- About me
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I am based in St Albans and am a senior Partner in the Family Department. I advise on medium to high-net-worth relationship breakdowns, whether that is for married or unmarried couples. I also specialise in Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA) cases.
Since 2000, I have been involved in a number of complex Schedule 1 Children Act applications coupled with claims under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act (TOLATA). I draft and advise on pre-nuptial, post-nuptial agreements and cohabitation agreements where clients look to protect their assets in the event of their relationship breaking down. At the other end of the spectrum when the relationship has broken down, I have dealt with wide variety of cases, including cases where there are; valuable public sector pensions, property development companies, GP practices, dentist practices, complex corporate and trust structures and farming cases.
I have been a collaborative lawyer since 2008 and have successfully collaborated with other solicitors on many cases over the years achieving for clients an outcome they are happy with, without having to engage in Court proceedings. I am one of the few specialist family solicitors in the country qualified to give an Arbitral award for parties looking to resolve the financial part of their relationship breakdown. Such awards are then converted into Orders of the Court. This is an accolade I am extremely proud of as I was one of the first groups of specialists to train and one of the youngest to become an Arbitrator.
In addition to my work as a family lawyer, I am the Risk Management Partner and Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP). This additional role enhances my family practice as I am further exposed to a diverse array of knowledge about other areas of law which benefit my family clients given that I am alive to compliance and regulatory issues thus resulting in an all-rounded force to be reckoned with.
I volunteer at The Citizens Advice Bureau providing free legal advice to those most in need and have done so since 2002. In June 2022, I was nominated for and awarded the Hertfordshire Law Society award for community engagement and thereafter within a few weeks was further honoured by having my name on the law building of the University of Hertfordshire as one of their most successful law graduates alumni.
I am pleased to be named in the Pro Bono Recognition list for 2024, a list that recognises barristers and solicitors that have completed 25 or more hours of pro bono work in the last year.
I joined Taylor Walton in 2018.
- I acted on a complicated Schedule 1 Children Act matter to assist a client in obtaining a home for herself and her children. This wasn’t a high net worth case and was complicated by the presence of little money outside of a Trust that was designed to keep assets out of reach. I secured for the client a home until the youngest child attained 18 and thereafter by making a further application under the Trusts of Land Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 application a percentage of the house on sale to the client to recognise her financial contribution. An amazing outcome in the circumstances.
- I acted collaboratively in complex high net worth divorce and after 5 roundtable meetings, and the assistance of a financial neutral to advise on a tax efficiencies, we reached an agreement saving my client thousands of pounds.
- I acted for a client on the Times Rich List; through skilled negotiation and a robust approach, I secured a more favourable settlement than what a Court would have ordered.
- I regularly take on cases from other solicitors where a client has lost confidence in their previous representation. Notably securing settlement for a client that had previous representation for 18 months and the parties were at an impasse. I concluded the client’s matter with a favourable outcome after negotiating a settlement within 3 months of receiving the client’s file – A very happy client.
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