester Resolution committee.
Thomas Rodwell is a forensic accountant and business valuation expert who provides economic and financial advice. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Society of Share and Business Valuers. He is regularly appointed as an expert to opine on issues of finance and valuation and is the founding member of Rodwell Disputes Advisory (RDA), a leading boutique advisory practice for commercial and matrimonial disputes.