Robert Peel is a barrister. He was born in Singapore and spent much of his childhood living in Africa. He attended independent schools in England, followed by Oxford University where he studied French and Spanish.  

Robert converted to law at City University. During pupillage he held the Queen Mother’s Scholarship and the Joseph Jackson Scholarship and in 1990 he was called to the Bar. He practiced general common law for some years before specialising in matrimonial finance. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2010 and has appeared in numerous high value financial remedy cases.  

In 2009 Robert was appointed a Recorder on the Midland circuit, undertaking Civil and Family work, and in 2016 he was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge. Robert served a term on the Bar Council and two terms as a designated chairperson of the Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service. He is a qualified Family Arbitrator.

He was appointed a full-time High Court judge in the Family Division in October 2020

Lucy Loizou is a Partner with the International Family Law Group LLP.

She is regarded as one of the country's renowned leading young international family lawyers. She undertakes complex financial cases and has worked on several cases involving high net worth issues often involving an international element. Lucy advises clients with difficult corporate and trust interests. She regularly lectures on areas of family law.

Lucy has presented a fortnightly radio show on ‘London Greek Radio’ for the past 10 years where she answers questions on all family related matters. She also writes a monthly family law column in Parikiaki newspaper which is read by the Greek and Cypriot community for over 13 years. Lucy has become well known by family lawyers in Cyprus/ Greece and is known as the ‘go to’ family lawyer for Greek and Cypriot families.  Lucy speaks Greek fluently.

Lucy is described in The Legal 500 UK 2021 as ‘an outstanding lawyer, determined, thoughtful and great with clients’

David Hodson OBE MICArb is a Partner and Co-founder of The International Family Law Group LLP. 

He is an English solicitor, mediator, arbitrator, Australian solicitor, and a deputy family court judge, DDJ in the FRC at the CFC in London.  He is a member of the English Law Society Family Law Committee, a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, a member of LawAsia, the Asian Institute of ADR Professionals, the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, and a similar contributor to many family law organisations around the world.  He was awarded the OBE for services to international family law.  He is an Honorary Professor of Law at Leicester University. 

He is the editor and primary author of the LexisNexis textbook ‘The International Family Law Practice’ (6th edition). In October 2020, his book ‘Family Law Leaves the EU: A summary guide for practitioners’ was published.

‘David Hodson is a legend in family law circles and is no doubt one of the leading figures in International Family Law’ The Legal 500

Helen Blackburn is a Partner at The International Family Law Group LLP.

She specialises in family law concerning children including child abduction law and other children cases with an international dimension or involving the cross-border movement of children.  She represents adults and children in child abduction cases, cases involving arrangements for children domestically and cross borders, adoption (domestic and intercountry), the reciprocal enforcement of foreign orders, international relocation/leave to remove applications, surrogacy, wardship, forced marriage and jurisdictional disputes.  She is instructed, regularly and at the request of the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU), to represent left behind parents with Hague Convention applications. Helen is accredited by Resolution as a Specialist Family lawyer with a particular specialism in Child Abduction and Private Children Law.

She is the author of three chapters: Child Abduction, International Adoption and Legal Aid in 'The International Family Law Practice' (6th edition).

'Helen is an intellectual powerhouse and one of the most well-prepared and thorough lawyers I have ever come across’ Chambers UK 2021

Bill Hewlett has worked for 20 years as a child consultant and a mediator and has managed and supervised the clinical practice of mediators across six Family Relationship Centres in Sydney, Australia. In response to the current challenges of the UK family law system, Bill has developed an innovative and effective model of practice for working with parents who are in conflict with each other. When families are going through traumatic change, the children can respond by being fearful that their parents would not be able to collaborate quickly and effectively to keep them safe. Bill’s focus is to assist the parents to form an amicable, cooperative and collaborative parental alliance with each other, thereby reducing any psychological and developmental load that the children may be carrying.

Bill trains practitioners in the UK, Hong Kong and Australia and often presents at international conferences and is a published author     

Billhewlett.uk

Ann Thomas is Managing Partner and Co-founder of The International Family Law Group LLP.

She is an English solicitor with advanced accreditation in international family law and children (Law Society family panel); she is a mediator, collaborative lawyer and deals with complex family cases with an international element. Ann is a specifically trained mediator qualified to work with children within the mediation process. She is recognised as a leading international children lawyer, particularly in relocation disputes. She is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, who are recognised specialists in international law.  Ann has been involved in training family law Judges in Serbia in the mechanics of the Hague Convention and international aspects of family law. She is also co-author of ‘When Cupid’s Arrow Crosses National Boundaries: A Guide for international families’ and is author of a chapter in the definitive international practitioners’ text ‘The International Family Law Practice’ (6th edition).

‘Ann Thomas is a lawyer, smart and compassionate. Highly recommended for her work in children and relocation cases' The Legal 500

Michael specialises in cases involving the international movement of children.

Appearing regularly in the High Court and the Court of Appeal in cases involving (but not limited to) Hague and non-Hague abduction, jurisdictional disputes, the recognition and enforcement of orders (pursuant to Brussels II revised and the 1996 Hague Convention), relocation (both internal and external) and forced marriage.

James Netto is a Partner at The International Family Law Group LLP.

James is  Solicitor Advocate, and regularly conducts his own advocacy in the family and High Courts. He is highly experienced in cases concerning the international movement of children. He is a specialist in international parental child abduction cases and is regularly instructed by the parents and children within the UK and abroad, as well as by the Central Authority.

In a series of firsts, James was involved in the first 1980 Hague Convention child abduction case between Japan and the UK, the first cases concerning the inherent jurisdiction and the 1996 Hague Convention to reach the UK Supreme Court, the first appeal case to concern the interpretation of Brussels II Revised enforcement provisions, and the first reported cases of children being returned to Algeria and to Sudan. 

He has also acted for clients in many high-profile and widely reported appeals, interventions, and committals.

‘James Netto is an all-round astonishingly good lawyer’ The Legal 500 2021
 

Byron James is a Partner and Head of the Expatriate Law team in Dubai.

Having been based in the Middle East for several years he has an expert understanding of the local law and culture, in particular the way in which it affects expatriates. His caseload is diverse, he represents expatriates all over the world with clients in almost every continent. He specialises in all aspects of family law, ranging from divorce and financial remedy cases to disputes involving children.

Michael Allum is a Partner at The International Family Law Group LLP.

Michael works in the divorce, forum, and finance team. Much of Michael’s work involves complex international issues and/or high net worth cases. He has a particular interest in jurisdictional issues and forum disputes. Michael also undertakes cases involving financial provision in the English court following an overseas divorce (known as Part III) and obtaining English sharing orders when divorce and financial proceedings are taking place in another country.

Michael regularly writes articles for the main legal journals and subscriptions, including Jordans, LexisNexis and Family Law Week. His article writing is astute and hugely informative for all the legal profession.

Michael contributed towards the Jurisdiction and Part III chapters in the definitive international practitioners’ publication ‘International Family Law Practice’ (6th edition).

‘Michael Allum is proving to be very talented and in demand. He is an outstanding lawyer’ The Legal 500 2021