The Family Business Disputes Forum 2025

Juliet leads the dispute resolution team. With her City expertise and contacts, Juliet brings a high level of client focus and service capability to our excellent dispute resolution practice.

Juliet’s practice comprises a broad spectrum of commercial disputes, but she has particular expertise in insolvency, banking litigation, private equity and professional negligence claims. Juliet regularly handles high value litigation in specialist divisions of the High Court, often being instructed to act against or alongside major UK or international firms and has been involved, acting for the claimant, in a number of high profile cases in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Juliet’s focus is on insolvency litigation, private equity and the alternative lending markets, as well as shareholder and boardroom disputes. Juliet also has extensive experience in acting for lenders and insolvency practitioners on high profile professional negligence cases.

Freddie has extensive experience advising clients in relation to divorce and separation, financial claims, nuptial agreements, cohabitation and issues relating to children. Clients value Freddie’s clear and strategic advice and his ability to handle matters sensitively and discreetly.

Freddie acts for high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals and their spouses and partners. He has a wealth of experience advising bankers, private equity professionals, landed estate owners, individuals with inherited wealth, business owners, as well as homemakers and full-time parents. Freddie has acted for a number of high-profile individuals for whom discretion is a key consideration.

Freddie has particular experience of resolving complex international financial disputes and enforcement of financial orders where one party fails to comply. He has a keen interest in cases with a Hong Kong or Far East element, having previously spent time at a top-ranked family law firm in Hong Kong on secondment.

Katie advises clients on all aspects of family law, with a particular emphasis on high net worth financial remedy proceedings on divorce.

A high proportion of her workload involves complex wealth structures both in the UK and abroad. She often acts for clients where the majority of the wealth is tied up in a family business which raises issues not only about the value of the company but also the ways in which funds can be extracted from it to buy out one spouse’s interest. She has a varied client base with backgrounds in private equity, sport, retail and technology.

Katie has a particular interest in the preparation and negotiation of pre- and post-nuptial agreements in order to seek to protect certain assets in the event of a divorce. She works closely with the Firm’s corporate and private client teams to advise entrepreneurs, landed estate families and trustees in relation to such agreements. These may also be preceded by cohabitation agreements for unmarried partners as a means of regulating each partner’s financial contribution to their relationship.

I lead the firm’s dispute resolution (business & personal), civil litigation and commercial mediation practice. I am well known for handling judicial review cases and challenging the decisions of public bodies.

The litigation I handle is complex in nature and is undertaken for companies of all sizes, owner managed businesses, educational institutions and private individuals. Many of my cases involve international issues.

I am a mediator with a success rate of over 90% in settling disputes. I am a trustee of a number of charities.

I enjoy sport, especially tennis and football, and history.

I am a partner and the Director of Legal Services for Private Client Services at Irwin Mitchell LLP.

I am based in the Leeds office but lead the teams in Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, London, Chichester, Manchester, Gatwick, Reading and Newcastle and look after approximately 165 people in the team. I sit on the LLP Management Board and the Client Services Leadership Group Committee.

I was until recently the Chair of the STEP SIG committee for Contentious trusts and a TEP and have recently stood down from post after 6 years. I have an advanced STEP certificate in Trust Disputes and I am a full member of ACTAPS.

Disputes involving lack of mental capacity, and those which involve the issue of undue influence, want of knowledge and approval claims regarding Wills and trusts. Claims for financial provision for all family members for both Claimants and Defendants. Handling disputes against and for beneficiaries, trustees and executors. Claims which involve breach of trust and breach of fiduciary duty. Proprietary estoppel claims and claims that involve financial abuse. Professional Negligence claims in this area of law.

Richard heads up the firm's Private Wealth and Charities Group as well as the Trust disputes practice.

Richard is based in London, but travels frequently to Hong Kong and Dubai having worked there previously. His practice is international and spans all major onshore and offshore jurisdictions globally, with a focus on Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Richard acts for ultra-high net worth individuals, their family offices, private banks and other advisers on a range of contentious and non-contentious trust and probate issues together with mental capacity, undue influence, charitable and family company matters. He also has extensive experience in acting for international banks and individuals in cases involving fraud.

Victoria is a Partner in Mishcon Private, a commercial litigator acting for a wide variety of clients; high net worth individuals, corporations, families and family offices.

Victoria advises on complex commercial cases, including family business disputes, director and shareholder disputes as well as partnership issues, general contractual matters and fraud. She is experienced in the issuing and defending of freezing injunctions, asset protection and defending extradition requests.

As a key part of her private client work, Victoria acts as a trusted advisor - assisting her clients with any dispute that might arise, including issues between partners (business and romantic), disputes over gifts/loans, problems involving children/their education or issues with friends and family.

Julia Burns is a mediator and conflict coach specialising in family inheritance disputes. Julia founded Dove in the Room in 2019 having been a contentious trusts and probate solicitor since 2005. Julia is the only mediator in the UK with the CEDR private client mediation qualification and is on CEDR’s panel of mediators. Julia is ranked in Legal 500 and is as a leading Trusts Mediator in Chambers & Partners HNW.

Julia was shortlisted for the “Civil and Commercial Mediator of the Year” award at the National Mediation Awards in 2022.

As a conflict coach, Julia also coaches family members involved in family conflict either as a collective group or 1-2-1.  Julia is a Consultant Solicitor at Merali Beedle in London. Julia is ACTAPS qualified, a STEP Affiliate Member and has just finished a 5-year term as a committee member of the Contentious Trusts Association (ConTrA).  

Jane is a family law solicitor with over 25 years of experience who specialises in complex finance and children matters. Her experience includes arrangements for children where there is high conflict, parental alienation, UK and international relocation and UK and international surrogacy cases.

Jane also has considerable experience advising on the financial implications that arise out of separation, particularly in cases involving businesses and trusts.

Laura Hasson advises a broad range of clients on complex commercial, financial and civil fraud matters and has significant trial experience.

Laura's disputes experience involves advising on high value and complex commercial matters, often involving multiple jurisdictions. Laura has particular expertise in trust litigation and is one of the key members of the private wealth and trusts disputes team.

Andrew specialises in corporate advice and transactional work for a wide variety of public and private companies, including family businesses. Many of his clients are in the financial services (including investment trusts) and property sectors. He is also particularly interested in 'family' and 'owner-managed' businesses, and is head of the firm’s Family Business Group. Andrew is also joint head of our Corporate Governance team.

Andrew has been listed as a ­­top recommended lawyer within the Legal Directory & Hommes d'Affaires Lawyer category in The Spear’s 500 2021.

Andrew is admitted to practise in England and Wales. 

James is a very experienced insolvency and restructuring lawyer with over 34 years’ expertise in the ‘insolvency industry’. He has advised stakeholders from all aspects of insolvency — from banks, insolvency practitioners and suppliers, to victims of financial misfeasance and directors with serious financial problems. Over the last 8 years James has had a particular focus on advising SMEs, directors and individuals in proceedings against banks, insolvency practitioners and The Insolvency Service. Since Insolvency Law is so varied, James also has experience of advising businesses on their corporate set up, financing, structure, acquisitions and protecting assets. In addition, he advises on issues relating to contractual disputes, litigation, intellectual property and shareholder disputes. James also advises a number of businesses generally relating to corporate and commercial matters.

Marcus Dearle is senior partner of specialist family law boutique law firm, Miles Preston, in London, and a 26-year veteran of Withers in London and Hong Kong. He spearheaded the launch of Withers’ family law team in Hong Kong and was office managing director of Withers’ Singapore and Hong Kong offices. He has over 34 years of experience acting in complex domestic and international family law cases.

In addition to being admitted in England & Wales, he uniquely practises Hong Kong family law from London. He is also admitted, but not practising in, the BVI.

Marcus is recognised as a leading trusts and divorce litigation practitioner advising HNW and UHNW clients in the ALM | LAW.COM Private Client Global Elite directory: the directory is entirely reliant on peer nominations.

He is the immediate past Chair of the International Bar Association, Family Law Committee, and a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

Marcus acted for the corporate trustee of an offshore Guernsey trust in a major and complex divorce and trust case which went to trial in the High Court in London in 2001, and then to the Court of Appeal in 2008: Judge v Judge [2008] EWCA Civ 1458. Lord Justice Wilson in the Court of Appeal found that the trustee had, ‘adopted a stance not only properly defensive of the interests of the trust, but also both neutral as between the husband and the wife and essentially helpful to the court.’

During the 11 years he was based in Hong Kong Marcus led the family law teams acting in a number of groundbreaking international family law cases that went to the Hong Kong Court of Appeal and/or Court of Final Appeal, including the Florence Tsang case TCWF v LKKS [2014] HKEC 1593 (the largest Hong Kong divorce case), and the landmark divorce and trust, Court of Final Appeal, case of Otto Poon [2014] HKEC 1174, when he acted for the professional trustee, HSBC International Trustee Limited – a case involving a Jersey trust which the Financial Times reported as having ‘Rattled the Trust Industry’ in Hong Kong.

He also acted successfully for the financially stronger US husband in LCYP v JEK [2019] HKCFI 1588, which is now the leading PNA case in Hong Kong.

He has very recently successfully represented Sir Frederick Barclay in defending him against three sets of committal proceedings in the London High Court: see Barclay v Barclay [2022] EWHC 2026 and Barclay v Barclay [2023] EWFC 164.

He wrote the chapter on Divorce and Trusts in Sweet & Maxwell’s 2010 publication ‘Family Law and Practice in Hong Kong’ and in the 2nd (2014) and 3rd (2018) editions.

He lectures widely at international conferences and has been interviewed on international TV news networks, including by the BBC and CNN. He is a regular contributor to the international press and specialist publications, including the London Times, Family Law, International Family Law Journal and STEP Journal.

He was shortlisted as International Family Lawyer of the Year at the Lexis Nexis Family Law Awards 2018.

An experienced litigator and solicitor-advocate, Simon specialises in cross-border commercial litigation & arbitration, insolvency & company disputes, sports law, and public law. He also has expertise in construction disputes; regulatory disputes, often acting for professionals & directors; and reputational risk.

With significant experience acting for a range of household names, Simon provides practical and commercially focused advice.

Simon has conducted litigation in most civil divisions of the English High Court; in the Court of Appeal & the Supreme Court; and has gained significant experience in domestic, international, and industry-specific arbitrations. He deals with disputes across all commercial sectors, and has particular experience in environmental energy, construction/insurance, technology, pharmaceutical, and commercial sport & media.

Prior to joining B P Collins LLP, Simon was in-house counsel for a global FTSE 30 ‘fast moving consumer goods’ company, focusing on commercial and regulatory disputes.

He conducts a variety of contentious and non-contentious insolvency and restructuring matters, and wider business critical litigation. He acts on behalf of lenders, liquidators, administrators, LPA receivers, trustees in bankruptcy, companies, purchasers of distressed assets, creditors and other stakeholders, shareholders, members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and directors.

Ed specialises in bringing and defending claims brought by office holders including transactions at an under value, voidable preferences, wrongful and fraudulent trading, knowing receipt and dishonest assistance, and breach of duty (including allegations of fraud and international asset tracing) as well as acting for creditors in appointing, or applying to court for the appointment of, administrators and liquidators. He also has significant experience in civil fraud, dishonesty and misrepresentation proceedings and investigations, including the use of freezing and other targeted injunctions.

Business critical litigation includes shareholder disputes, minority shareholder petitions, guarantee claims, professional negligence claims (valuers, solicitors, accountants, tax advisers), earnout / deferred consideration and warranty disputes, and contract/tortious disputes.

Ed also acts as an independent Supervising Solicitor overseeing search (and seizure) orders obtained in civil proceedings.

Clementine is a Legal Director specialising in contentious trusts and estates and commercial litigation.

She is recommended in both fields by The Legal 500 2024.

Clementine is particularly experienced in matters involving complex corporate / trust structures, company law issues and multi-jurisdictional elements, having begun her career as a corporate solicitor specialising in private equity and also spent time on secondment at the investment funds Oaktree Capital and Hambro Perks.

Clementine trained and qualified at Weil Gotshal & Manges, practising there and subsequently at Farrer & Co before joining Payne Hicks Beach in 2022.

She read English at Cambridge before completing the GDL and LPC (both with Distinction) and also has Higher Rights of Audience.

Paul is a Partner and Head of the Corporate team in the Bristol office. He trained and has worked in Bristol and Bath over many years and has a deep understanding of the issues affecting SME businesses and their owners.

Paul is a corporate lawyer that likes to deliver for his clients. He looks for constructive and pragmatic solutions without losing sight of achieving a good outcome for his clients whether that is advising on mergers and acquisitions or joint ventures or on corporate governance and wider business matters. He has a wide grasp of corporate and commercial issues advising on transactional and governance related matters as well corporate pre nups (shareholders agreements) and divorce settlements (buy outs and demergers). He is a champion for good corporate governance which delivers sustainable business.

He is a team player working with his clients and marshalling colleagues and advisers to inform guide and advise throughout the transcation to achieve timely outcomes.

He is used to advising on deals involving an international dimension including acting for sellers on transactions involving overseas buyers and joint ventures with overseas partners. He recently concluded a JV in the USA for his UK client with a Saudi JV partner.

Camilla advises on the full breadth of family law including separation, divorce, cohabitation, civil partnerships, prenuptial agreements, financial settlements, international child abduction, leave to remove applications and other disputes involving children.

She specialises in substantial and complex financial settlements often with an international dimension. She offers counsel to royalty, beneficiaries with trust assets and significant inherited wealth, as well as other medium to high net and ultra high net worth individuals.

Robin help shareholders, directors, partners and businesses, frequently family businesses, resolve their disputes and legal problems. Robin has advised and mediated multiple family business disputes including more than two valued at over £100m.

Prior to qualifying as a barrister and mediator, Robin was involved in his family’s third generation business which became involved in a shareholder and partnership dispute which contributed to it entering insolvent administration in 2009. Prior to that, Robin successfully set up, grew and sold three modest tech start-ups of his own.

Described as having a "Remarkable set of experiences" by legal tech and the future of the legal profession guru Professor Richard Susskind, Robin has a very different and valuable background to other lawyers. This experience benefits clients as Robin shares not only the legal but practical and commercial lessons he has acquired in business, shareholder, board, technology and employment situations.

Robin is repeatedly complimented by clients for his focus on problem solving and finding solutions to legal issues and disputes. Robin is at his best at times when clients are facing crisis or radical change where they benefit from his strategic, commercial and analytical focus and calm approach.

Robin practises from his own set of chambers which is an authorised entity by the BSB. Robin can be instructed on a direct access or traditional basis

Philip is consistently ranked as a leading practitioner (silk) in the field of matrimonial finance and divorce, having appeared in both White v White and Miller; McFarlane in the House of Lords. He represented the appellant wife in Owens v Owens before the Supreme Court. His cases typically involve complex jurisdictional disputes and very high net worth disputes often involving offshore corporate and trust structures.

Richard advises UHNW individuals, families and family offices on global estate planning and tax efficient investment structures.  

Richard is a trusted advisor to an even mix of domestic and international clients.  His experience and advice is sought on matters of UK personal taxation (including investigations), choosing an appropriate structure and the correct jurisdiction, good family governance leading to positive family outcomes.

Richard has been consistently regarded as one of the most influential professionals working in the private wealth sector and is named on eprivateclient's 2025 50 Most Influential list.

Sarah is a partner in the contentious private client team. She advises individuals on a broad range of contentious and non contentious private client matters. Her contentious practice includes trust and estate litigation, disputed wills, breach of trust claims, administration disputes, professional negligence and Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claims.

Sarah's non-contentious practice encompasses complex probate issues, powers of attorney, residential property ownership and general issues relating to personal affairs.

Recognised in Chambers UK and The Legal 500, Sarah is described as a 'very proficient operator within her field' and 'very, very good with clients; she's sort of no-nonsense. She's very straightforward but has got that eye that you need to be a private client lawyer'.

Ian has specialised in Forensic Accounting and Litigation Support since 1998. He is Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and an accredited member of The Academy of Experts. He undertakes a variety of work including, expert witness, expert determinations and international arbitration. He is an experienced expert witness, having acted as an expert accountant or valuer in over 100 cases. He has also given expert oral evidence in the High Court and Family Court.

Ian's primary specialism is in business valuation disputes, where he has considerable experience in the context of shareholder disputes (including s994 unfair prejudice petitions), M&A disputes and matrimonial proceedings. He also specialises in the assessment of complex losses and damages in other contentious situations, including loss of profits, business interruption, product recall, breach of contract, personal injury and clinical negligence claims.

Suzanne is one of the most highly regarded international family lawyers of her generation
in London, with 25 years' experience in successful conflict resolution. She is rated highly in
all legal directories, who describe her as 'exceptional as a mediator, collaborative lawyer
and family practitioner and she does an extraordinary job on the international circuit'.
Suzanne's strength is her effectiveness as a communicator - she is able to strike up a
rapport with individuals from all backgrounds, and to build and earn their trust, which in
turn enables her to get to the nub of what is needed quickly in times of high emotion. She
understands the client's needs and tailors her advice to their circumstances.
Suzanne's career has a strong Italian theme running through it, which has resulted in her
establishing a strong reputation as one of the 'go to' family solicitors in London for Italian
family-related matters.
Suzanne is a practising Collaborative lawyer and Family Law Mediator. She is the
President Elect of the International Academy of Family Lawyers

Connie regularly assists clients who need help with their separation and the practical and financial implications arising out of this. 

Most of Connie’s clients or their partners work in the City and many have an international connection.  Connie therefore regularly works with solicitors in other jurisdictions.  Connie has expertise in international surrogacy cases and helps parents with the parental order applications required following their children’s birth.  On these cases, she works closely with members of our immigration team to resolve any issues in bringing the children home.

Connie is also a qualified mediator and assists as a mediator for clients in respect of all practical and legal issues surrounding family relationship breakdown. She is recognised as a Next Generation Lawyer in Legal 500 UK 2019 for Family: Mediation  and in Chambers UK 2020 as an Associate to Watch in Family/Matrimonial.

I’m a business psychologist and executive coach who has spent almost three decades working with human behaviour and complex change. I’m driven to find a better way to be in business, combining a business head with a social heart.  In the process, I’ve become fascinated with two things – complex systems and endings.

Like many advisors, I’ve spent most of my career behind the scenes.  A colleague and I founded a wonderful firm of business psychologists in 1999. Since then, I have had the privilege to be a visiting lecturer in leadership for Manchester University, joined international research projects, and have led senior management and board development programmes for some of the world’s most recognisable organisations.  I have coached across Whitehall, worked in three of the four UK parliaments, working with some amazing people.

Ashleigh is a partner in our Dispute Resolution team. She advises UK and international clients on high value and complex disputes. She has particular expertise in contentious trusts including advising on trustee powers, breach of trust claims, applications for the removal and replacement of trustees and disputes involving protectors and the variation of trusts. Probate disputes also form part of Ashleigh’s practice including advising on will challenges, 1975 Inheritance Act claims as well as disputes between executors and beneficiaries. Ashleigh is co-chair of ConTrA (the Contentious Trusts Association).