Future Thought Leaders Essay Competition

Emma has achieved top ranking in the Directories as a ‘Star Individual’ and has a reputation as the best technical family lawyer of her generation.

Admired for her outstanding intellect, efficiency and constructive approach, clients appreciate Emma’s strategic vision and the passion she brings to secure the best outcome for them. Emma is praised as a “superb, no-nonsense and efficient lawyer who can cope with big-ticket litigation".

Emma advises on complex and often high profile matters for high net worth individuals, their families and partners.

Her cases typically involve an international dimension and she often works in coordination with other cross-border trusted advisers, particularly in offshore jurisdictions and America.

Alex is a founding partner in 2001 of Hughes Fowler Carruthers, the top tier niche family law practice. Alex specialises in English family law, complex divorce, and financial work and children’s work, in particular international cases. His clients are high net worth individuals with complex legal issues including trusts and jurisdictional disputes, Alex in featured in Spears’ Family Law Index’s ‘Top Recommended Family Lawyers’ list and is also listed in Tatler Address Book’s advisory as one of the leading family lawyers in their trusted network of influential and elite private client experts with “gilt-edged” expertise. He regularly lectures on the interface between divorce and trusts. He is highly recommended by peer review publications and has been involved in a number of high profile and ground-breaking legal cases. Alex has been a regular in Chambers’ band 1 for many years. Chambers UK 2023 quotes a contributor as stating that "He is sharp, incisive and astute; he is tactically brilliant and extremely patient.".

Deepak is one of the leading matrimonial finance barristers in the country.

Deepak has been variously described in the leading legal directories as ‘a superb advocate’, ‘a giant of his specialism’, ‘probably one of the most intellectually able barristers of his generation’, ‘always on top of the figures’, ‘a joy to work with’ and ‘one of the most razor-sharp brains at the Bar’.

Deepak has appeared at all levels in matrimonial finance proceedings, including in the House of Lords and in the Supreme Court. He has acted in some of the biggest and most complicated divorce cases in London. He has appeared in numerous landmark decisions, such as McFarlane; Charman; Crossley; Granatino v Radmacher; Juffali; Gray v Work; Sharp; and Akhter.

Deepak is renowned for his expertise in cases involving ultra high net worth and high profile individuals. The assets in Deepak’s cases regularly exceed £100 million and he has acted in several cases where they have been in excess of £1 billion. He specialises in cases involving complex offshore structures.

Deepak has an unrivalled reputation in multi-jurisdictional matrimonial cases. As a result of his expertise in international matters, Deepak has been appointed to the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Private International Law. He is the only family law silk who is member of that highly prestigious committee.

Deepak is frequently instructed in relation to cases taking place not just in England, but in various jurisdictions around the world.

Deepak also has a keen interest in conflict of laws, equity, restitution, trusts, and inheritance cases.

Charlotte has been head of the Family team at Kingsley Napley since 2013.  She specialises in all aspects of family law, particularly international issues, both in relation to finance and children. Charlotte has a reputation for cross border jurisdiction issues, particularly European and Relocation cases, and for acting for unmarried parents in Schedule 1 (financial provision) cases.  She is also an accredited mediator and collaborative lawyer, working with high profile and high net worth couples keen to resolve their separation in private.

Charlotte is listed in the top ranks of the legal directories; Chambers UK, Chambers High Net Worth & Ultra High Net Worth, and Legal 500 UK. She is also Top Recommended in Spear's Family Law Index 2022. Charlotte was shortlisted as Family Law Partner of the year in 2019 in both the Family Law Awards and Chambers High Net Worth Awards.

The direction the law takes us when our clients have never married is often a poor fit against the moral compass our client had before consulting us.  It is also generally unaffordable.  So finding what will be useful so we can do more than just apologise to our clients for the systems that we deliver is important.  We can do our best by knowing the systems as well as we can, which James has done through [Resolution] accreditation in TOLATA, through schedule 1 nerdy-ism [that book], having worked the Child Maintenance system since the start of the 90s and through learning about the wider context of systems the systems by which we might help (which James has tried to do eg collaborative and pFDRs or better ENE, mediation, arbitration, Child inclusive work, integrating with financial planners, divorce coaches and the whole rich non-law context around conflict/ relationships/ child-development/ aspirations-led work & the rest).  There is lots to talk about.