“6 Pump Court’s group has ‘a breadth and depth of knowledge’ in both children and finance matters. Areas of expertise range from complex TOLATA claims to international children relocation cases”.
Legal 500 (2015)
Our Family Law barristers represent and advise a wide range of clients from those of modest means to high net worth individuals. Although typically we represent wives and husbands following the breakdown of their relationship, we are also increasingly representing cohabitees and same sex couples in the same situation, children or parents making applications for financial provision under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 (often for help with the costs of attending university) and third parties, including companies and trustees, who intervene in financial cases. Some of our family law barristers have also been instructed by the official solicitor where a party lacks capacity.
We have particular experience in the following areas:
• Business assets, including farms
• Trust assets, both on and offshore
• Cases involving serious misconduct
• Bankruptcy
• Hidden assets
• Freezing orders
• Short marriages
• Maintenance, both spousal and for children
• Jurisdictional disputes and forum shopping
• Financial relief after overseas divorce
• Variation and setting aside of orders
• Enforcement of orders
• Pre- nuptial and separation agreements
• Civil partnership disputes
• Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989
• Child Support
• TOLATA/ Cohabitant disputes
• Claims under the Inheritance Act
• Appeals
• Mediation
Our recent cases include:
- R v R [2013] EWHC 4244 (Fam) – representing husband where wife applied for freezing order under s.37 Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and inherent jurisdiction of the court in respect of a family business. Consideration given by the President in relation to restraint of trade provisions.
- Representing successfully various husbands in variation applications where their former wives had commenced cohabitation but refused to agree a reduction in maintenance.
- Representing wife where husband’s conduct was taken into account. Husband serving long sentence for various serious offences, including a serious sexual offence against the wife. The wife received virtually all the capital.
- Representing wife who received 100% of the remaining capital following the husband’s wild dissipation of capital during a trial separation.
- Acting for wife caring for child where the main asset was the husband’s personal injury award in respect of an accident that left him paralysed before the marriage. Personal injury damages were not excluded from consideration by the court.
- Acting for husband where his pre-marital assets had merged with a large insurance payment received by his wife for serious injuries suffered in a terrorist attack. The wife’s damages formed part of the matrimonial pot and were not ring-fenced.
- Representing wife in relation to enforcement of overseas child maintenance arrears. Consideration given to reciprocal maintenance enforcement arrangements.
- Representing wife where husband sold former matrimonial home and falsely stated he had lost the proceeds gambling. Subsequent disclosure from the casino proved this was untrue and husband was committed to prison for contempt.
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