The International HNW Divorce & Children Summit

Sir Philip specialised in financial remedies at 1 Hare Court for nearly thirty years, of which he was a QC for ten years. In 2011, he was appointed a Judge of the High Court, Family Division, where he undertook many of the high profile financial remedy cases. He retired from the judiciary in October 2024 and has returned to Chambers to conduct private FDRs.

Delphine Eskenazi has over 15 years of experience in renowned international and French law firms. She is the founding partner of the lawfirm “Libra Avocats”.

She is currently specialized in international family law, in order to advise private clients on their complex family issues. She is an active member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, and she has written many articles published in law journals in the area of international family law

Sital is a partner and head of the Kingsley Napley family team, where she specialises in complex financial matters within a divorce, including international jurisdictional cases, negotiating and drafting  pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements as well as every aspect of private children law cases. 

Sital’s areas of practice include all aspects of private family work, with particular expertise in financial remedy proceedings often involving an international dimension. Sital has extensive experience in complex cases involving off-shore trusts, family businesses, tracing assets and inherited wealth. 

Sital is an active member of the Resolution Cohabitation committee and has considerable experience in dealing with claims arising for cohabiting couples and their children. 

Sital is also highly experienced in all private children matters including applications for leave to remove from the jurisdiction, change of school and child arrangements generally. 

Sital is known for her tactical approach and likes to push boundaries to find a solution for her clients when they are dealing with a difficult time in their life. She provides constructive and pragmatic advice to achieve her client's goals and strives to obtain a positive result for all concerned. 
 
Sital is recognised as a leader in her field in the recent legal directories, including Chambers High Net Worth Guide, Legal 500 UK, Chambers UK and Spears. As well as being listed in the 'Recommended' tier in the Spear's 2023 Family Law Index. She won silver in the Woman of the Year - Future Leaders (Partner) category at the Powerwomen Awards 2020. She was also shortlisted in 2018 for the Family Lawyer of the Year - Partner in the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards 2018. 

Gillian Crandles is managing partner and head of family law at Turcan Connell. She is accredited as a specialist in Family Law by the Law Society of Scotland and the only family lawyer in Scotland to be recognised as an Eminent Practitioner by Chambers UK. She is dual qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales and is often instructed in cross-border cases particularly in relation to asset protection including pre- and post-nuptial agreements and living together agreements. Gillian is an interdisciplinary collaborative practitioner, having been involved in the introduction of collaborative law to Scotland, and past secretary of the governing body, and is trained as a mediator and family law arbitrator.

Gillian has particular expertise in cases involving professionals, entrepreneurs, land and estate owners and those in the public domain. She deals with complex, high value cases which often involve the valuation of business assets, partnership issues and farming disputes. Many of her cases have an international element, including disputes regarding children and in respect of jurisdiction for financial claims.

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.

Since qualifying as a solicitor in 2007 Melanie has solely practiced family law. Her cases cover a wide variety of divorce matters, financial provisions arising out of the breakdown of a relationship and disputes involving children. As a dual French/British national, Melanie has always specialised in advising French expatriates on family law matters in England and Wales, usually in French. Melanie also regularly advises and works alongside law firms in France.

Melanie obtained a Bachelors degree from Bath University in French and Russian and a Masters degree from City University in Legal Translation. She speaks French and English fluently, and is also able to advise clients in Italian.

Melanie is committed to Resolution’s Code of Practice to resolve matters in a non-confrontational way. She has trained in mediation and is a Collaborative Lawyer, using these skills to negotiate the best possible outcome for her clients when this appropriate.

Melanie is actively involved in Resolution, the association of family justice professionals. She was formerly the Co-Chair of Resolution’s Innovation Group, inaugural Chair of its Wellbeing Committee and Secretary of the London Region Committee. She continues to sit on all three Committees and has sat on Resolution’s National Committee since 2018. In May 2023 Melanie became Resolution’s National Vice Chair.

Simon is highly regarded by both clients and his peers, he brings his considerable expertise to bear to help separating couples resolve issues in a constructive manner. He has a particular strength in complex financial cases, often involving trusts, family businesses and assets in more than one jurisdiction.

Working closely with colleagues in the private wealth sector to provide a seamless service to high net worth individuals and their families, Simon is able to advise on the family law aspects of wealth protection, including prenuptial and cohabitation agreements. He has a thriving children law practice and has assisted parents in all aspects of the law relating to children. He has a specialist interest in the cross-border movement of children and frequently provides guidance on international surrogacy and applications for parental orders.

Simon is an elected member of the national committee of Resolution, the leading membership organisation for specialist family lawyers, and is the organisation’s treasurer.

Simon is recognised as a 'Next Generation Partner' in The Legal 500 2023 edition and is ranked in the Chambers UK and HNW guides for his work on sophisticated financial cases, many with a trust-related, family business or multi-jurisdictional element. He is recognised as a 'Recommended Lawyer' in the Spear's 500 2022 directory.

Kajal Aswani is an experienced disputes resolution lawyer with a particular expertise in family law. Her extensive experience in handling matrimonial proceedings involving substantial assets and cross-borders elements has made her a trusted advisor in divorce, financial claims and children matters. In addition, Kajal has handled several probate cases, both contentious and non-contentious, and has experience in drafting wills, enduring power of attorney and medical directives.

Kajal qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 2007 and England and Wales in 2008.  Prior to joining Hugill & Ip, Kajal trained at a leading independent law firm in Hong Kong and became a partner in 2015. During her tenure, she was involved in general litigation with a focus on family law where she represented ultra-high net worth individuals in complex cases, drawing recognition for her work in HJFG v KYC [2012] 1 HKLRD 95, a landmark judgment on maintenance pending suit. In 2020, Kajal moved to a renowned law firm to specialize in Family Law and Divorce working alongside one of the top family lawyers in Hong Kong.

Being born and raised in Hong Kong, Kajal possesses exceptional language skills that enable her to communicate fluently in Cantonese, Hindi, Sindhi and English. This linguistic versatility has fortified her position as one of the few solicitors in Hong Kong who can cater to a diverse clientele effectively.

In her pursuit of supporting the South Asian legal community in Hong Kong, Kajal founded the South Asian Lawyers Group (Hong Kong) and has collaborated with various law firms to provide internship and mentoring programs, facilitating the integration of young South Asian lawyers into the legal industry. Kajal is actively engaged in promoting diversity, inclusion and equity. She is a committee member of the Women In Business at the British Chamber of Commerce and the former ExCo member of EMPOWER (Amber Foundation), a non-governmental organization dedicated to elevating the visibility of young marginalized ethnic minority women in their chosen fields.

Outside of work, Kajal indulges in her passion for travel, cooking and cherishing moments with her son.

Laura specialises in the law as it relates to children. She has a private international practice, involving applications for permission to remove from the jurisdiction and abduction cases, including to non-Hague countries and cases involving jurisdictions where there are risks emanating from conflict.

Laura is also instructed in the most serious of public law cases in which children have been subjected to significant harm, including public law cases with an international element, involving placement abroad and transfer of jurisdiction.

Laura qualified in 2001 in Manchester, moved to the Cayman Islands to practice as an attorney-at-law in 2010 where she was called to the bar of the Cayman Islands, and was appointed a Recorder in 2016. She took silk in 2022. Also in 2022, she became an arbitrator qualified to take on children cases under the IFLA scheme.

Laura is recognised in the 2024 Spears index as a Top Recommended family law barrister and in the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 directories. In her time off, she enjoys travelling to Portuguese cities and eating pastéis de nata.

Described by sources as an “outstanding” associate who provides “a first class service, Forum is ranked as “Up and Coming” by Chambers 2025 and a “Next Generation Partner” by The Legal 500 2025. She has practised family law exclusively since qualifying as a solicitor in 2014 and joined Dawson Cornwell in 2020 being made up to partner in 2024.  She is a Resolution Accredited Specialist in Child Abduction and Domestic Abuse. 

Forum specialises in private and public children law, with particular expertise in international child abduction and international child relocation. She receives instructions directly from the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU). She acts for both applicants and respondents in cases concerning the 1980 Hague Convention, as well as the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court/wardship and non Hague Convention countries. 

Forum also acts for parents and other family members in care proceedings (her expertise in international children law means she is often chosen by parents residing abroad who are seeking their child to be placed with them), in living and contact arrangements, applications for international relocation and cases involving allegations of drug and alcohol abuse, domestic abuse and parental alienation. 

She is an elected member of the Executive Committee of both the Child Abduction Lawyers Association (CALA) and the Association of Lawyers for Children (ALC).  She is a member of Resolution, AIJA (The International Association of Young Lawyers), the Young Legal Aid Lawyers and The Family Law Panel.  As a skilled advocate she often undertakes her own advocacy. 

Forum has volunteered for various organisations over the years including the One Stop Shop in Tower Hamlets and the Citizens’ Advice Bureau at the Central Family Court. 

Forum speaks fluent Gujarati and basic Hindi. 

Katherine is ranked as a leading barrister in the field of matrimonial finance and is regularly led by KCs or instructed alone against them. She is noted for her handling of cases that are often high-profile and reputationally sensitive and which engage issues of valuation, tax, non-disclosure, offshore trust structures, and the status of agreements. Katherine is recognised as a “go-to for complicated cases with an international element”, particularly those cases involving issues of jurisdiction and forum non conveniens. She has been instructed as an expert witness on English law in South Africa and provided advice and/or representation in the Cayman Islands, the BVI, the UAE, and Gibraltar.

In every case, Katherine’s focus is aimed at achieving an early favourable settlement, the details of which are formalised efficiently and discreetly. Her cases which are resolved by contested hearing feature regularly in the law reports and address issues across the full matrimonial finance spectrum, ranging from the treatment of non-matrimonial assets (WX v HX [2021] EWFC 14, in which Katherine was the only junior instructed in a case involving four silks), to Part III proceedings brought in this country subsequent to a foreign divorce (AG v VD [2021] EWFC 9).

Katherine is a trained mediator and sits as an early neutral evaluator, most frequently as a private FDR Judge, where she brings to bear her “fantastic” and “user-friendly” manner to help parties reach an agreement without further costly litigation.

Marcus has more than 25 years’ experience as both an English lawyer and a Cayman-based professional trustee. The main part of Marcus’s practice involves managing disputes involving wealthy global families and their associated structures.

He has in-depth experience of establishing and managing structures and resolving disputes that arise in a practical, commercial and cost-efficient manner. He has led the management of many disputes around the world, most recently a multi-billion dollar, multi-jurisdiction dispute involving prominent Middle Eastern families.

He has experience of dealing with litigation in England, Cayman, BVI, Bermuda, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the US. His offshore address book is second to none. Clients are impressed at his round-the-clock availability, his ability to identify the key issues quickly and to assemble the right global team rapidly to tackle any type of dispute.

Marcus is an English-qualified lawyer and was a Cayman-based professional trustee for eight years and has worked in London and Cheltenham law firms (managing private client teams) and managed trust companies in the Cayman Islands.

Izzy Walsh is described in Chambers & Partners as having an “encyclopaedic knowledge of family law”, and as being “super smart and commercial in her outlook”.

Izzy qualified in 2011, further qualifying as a Solicitor Advocate in 2013.

She advises on all aspects of family law, including pre- and post-nuptial agreements, cohabitation, divorce, dissolution of civil partnerships and children issues and trained and qualified at leading city law firm Herbert Smith (now Herbert Smith Freehills), where she practised commercial law. She then transferred to become a family lawyer.

Izzy advises on a broad array of issues arising from relationships of both a domestic character and an international character. A large part of Izzy’s case load encompasses complex financial cases and cases with an international dimension.

Her equestrian background (and love of horses) has also led to a number of instructions involving equestrian sports such as racing and eventing and she has represented elite athletes in this field.

Izzy is a member of the British Ukrainian Law Association. A member of the Contentious Trusts Association, and a member of the International Bar Association. She speaks French and Russian, with a working knowledge of German and Italian.

She is regularly instructed on matters which have a Ukrainian or CIS element and which involve complex offshore structures.

Bringing along her vast experience and expertise as a qualified Solicitor (England and Wales) and Legal Consultant in Dubai, Madeleine adds a unique service for our expat clients by heading our Family Law practice and providing General Counsel services to HNW clients, various expat owned companies, and Family Businesses in the UAE. Madeleine represents and advises UAE-based expats on Family Law matters including divorce and child protection through the Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or English Courts. She also provides tailored advice to selected clients in relation to Corporate, Real Estate, Employment, and Wills/Probate matters. Madeleine is a Lecturer at Middlesex University in Dubai.

Sacha leads Birketts’ Tier 1 ranked immigration team, providing practical, client-centric immigration solutions to private clients and businesses alike.

Sacha works holistically alongside other experts to provide international mobility pathways that factor in other considerations including international tax, social security and employment law compliance – ensuring clients make optimal relocation decisions  based on their family and lifestyle priorities.

Sacha has a wealth of experience supporting businesses from start-ups to FTSE 100s across all sectors including financial and professional services, engineering, FMCG, energy and technology. Sacha provides end-to-end immigration support for business with a deep personal commitment to providing a friendly and personable point of contact with the highest quality service and technical advice – recognising that moving people internationally is both critical for business and can be a challenging time for individuals and their families. Sacha is also able to support business through its key growth milestones – advising on the immigration implications of mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and TUPE transfers and helping business navigate the latest geopolitical challenges.

Sacha also enjoys supporting individual private clients. Sacha advises on family and non-sponsored visas as well as British nationality and passport applications. Sacha is experienced in supporting high net worth and high profile individuals with more complex immigration needs, including investors, entrepreneurs and economic citizenship applications and has experience with supporting musicians, artists, creatives and working with professional sports organisations. In assisting private individuals Sacha provides an appropriate immigration solution, delivered with discretion, as a tailored service in partnership with your team/preferred third party advisors.

With a passion for politics, Sacha  enjoys working on immigration policy and is a regular attendee at the Westminster All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) for Migration and also for Visas and Immigration, is an active member of the ILPA Economic working group and participant in the BEIS, Professional and Business services sector deal immigration sub-working group. Sacha is also  a regularly attendee at the various political party conferences to represent the interests of business and spoke on a panel alongside Yvette Cooper MP at the Labour Party conference in autumn 2018 and was quoted in The Observer in 2024.

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

Kate is a Partner in the Family team. She specialises in all aspects of family law with a particular emphasis on high value financial disputes, acting for HNW and UHNW individuals often involving complex offshore structures, trusts and business interests. Kate has a reputation for being straight-talking and pragmatic, and always seeks to find a resolution out of court where possible.

Kate also advises on cohabitation disputes and private law children matters, including applications for leave to remove children from the jurisdiction. She is experienced in advising on pre- and post-marital agreements and cohabitation agreements.

Kate is head of the firm's parental alienation group and has a particular interest in high conflict children cases.

Renato has wide experience in dealing with financial disputes within divorce proceedings and following cohabitation, and in complex private law children cases. He is a member of Resolution and a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

Renato is featured in Spear’s Family Law Index’s ‘Top Recommended Family Lawyers’ list, which describes him as a “highly effective operator”. Renato advises trustees as well as HNW individuals and their families.

Renato is recommended in both Chambers and The Legal 500 as a leading individual. Chambers UK 2022 reconfirms Renato’s Band 1 ranking and highlights “he is respected for his expertise in matrimonial finance matters with trust and property issues”. The Guide commends him for being “an extremely proficient practitioner who is notable for his calmness” and having “particularly good bedside manner with clients”. Chambers UK 2021 noted he is highly recommended for his established practice in divorce proceedings, praising him for handling a range of complex matters, including cross-border financial remedy and enforcement cases.

A Chambers HNW 2023 source comments that Renato is “universally liked by clients,” continuing that he is “utterly charming” and “very bright on technical legal points and spots them before other people do. He takes a strong view of how the case will go early on, and can spot a case that will go all the way to court.” Another source enthuses that “he has the client down to a tee, and he’s quick, efficient, and has a good instinct for what the outcome will be.” Chambers HNW 2022 describes Renato as “a fantastic strategist…he provides really thorough, well-informed advice. He is superbly clever and also prepared to take a measured and appropriate risk where needed.” Renato is commended by a Chambers source as “a fantastic solicitor and I think he is extraordinarily well prepared, a good tactician and very intelligent. He leaves no stone unturned and he’s always thinking one step ahead of the game.” 

The Legal 500 UK 2022 reconfirms Renato’s ranking as a ‘Leading Individual’ and highlights he “combines great charm with tenacity and tactical nous” and is “especially good at dealing with complex financial remedies claims”. The Guide adds Renato “is a fine tactician and careful thinker, who can take a case through to trial with relish. His advice is clear, cogent, creative and realistic”. The Legal 500 UK 2021 reconfirmed Renato’s ranking as a ‘Leading Individual’ and praised him for having a “first-rate legal mind”, describing him as “charming to his clients but tenacious with the opposition”.

Renato studied international history and politics at Leeds University, and qualified as a solicitor in 1997.

He spent a year as a commercial litigator in City law firm DLA Piper after qualification before joining the family department of Bates, Wells & Braithwaite in 1998. Renato has been a partner at Hughes Fowler Carruthers since 2005.