Praised for its ‘unparalleled service’, B P Collins LLP fields a team that is well-equipped to handle matters involving domestic abuse, behavioural issues, pre and post-nuptial matters, co-habitation, and high conflict divorces. The team is headed by the ‘experienced, personable, and reassuring’ Laura Mortimer, who brings substantial experience in prenuptial matters and divorces, and is particularly well versed in supporting high and ultra-high-net-worth clients and children. Emma Leavesley is a specialist in financial matters who has expertise in strategy and asset protection, notably for neurodiverse clients and those suffering with mental illnesses. The team has been strengthened by the arrival of Javita Malhotra in September 2024; she holds a strong reputation as a contact for vulnerable women seeking financial advice.

Debenhams Ottaway is noted for its ‘ability to balance expertise and empathy’ when handling a range of family law matters for a client roster that includes high-net-worth individuals. In particular, the team is strong in matters that often involve business interests, child arrangements, and divorces surrounding significant assets. In St Albans, the team is jointly spearheaded by Natalie Lester and Stacey St Clair; Lester is a recognised authority on high-value cases involving financial matters and divorce proceedings, and is a key contact for business owners and wealthy families, while St Clair, leverages decades of experience in divorce and financial matters which are at the intersection of inheritance, corporate, and pension issues. Helen Young has recently retired.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors stands out for its ‘personability, focus and dedication’ in a range of family and matrimonial cases, and it retains a ‘unique position’ in immigration, housing, and public law proceedings. Dividing their time between Harrow, Milton Keynes, and Luton are co-heads Krina Parmar, Adeeba Naseem, and Alia Lewis. Parmar brings substantial expertise in complex public and private law matters, including emergency child protection, trafficking, FGM, forced marriage, and international abduction, and regularly acts in culturally sensitive, complex cases involving serious harm and non-accidental injury. Naseem is a specialist in complex international and domestic family law proceedings, with niche expertise in child abduction, surrogacy, and adoption matters, regularly appearing in the High Court and acting for a diverse client base, ranging from legally aided individuals to high-profile international clients. Lewis is noted for her deep expertise in public law care proceedings involving neurodivergent children and parents, and she champions accessible legal representation through advocacy, training, and policy work.

Maintaining a reputation as a ‘regional full-service firm’, Machins Solicitors LLP‘s team is well-versed in supporting high-net-worth individuals, international clients, technology entrepreneurs, farmers, and television producers across a range of private family law matters. Co-head Kathryn Ainsworth is adept at handling complex divorce, financial remedy, and child arrangement matters. Co-head Paul Owen leverages decades of experience at the intersection of family law and financial matters, boasting noted experience in advocating in court proceedings. Sarah Ashby is another notable figure.

The ‘first-class’ team at Rayden Solicitors has a strong regional presence across St Albans, Berkhamsted, Beaconsfield, Bishop’s Stortford, and Harpenden, and it leverages this to support a wide range of clients, particularly high-net-worth individuals. Katherine Rayden founded the firm in 2005, and retains a reputation as a leading expert in high-value and multi-jurisdictional family law matters, specialising in complex financial disputes, international children cases, and pre and post-nuptial agreements. Berkhamsted-based head Emily Watson specialises in complex private children law matters, including international relocation, cases involving serious allegations, and arbitration, and she also advises on high-value financial cases, prenuptial agreements, and TOLATA claims, often resolving disputes through alternative dispute resolution methods. Adept in divorce cases that often involve sensitive child matters is Paula Butterworth, head of Harpenden office, whose workload frequently includes leave to remove and fact-finding hearings; she often resolves cases through collaborative law, arbitration, and private FDRs. Rupinder Rai, co-head and founder of the Beaconsfield office, is a key contact for complex multi-jurisdictional matters.

‘A powerhouse for family law’, SA Law LLP maintains a ‘strategic and knowledgeable’ approach to its cases, which include high stakes, multi-jurisdictional work, often involving clients with mental and physical ill-health. The team is headed by Marilyn Bell, who is an accredited expert in complex financial provision and multi-jurisdictional family law, specialising in high-value cases, surrogacy, and multi-faceted financial issues, supporting clients in sophisticated cases involving domestic abuse, business structures, international assets, and vulnerable clients, and newly promoted Kiran Beeharry, who is recommended for his asset tracing skills, financial strategies, and handling of sensitive cases, excelling in complex financial settlements and high-stakes cases involving children and vulnerable clients.

Offering ‘proactive, accessible, and straightforward’ legal guidance, Taylor Walton LLP‘s family law team regularly handles complex domestic and international work, and is recognised as a premier choice for handling matters through constructive and non-confrontational NCDR solutions, such as mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law. Practice head Will Mercer is recommended as a ‘standout in his field’, bringing expertise in high-value financial disputes, especially those involving farming and agricultural assets, as well as divorce, children matters, cohabitation disputes, and nuptial agreements. ‘Regional star’ Olive McCarthy is noted for her expertise in complex financial situations, particularly complex farming divorces, and regularly advises high-net-worth individuals on matters involving business assets, land, property, and third-party interests, often through collaborative resolution. Tamara Glanvill regularly handles arrangements for children following divorce or separation, while also offering expert advice on pre and post-nuptial agreements and cohabitation planning.

Blaser Mills Law ‘offers the kind of service comparable to central London firms’ and regularly handles high-value financial remedy proceedings which involve sensitive elements, such as children, high-conflict personalities and neurodiverse individuals. Marlow-based Lucinda Holliday has extensive experience in high-net-worth divorce, complex financial disputes, and high-conflict personality cases, and is well-versed in supporting clients in wealth protection, cohabitation agreements, and child arrangements, alongside her work as an accredited and child-inclusive mediator. Naim Qureshi excels in high-net-worth matrimonial finance and complex private law children cases, bringing extensive experience in multi-million-pound asset dispute. Sadie Glover joined the team in April 2025, and now leads the practice.

Praised for their ‘wide breadth of experience in all private law family matters’, Collins & Hoy Solicitors house a department that is highly adept at handling the full range of family law mandates, including divorce proceedings, cohabitation, civil partnerships, financial matters, domestic abuse and pre and post-nuptial agreements. The team has been strengthened following the acquisition of Goodwins Family Law Solicitors in March 2025. The team is jointly led by Bernadette Hoy and Aisling Collins; Hoy maintains a regional reputation for her high-net-worth and complex litigation work, and has particular strengths in financial disputes involving international and intricate business structures, as well as sensitive Children Act matters such as parental alienation, allegations of harm, and domestic abuse. Collins is recommended for handling complex financial disputes and often uses a range of dispute resolution methods, including collaborative law and mediation.

Praised as a ‘first-rate’ firm that ‘goes the extra mile’, Crane & Staples LLP offers a rounded public and private family law service, including advice on financial disputes, children matters, nuptial agreements, and domestic cases. The team is jointly headed by Danielle Peters and Sian Churchill. Peters specialises in private family law, bringing particular expertise in high-value financial proceedings, complex asset divisions involving property portfolios, business interests, and pensions, as well as maintenance variation, domestic abuse cases, and complex private children disputes involving serious abuse allegations. Churchill maintains a reputation for her work in public law care proceedings, notably those involving allegations of child abuse.

The family team at Howes Percival LLP is a go-to practice for high-net-worth clients, locally and internationally, and maintains a robust track record for its comprehensive offering that encompasses complex financial cases, complex children issues, wealth preservation cases, and nuptial agreements. Gemma Evans directs the Milton Keynes team and brings substantial experience in complex financial matters, including Schedule 1 proceedings, as well as challenging Children Act cases, such as international relocation.

Credited for offering a ‘balance between legal excellence and client care’, Neves possess broad family law capabilities, from complex financial matters arising from divorce, cohabitant disputes, and nuptial agreements, to intricate children disputes. The team is headed by Beth Woodward, a seasoned divorce specialist who is well-equipped to handle matters involving business portfolios and trust-based assets. Emily Pope excels in high-stakes cases involving elements of international relocation, child abduction, freezing injunctions, and cross-border financial disputes, with a notable expertise in parental alienation and intractable hostility cases.

Lauded as a ‘strong team with good depth’, Nockolds Solicitors maintains a strong regional reputation in complex children and financial matters, leveraging the strength of its Spanish office to extend their reach internationally. The team is headed by Lynn Cowley, a leading figure in children matters, who brings additional expertise in pensions, cohabitation, and cases with a Spanish element. Peter Dodd regularly appears before different levels of court, handling cases involving high-value divorces, finances, and complex children issues.

Highly capable at ‘servicing the needs of the whole spectrum of family cases’, Stowe Family Law LLP houses a team that regularly acts for high-net worth individuals and families, and their representation of these clients in financial matters and complex cases is a specialism of note. The team was strengthened by the acquisition of Hawkins Family Law in June 2024. In St Albans, Rachel Watson heads up the team operating across an array of sectors, with a particular strength in complex financial remedy cases, especially those involving inherited assets after separation and TOLATA disputes. Milton Keynes-based Helen Taylor leverages decades of family law experience to regularly handle complex financial settlements involving businesses, trusts, pensions, and international assets, as well as private law children matters, including abduction cases. Annabel Hayward joined the firm in 2024 and brings expertise in prenuptial agreements and cohabitation disputes, with a focus on complex asset structures and inherited wealth.

Noted for their ‘pragmatic and human’ approach to family law cases, Tees Law regularly assists clients with a range of matters, particularly those involving agricultural land and farming assets. Bishop’s Stortford-based Sally Powell heads the team, boasting strengths in complex financial issues involving businesses, farms and trusts, private children disputes, prenuptial agreements, cohabitation disputes, and collaborative law settlements. Adept in mediation work is Helen Midgley, who focuses on families facing relationship breakdowns.

Collins Solicitors fields a team with an ‘outstanding personal approach’ to an array of public and private child proceedings. Team head Danielle Messenger brings ‘exceptional professionalism and competence’ in complex financial disputes arising from divorce and separation, private children disputes, cohabitee disputes, and pre-nuptial agreements, combining strong technical expertise with exceptional client care. ‘Go-to’ solicitor Donna Downes leads the public children law team and is a key contact for representing children, parents, and extended family members in complex and high-risk cases involving serious harm.

The ‘brilliant team’ at Longmores Solicitors LLP boasts a ‘well-rounded’ offering, from complex family matters to intricate divorces involving trust structures, tax issues, business interests, investments, and complex disclosure and privacy challenges, as well as drafting pre and post-nuptial agreements and negotiating arrangements for children, including UK and international relocation cases. Tracey Dargan leverages decades of experience in family law to head the practice and represent directors, professional athletes, high-net-worth individuals, and homemakers in high-value, complex cases.

The ‘consummate professionals’ at Pictons Solicitors LLP bring broad expertise in family law matters. The team is headed by Siobhan Rooney, a seasoned divorce specialist, who is lauded for her work with mid to high-net-worth individuals in cases involving international elements. Josephine Duchenne draws on decades of experience in civil and commercial litigation, and family law to advise on cases at the intersection of these fields.

Praised for ‘going the extra mile’, the Milton Keynes-based family team at Shakespeare Martineau LLP is led by Jane Charlton. Adept in handling high-value and complex financial matters, Charlton maintains a reputation for her work involving international property, family businesses, trusts, farms, inherited assets, and pre and post-nuptial agreements, as well as complex children cases, including those involving sexual abuse and parental alienation.

‘Fierce advocate’ Bindu Malkan heads up the family team at VWV in Watford, regularly acting for regional and international clients, including mid to high-net-worth individuals. Malkan’s particular expertise lies in cases involving divorce, financial settlements, international assets, cohabitation disputes, maintenance variations, and children matters, and often advises clients with significant business and global interests.

Bastian Lloyd Morris Solicitor Advocates‘ family public law department is jointly headed by Milton Keynes-based Syvil Lloyd Morris and Clair King. The firm maintains a local reputation for its work involving child protection cases, Children Act proceedings, domestic abuse cases, serious child harm, and sexual abuse matters.

K J Smith Solicitors fields a strong reputation ‘both locally and across the South East’ for their family law offering. St Albans-based co-head Laura Gusatu is well-versed in drafting prenuptial and cohabitation agreements, as well as handling contentious issues, such as divorce, cohabitation disputes, and domestic violence. In Beaconsfield, co-head Anna Ferro is a key contact for matters involving divorce, separation, children matters, marital agreements, and complex financial disputes surrounding substantial UK and international assets.