The Non-Court Dispute Resolution Forum

Claire is a partner in the divorce and family team.

She brings commitment, energy, strong technical expertise and sound judgement to all her work, spanning the full range of family law issues. Claire goes the extra mile for her clients with whom she has solid relationships.

Whether working with domestic or international clients, she deals with complex financial claims, children issues, pre and postnuptial agreements and cohabitant disputes and has extensive experience advising on cases involving trusts.

Her clients are in commerce, finance and tech, professionals, families with inherited wealth and those in the public eye. Whilst being highly experienced in difficult litigation she also has a busy dispute-resolution practice as a collaborative lawyer and mediator.

She has acted for (and for the spouses of) trustees, doctors, lawyers, hedge fund managers, members of aristocracy and people in the public eye. With clients involved in anything from sports and retail to pharmaceuticals and technology, Claire is well versed in dealing with clients holding senior positions in many different sectors.

Harry took silk in 2020 having been the leading finance junior for many years. In 2018 he was awarded Family Law Junior Barrister of the Year, by Chambers & Partners. He previously won it in 2013 and was shortlisted in 2012. No other barrister has ever been nominated three times and won the award twice.

Harry specializes in complex divorce, financial remedies and claims for provision for unmarried parents under Children Act 1989 Schedule 1. His cases usually involve high and ultra-high net worth individuals (including up to £3bn). He has particular experience with complex corporate, trust, tax and business valuation issues, in the UK and overseas. He represents individuals, trusts, trustees and companies and has advised on overseas divorces including in Jersey, Guernsey, Cayman, Gibraltar, Hong Kong and Isle of Man. He also advises commercial funders of litigation.

He is instructed to advise on pre-nuptial agreements including with international dimensions. He is qualified and experienced arbitrator and regularly is called upon to preside over private FDRs. Harry has been instructed as an expert witness on English law in foreign proceedings.

Claire is a Partner in the Family team, practicing in the area of family law for 16 years. She recognises that changing family dynamics require a flexible and commercial approach, with early intervention and the use of ADR being key. 

Her diverse practice includes advising international and domestic HNW clients on the financial implications of relationship breakdown, in particular those involving trusts and corporate assets, crypto assets, inherited wealth, complex remuneration structures and where there are allegations of non-disclosure or dissipation. She also has a well-established wealth protection practice advising clients on pre-and post-nuptial agreements.

Claire has great experience in private law cases relating to a child's living arrangements, significant decisions regarding their care and applications by one parent to relocate within the UK or overseas with a child.

Claire has a particular interest in managing the reputational aspect of relationship breakdown and protecting the balance between personal and private life. Described as "one of the very best partners", "out performing her peers" and whose negotiating skills are "second to none", Claire is adept at ensuring that her clients feel supported in what is often a pivotal time in their lives, working with them to achieve the best possible outcome, enabling them to move forward with confidence.

Sam is a leading lawyer in international, complex and high-value divorce and family law cases. He is recognised across the private wealth industries as a leader in his field.

Sam is instructed by individuals, families, and trustees across the world to address issues arising from divorce, and to assist in the preparation of pre- and post-nuptial agreements. He also has extensive expertise in complex parental disputes, with a particular emphasis on international relocation.

His clients range from the sports and entertainment industries to the City and international community, with a particular emphasis on the US, South America, Russia and the Middle East.

Sam is known for his complete discretion, commercial advice and ability to achieve swift, best-outcome solutions for his clients. He also has extensive experience in ‘private court’ based arbitration for family disputes.

Samantha undertakes complex and high value matrimonial finance cases, often against KCs. Her work principally involves resolution of disputes in the context of voluntary (non-court) processes, including as a private FDR evaluator.

Samantha is the recipient of many generous credits as to her professional abilities in the legal directories. However, she recommends that clients assess counsel for themselves and select a team they feel can best meet their objectives. In Samantha’s case, her focus is almost always on consensual resolution and avoiding the risks of contested litigation where possible.

Samantha features in the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Recognition Lists 2024 (inaugural) and 2025.

She is a co-founder of the multi award-winning animated law library, Courtney Legal, and a proponent of public legal education on family law.

Nicholas specialises in high value matrimonial finance work. He is well known for his eye for detail, his knowledge of the law, and for his client care skills. He is Joint Head of Chambers (with Alexis Campbell KC).

Nicholas was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2018. He was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge assigned to the Family Division in October 2021 and is also a nominated Judge of the Court of Protection. He was previously appointed a Recorder of the Family Court in 2016. He was elected a Bencher of The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in 2021.

Nicholas is highly ranked in both the Chambers UK and Legal 500 directories. He has been ‘Band 1’ ranked in the ADR table in Chambers UK since it was first published in October 2023.

Nicholas is a qualified arbitrator (Finance) through the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators (IFLA) scheme. He was described as an “expert” in family arbitration by Peel J in G v G [2023] 2 FLR 491). He has to date been appointed as arbitrator in 33 cases and has written 26 awards (five having settled and two are ongoing). This is a significant proportion of the c. 600 arbitrations which have been registered since the inception of the financial scheme. He was also retained on a further six cases which settled or where arbitration was not pursued before his appointment was formalised. He has also conducted more than 80 private FDRs as evaluator.

Nicholas is a regular lecturer including to full-time and part-time judges at the Judicial College.

James is known for having a commercial, constructive and resolution focused approach combined with the ability to pursue litigation through the courts with tenacity where necessary. 

He specialises in the financial and other consequences of relationship formation or breakdown. His principal role is to help people separate sensibly. 

James is an expert in complex financial matters, including those involving businesses and trust/tax structures, often with an international dimension. He has considerable knowledge of pre-nuptial agreements (having sat on the Advisory Group to the Law Commission).

In contrast with many family lawyers, James' practice is not limited to representing married couples or those in a personal relationship. He also acts for family members, business partners or trusts/corporations who own property together or face family-related legal issues.

James is identified as a leader in the field in relation to same-sex relationships, civil partnerships and same-sex marriages, particularly those involving cross-border issues.

James has a particularly strong reputation in resolving matters through constructive discussions and cooperation. He is both an active and Accredited Family Mediator and a Collaborative Family Lawyer (both specialist forms of dispute resolution designed to reach solutions out of court). James also works with and advise individuals, couples or wider family members, and is qualified to work as the sole legal advisor to both parties who are separating, and where relevant their wider family. 

Suzanne Kingston is one of England’s best known family lawyers, and a ‘pre-eminent force in family law’. Known as the ‘Queen of mediation and arbitration’, Suzanne has pioneered the use of non-court dispute resolution in family disputes and is credited with spearheading the Family Law Arbitration Scheme in England and Wales. 

In addition to her reputation as a sought-after mediator, collaborative family lawyer and arbitrator, Suzanne remains well able to use her unique skillset in difficult litigation and has extensive experience of working with family law colleagues around multiple jurisdictions. She advises and supports clients on a wide range of issues, including complex financial matters, child arrangements and marital agreements. She has extensive experience of mediating and advising on cohabitation disputes. 

Suzanne has a large international practice and is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. She is top ranked in Chambers for ‘Family/Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth’ and is spotlighted by the directory for mediation. She is also admitted to The Legal 500 ‘Hall of Fame’. She has received a plethora of accolades throughout her career, including being named ‘Family Lawyer of the Year’ by both Citywealth and Spear’s Magazine.

Suzanne has provided arbitration training for judges and family lawyers in England and in jurisdictions as far apart as South Africa and Hong Kong. Outside of work, Suzanne chairs the London fundraising board for the cancer care charity, Maggie’s. She also serves on the council and executive committee of Durham Law School Alumni Association. She has a diploma in mentoring and family law supervision and is very involved in Women in Family Law (WiFL). 

Rhys specialises in financial remedies and property law disputes. He deals with complex assets, often where third parties are also involved. He is a leader in the field of pensions on divorce. He has extensive experience dealing with complex assets, business valuation and trust structures.

Aside from advocacy in court, he sits part-time as a family Recorder and is authorised to sit as a Deputy High Court Judge. He is an experienced family arbitrator, mediator and accepts appointments to act as a neutral evaluator in the private FDR setting.

Rhys is a contributing editor to the family lawyers’ “Bible” the Family Court Practice (Red Book) with responsibility for financial remedies and property issues. He is also the editor of the Financial Remedies Journal, a member of the Pension Advisory Group and a co-author of “Pensions on Divorce: A Practitioner’s Handbook”. Rhys is also a barrister member of the Family Procedure Rule Committee, which governs the development of procedure and rules in the Family Court.

Andrew is an established family finance specialist with extensive experience of dealing with financial disputes between separating spouses, civil partners and unmarried couples, as a barrister, arbitrator and neutral evaluator at private Financial Dispute Resolution appointments.

As a barrister, he is regularly instructed in cases of significant legal and factual complexity, both where the parties’ means are substantial and where the available resources are more modest, to advise and to appear as an advocate, nationwide, at all stages of proceedings, at first instance and on appeal, acting alone or with leading counsel.  He is consistently recognised in the professional directories as one of the leading junior barristers in his field, and ranked in ‘Band 1’ by Chambers & Partners and ‘Tier 1’ by the Legal 500.

He has a particular interest in non-court-based dispute resolution and is frequently appointed as an arbitrator, or a neutral evaluator, and has delivered numerous arbitral awards and non-binding indications in a wide range of complex and interesting financial disputes.  He was the only barrister based outside London and the southeast to be recognised in the Legal 500’s inaugural ‘private FDR judges and arbitrators’ rankings in 2024.  He is also a Resolution-trained family mediator.

He is the Deputy Head of the Family Finance Team and a member of the Bar Council’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel.

Suzanne Todd is co-head of international private client firm Withers' Dispute Resolution team in Europe. Suzanne is recognised as one of the most skilled and experienced family lawyers of her generation in London. She is in the top tier lawyer of Spear's Top 50 Family lawyers, Spears 500, Tatler Address Book, Chambers, Legal 500 and Citywealth. Her clients come from all walks of life and from all nationalities from the entertainment to motorsport worlds, to senior City CEOs or their wives as well as being the 'go to' for Counsel for many of the firm's big family office clients to deal with their family law issues. Suzanne has an extremely strong reputation as one of the 'go to' family lawyers in London for Italian family law matters. She has lectured in the Supreme Court in Italy (in Italian).

Suzanne's practice ranges from dealing with complex international financial cases (involving family businesses, inherited wealth and tax and trusts) to handling private law children disputes including international relocation cases. She is also adept at negotiating pre/post nuptial agreements. Suzanne is a trained and practising mediator and collaborative lawyer.

Bethany specialises in financial remedy disputes and private children law, with particular experience in cases that involve cross-jurisdictional issues.

Bethany is ranked as a leading junior in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK. She has been described as an extremely strong advocate who is able to empathise with clients while providing robust advice. Her approach to each matter is entirely client-centred.

Before joining St John’s Chambers, Bethany successfully completed pupillage at 1 Hare Court in London, where she obtained extensive experience in financial remedy disputes. This includes dealing with complex financial structures, high net-worth parties and assets outside of the jurisdiction.

Bethany is happy to advise in conference or in writing, or alternatively to undertake separate drafting instructions where required.

Bethany co-authors the Financial Remedies Update in the FLBA’s “Family Affairs” publication. Until 2024, Bethany served as a contributor on the looseleaf ‘Financial Provision in Family Matters’.

Bethany has delivered training on the impact of controlling and coercive behaviour and the practical and legal issues that arise from it. She is also recording a podcast on matrimonalisation to which you will be able to listen very soon.

She has completed the FLBA vulnerable witness training.