The Legal 500

Work Department

Family and matrimonial law.

Position

Partner specialising in family and matrimonial law. Extensive caseload of mid-range to high-net-worth clients. Dealing almost exclusively with sorting out the finances for divorcing and unmarried couples. Recent cases include: division of a martial pot worth in excess of £10m, complex assets (including foreign properties and unquoted shareholdings), case involved arguments of financial misconduct; dividing up farm and related family business between separating spouses; advising on and drafting pre-marital agreements for clients with pre-existing family trust funds; establishing the value of business and minority shareholding so that client made only minimum payout to ex-spouse. As a former expat herself, Sarah has particular interest in acting for clients who live abroad. She currently handles a variety of such cases, and also deals with jurisdictional issues in cases where there is a dispute as to which country should deal with the divorce.

Career

Trained CMA Solicitors, Bolton; qualified 1998; assistant solicitor 1998-2003; trained as mediator 2002; relocated to Philadelphia, US, working for firm of attorneys 2003-05; senior associate solicitor Gorvins Solicitors 2005; trained as collaborative lawyer 2006; partner Russell Jones & Walker Solicitors 2010. Reported in The Sunday Times, The Daily Mail, Manchester Evening News, EN Magazine and Lancashire Life.

Member

Law Society; Resolution; Manchester and District Medico Legal Society; Separation Solutions (collaborative law group for Greater Manchester).

Education

Bolton School Girls’ Division; Manchester Metropolitan University (1993 BSc Hons); Staffordshire University (1995 CPE and LPC, commendation).

Leisure

Horse riding, walking, trying to ski.

Practice Areas

Arbitration, ADR, mediation; Family - children; Family - matrimonial