Expert family law help
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I am a family law specialist, with over twenty years' experience of helping people resolve their family law disputes.
Born and brought up in Australia, I studied law at the University of Melbourne, achieving a Bachelor of Laws (Hons). I was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1994.
In 1996, I moved to the UK, where I have lived and worked since. I was admitted here as a solicitor in 2000. I worked for several well-known law firms in London, specialising in divorce and family law. Whilst a solicitor, I was regularly recognised by Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession and The Legal 500 as an expert in these areas. I developed nationally- and internationally-recognised expertise in international family law. I specialised in cases where the cross-border movement of children was a feature: for example, parental child abduction, intercountry adoption and surrogacy, the transnational recognition and enforcement of judgments, etc.
Some of the reported cases during my career where I was the solicitor with conduct include:
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Rubin -v- Rubin [2014] EWHC 611 (Fam) - the leading authority on Legal Services Payments Orders under section 22ZA of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and pursuant to Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989
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A –v- B and C [2012] 2 FLR 607 (Court of Appeal) – a private law dispute regarding the court’s approach to children born into “alternative” families and the relationship that such children should have with their parents (genetic and psychological)
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Re R (Costs: Contact Enforcement) [2012] 1 FLR 445 (High Court) – guidance regarding the nature of contact enforcement proceedings generally and the costs rules that ought to apply to such proceedings (I also acted as the advocate in this matter)
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Re O (Abduction: Settlement) [2011] 2 FLR 1307 (Court of Appeal) – examination of the proper approach to the defence of settlement under the 1980 Hague Abduction Convention, and the exercise of the discretion that arises where settlement is established
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CF –v- KM [2011] 1 FLR 208 (High Court) - one of the leading authorities on the court’s powers to make interim provision to cover legal costs under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989.
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Re S (Foreign Contact Order) [2010] 1 FLR 982 (Court of Appeal) – the leading authority on the procedure under Brussels II revised for applying to have recognised and enforced an incoming custody order from another EU Member State
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Re D (Brussels II Revised: Contact) [2008] 1 FLR 516 (High Court) – an early case on the interpretation and application of the provisions of Brussels II revised, and the Family Procedure Rules 1991, regarding recognition and enforcement of foreign custody and access orders
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Re S (Child: Financial Provision) [2005] 2 FLR 94 (Court of Appeal) – the first authority to determine the court had jurisdiction under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 to make funds available to a parent if that might indirectly benefit a child (in this context, to pursue a remedy in a foreign court after abduction)
I have written extensively on my areas of expertise, both for the public and for other lawyers. My published work – much of which is reproduced here – includes journal articles, blogs, textbook content and practitioner guides.
Resolution is a collective of some 6,500 family lawyers and other professionals committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes. I was a member of Resolution’s International Committee,
"His preparation of cases is excellent and unflappable, and his attention to detail is fantastic. Judges adore him and he is the solicitor that other solicitors go to for advice."
About me
contributing to the Guide to International Family Law. For many years, I was an elected representative on Resolution’s London Region Committee, serving as Treasurer on that Committee from 2011 to 2015.
I represented the profession on several court groups aimed at improving service to users, including:
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the Family Court User Group
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the High Court (Family Division) User Group
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the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) User Group
I am no longer on the roll of solicitors in England and Wales. In 2012, during a period of extreme difficulty in my personal life, I made a mistake on one of my cases. Rather than admit the mistake and ask for help, for a short period I tried to cover it up. Several years later, I was the subject of disciplinary proceedings in relation to this incident. At the conclusion of those proceedings, I was struck off the roll of solicitors. Anyone interested in the detail of the circumstances resulting in me no longer being a solicitor can read the full decision of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal here.
Since ceasing to be a solicitor, I have continued to provide legal help and assistance to Litigants in Person, including acting as a McKenzie Friend.
Throughout my legal career, I have helped over 2,000 national and international clients: wives and husbands, mothers and fathers. I have also represented adolescent children in proceedings that concern them, ensuring their voices are properly heard and their interests protected in the melee of litigation.