Family

“The team is a wonderful combination of knowledge and pragmatism. The lawyers know what they are doing and how to do it.” – Legal 500

“Clintons regularly acts for high and ultra-high net worth individuals.  The team frequently represents some of the most well-known individuals in sport, entertainment and business industries.”– Legal 500 2024

 

Clintons has one of the top ranked family law practices in the UK. We are well known for representing high-profile and high-net-worth individuals across a wide range of family matters, including financial matters arising from divorce or separation, disputes over child contact, adoption and surrogacy. Our team regularly advises on cases with complex, international elements and is well known for taking an innovative approach and creating tailored solutions to suit each client’s individual needs.  We will provide the highest standard of professional representation whilst being entirely supportive on a personal level during what we know can be a challenging time.

We are here to fight our clients’ corner and, where necessary, we do not hesitate to seek the assistance of the courts. We have a breadth and depth of experience in guiding cases through litigation at all levels and at all stages. However, we recognise that it is preferable and certainly more cost effective if cases can be resolved without litigation, so we also regularly take cases through alternative dispute resolution processes including mediation, collaborative law and arbitration. We only resort to litigation if we are sure that there is no viable alternative. 

 

Our Team

The Department is headed by Principal Jacqueline Major, a hugely experienced lawyer with over 25 years of experience.  Jacqueline is “in the top tier of family law solicitors.  Clients love and respect her judgment and she is a fearsome opponent”.  Jacqueline is referred to as “exceptional”, “brilliant” and “really knows her job” (Legal 500, 2024).

Principal Daniel Chalmers, a specialist in matrimonial finance work with over 15 years in private practice.  Dan has an established reputation for dealing with high profile clients.  Dan is “brilliant with clients and very sensible.  He fights a case if it needs to be fought and finds solutions to complex problems” (Chambers & Partners:  High Net Worth UK-wide 2024) and has been described as “very bright, and able to deal with clients and opponents alike.  He is able to cut through to what matters” (Chambers & Partners:  High Net Worth UK-wide 2024).

Consultant Liz Vernon is a hugely experienced lawyer with over 25 years in private practice. She is a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She has an established reputation for dealing with high profile clients from the sports, entertainment and media fields and their spouses. She is “a doyenne of the profession.  She is very knowledgeable and works on high-profile cases.  She’s very pragmatic, very client-facing and willing to go the extra mile” (Chambers & Partners:  High Net Worth UK-wide 2024).

Clintons has a highly skilled team of family lawyers including a “number of brilliant associates” including Jess Howard and Chiara Longo.

Marriage and civil partnership breakdown

Clintons has a wealth of experience in dealing with the financial consequences of marriage and civil partnership breakdowns. We regularly advise on complex cases involving businesses and trusts, both in this jurisdiction and internationally.  Where appropriate we can call upon associated experts with whom we work regularly, both here and in other countries, to provide sound support and robust solutions.

 

Relationship breakdown – unmarried couples

The breakdown of these relationships raises important and complex legal issues in relation to children and property. We provide a specialist service in relation to these issues which is supported by a depth of experience unrivalled in our profession.  We also advise on cohabitation agreements to minimise any negative impact in the event of a possible future breakdown of the relationship.

 

Pre and Post-nuptial agreements

As the instances of divorce rises, couples often seek to agree before they marry what might happen if the relationship were to come to an end.  We are regularly involved in drafting and advising on pre-nuptial agreements to try to ensure that our clients will be properly protected for the future.  We are also experienced in dealing with post-nuptial agreements for couples who wish to regulate their financial affairs after marriage.

Children

We specialise in advising on the difficult and emotive issues concerning children both during and after divorce.  All of our practitioners have a great deal of experience in this area and understand the importance of dealing sensitively with these issues while at the same time acting effectively to ensure the best possible outcome. We always strive to keep the best interests of the children at the centre of the work we do.

Adoption and Surrogacy

We are also available to provide advice to clients looking to adopt, both within the UK and from overseas. Further, Clintons has particular experience in international surrogacy arrangements, having recently acted in a reported case that went before Mrs Justice Theis in the High Court in 2019.

Specialists in this field

Contact.

Clintons

2 St Giles Square

London

WC2H 8AP

Email : info@clintons.co.uk

Tel : +44 (0)20 7379 6080

DX: 37978 Kingsway

Clintons is a Partnership.  Its only partners are Clintons LLP and C Legal LLP and it is Authorised and Regulated in the United Kingdom by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, under number 00045165.