
The International HNW Divorce & Children Summit
Bringing Together Leading Family Finance and Children Practitioners from Around the World
In-Person | 1st-2nd July 2025 | Lisbon, Portugal
Agenda
Networking & Registration
9.00am
Chairs Opening Remarks
9.30am
Sital Fontenelle, Partner and Head of Family
Kingsley Napley
Morning Keynote: A Judicial View on International Family Matters
9.45am

Sir Philip Moor, Retired High Court Judge, Family Division
1 Hare Court
Navigating the Drafting and Litigation of International Prenups
10.15am
- Key differences in enforceability of prenups across jurisdictions
- Drafting strategies to ensure prenups hold up under international scrutiny
- Cultural and legal considerations when negotiating cross–border agreements
- Asset protection through prenups for HNW clients with multi–jurisdictional assets
- Case law updates: Lessons from recent international prenup disputes
Delphine Eskenazi, Partner
Libra Avocats (France)

Marcus Dearle, Senior Partner
Miles Preston
Networking & Refreshment Break
11am
Understanding Enforcement of Awards and and Orders in Foreign Jurisdictions
11.20am
- Navigating the challenges of jurisdictional conflicts and reciprocity
- International enforcement mechanisms: The Hague Convention and beyond
- Strategies for locating and recovering assets hidden across borders
- Practical considerations for dealing with non–compliant parties in foreign jurisdictions
- Updates on judicial cooperation and mutual recognition treaties

Melanie Bataillard-Samuel, Director
MBS Family Law

Madeleine Mendy, Partner, Head of Family Law
Bin Sevan Advocates (UAE)

Renato Labi, Partner
Hughes Fowler Carruthers
Navigating Modern Families, Adoption and Surrogacy
12.05pm
- Legal recognition of surrogacy arrangements in different jurisdictions
- Cross–border adoption: Navigating the patchwork of international laws
- The impact of evolving family structures on divorce proceedings
- Citizenship and parental rights issues for children born through international surrogacy
- Ethical and legal dilemmas in modern family–building practices

Kajal Aswani, Partner
Hugill & Ip Solicitors (Hong Kong)

Jennifer Headon, Head of International Family
Birketts
Networking & Lunch Break
12.50pm
Roundtable Discussions
1.50pm
During this session you'll have the opportunity to select your choice of topics to build an agenda that best suits your practice, from four roundtable discussion sessions on key jurisdictions.
Choose two out of the four roundtables that you’d like to take part in with your peers.
Your first 50-minute discussion will start at 1.50pm and your second 50-minute discussion will start at 2.40pm after a 10-minute break between the two sessions.
Discussion 1 - Scotland

Gillian Crandles, Managing Partner
Turcan Connell (Scotland)
Discussion 2 - Dubai
Discussion 3 - Switzerland
Discussion 4 - Channel Islands
End of Session 1
2.40pm
Roundtable Discussions (Repeated)
2.50pm
Networking & Refreshment Break
3.40pm
Exploring Privacy in International Divorce Proceedings
4pm
- Differences in legal approaches across jurisdictions
- The impact on HNW individuals with international ties
- Media access and reporting restrictions in cases
- The impact of technology, social media, leaks, digital risks etc

Katherine Cook, Barrister
1 Hare Court

Kate Clark, Partner, Head of Family
Mishcon de Reya
Analysing EU Regulations and Relations Post-Brexit
4.45pm
- How have things moved on in the years since the referendum
- Spousal Maintenance in EU jurisdictions
- Court proceedings and the rush to get judgments
- The application of international law in foreign courts
Chairs Closing Remarks & End of Day 1
5.30pm
Networking & Drinks Reception
6.30pm
Networking Dinner
7.30pm
Chairs Opening Remarks
9.40am
Understanding International NCDR Options
9.45am
- How NCDR can work in cross-border disputes
- Will NCDR over litigation impact international cases
- How costs are impacted
- Ensuring best practice

Izzy Walsh, Partner, Head of London
Hall Brown

Michael Allum, Partner
iFLG
Managing Matters of International Child Abduction and Relocation in Proceedings
10.30am
- Key provisions and practical application of the Hague Convention on Child Abduction
- Litigating relocation disputes involving international jurisdictions
- Balancing parental rights and the best interests of the child
- Trends in judicial approaches to habitual residence and wrongful retention
- Remedies and strategies for preventing abduction

Laura Briggs KC, Barrister
1 Garden Court

Forum Shah, Partner
Dawson Cornwell
Networking & Refreshment Break
11.15am
Exploring Foreign Trusts, Trustees and Assets
11.35am
- Foreign asset tracing
- The interplay between divorce law and offshore trusts
- Piercing the corporate veil: Accessing hidden trust assets
- Trustee duties and liabilities in divorce proceedings
- Jurisdictional challenges in disputes involving international trusts
- Case studies: Success stories in tracing and recovering trust assets

Simon Blain, Partner
Forsters

Marcus Parker, Partner
Stewarts
Examining HNW Mobility and Immigration
12.20pm
- Factors and consequences to consider when clients move jurisdictions
- Immigration considerations and how they intersect with family law
- Navigating cross–border tax implications in divorce settlements
- Planning for the impact of residency and domicile changes on family law matters
- Managing citizenship issues for international families during divorce
- The influence of wealth migration trends on family law
- Advising clients moving to the UK – schools, visas, tax matters etc

Sacha Wooldridge, Partner
Birketts
Chairs Closing Remarks
1.05pm
Farewell Luncheon
1.15pm
Sir Philip Moor - Retired High Court Judge, Family Division - 1 Hare Court
- Key differences in enforceability of prenups across jurisdictions
- Drafting strategies to ensure prenups hold up under international scrutiny
- Cultural and legal considerations when negotiating cross–border agreements
- Asset protection through prenups for HNW clients with multi–jurisdictional assets
- Case law updates: Lessons from recent international prenup disputes
Marcus Dearle - Senior Partner - Miles Preston
- Navigating the challenges of jurisdictional conflicts and reciprocity
- International enforcement mechanisms: The Hague Convention and beyond
- Strategies for locating and recovering assets hidden across borders
- Practical considerations for dealing with non–compliant parties in foreign jurisdictions
- Updates on judicial cooperation and mutual recognition treaties
Madeleine Mendy - Partner, Head of Family Law - Bin Sevan Advocates (UAE)
Renato Labi - Partner - Hughes Fowler Carruthers
- Legal recognition of surrogacy arrangements in different jurisdictions
- Cross–border adoption: Navigating the patchwork of international laws
- The impact of evolving family structures on divorce proceedings
- Citizenship and parental rights issues for children born through international surrogacy
- Ethical and legal dilemmas in modern family–building practices
Jennifer Headon - Head of International Family - Birketts
During this session you'll have the opportunity to select your choice of topics to build an agenda that best suits your practice, from four roundtable discussion sessions on key jurisdictions.
Choose two out of the four roundtables that you’d like to take part in with your peers.
Your first 50-minute discussion will start at 1.50pm and your second 50-minute discussion will start at 2.40pm after a 10-minute break between the two sessions.
- Differences in legal approaches across jurisdictions
- The impact on HNW individuals with international ties
- Media access and reporting restrictions in cases
- The impact of technology, social media, leaks, digital risks etc
Kate Clark - Partner, Head of Family - Mishcon de Reya
- How have things moved on in the years since the referendum
- Spousal Maintenance in EU jurisdictions
- Court proceedings and the rush to get judgments
- The application of international law in foreign courts
- How NCDR can work in cross-border disputes
- Will NCDR over litigation impact international cases
- How costs are impacted
- Ensuring best practice
Michael Allum - Partner - iFLG
- Key provisions and practical application of the Hague Convention on Child Abduction
- Litigating relocation disputes involving international jurisdictions
- Balancing parental rights and the best interests of the child
- Trends in judicial approaches to habitual residence and wrongful retention
- Remedies and strategies for preventing abduction
Forum Shah - Partner - Dawson Cornwell
- Foreign asset tracing
- The interplay between divorce law and offshore trusts
- Piercing the corporate veil: Accessing hidden trust assets
- Trustee duties and liabilities in divorce proceedings
- Jurisdictional challenges in disputes involving international trusts
- Case studies: Success stories in tracing and recovering trust assets
Marcus Parker - Partner - Stewarts
- Factors and consequences to consider when clients move jurisdictions
- Immigration considerations and how they intersect with family law
- Navigating cross–border tax implications in divorce settlements
- Planning for the impact of residency and domicile changes on family law matters
- Managing citizenship issues for international families during divorce
- The influence of wealth migration trends on family law
- Advising clients moving to the UK – schools, visas, tax matters etc

Contact Us
Speaker
For Speaker enquiries please contact Seth on +44 (0)20 3433 2282 or email seth@thoughtleaders4.com
Partnership
For Partnership enquiries please contact Dan on +44 (0)20 3059 9524 or email dan@thoughtleaders4.com
Booking & General
For Booking & General enquiries please contact Amy on +44 (0)203 059 9796 or email info@thoughtleaders4.com