Vardags

Liz Barrett

Liz Barrett is an Associate in the Family Law department at Vardags, advising on the full spectrum of private family law matters. She is prized for her strategic thinking, meticulous attention to detail, holistic and empathetic approach to client care. Legal 500 has described her as “very hardworking and conscientious, and it pays significant dividends". Liz’s clients include high-profile and high-net-worth business owners, sports personalities, landowners, royalty, entrepreneurs, and their spouses, acting for them in highly complex and emotionally charged disputes. While she is based in London, she has clients world-wide and regularly provides strategic English law advice on overseas family law issues. Her practice includes divorce and dissolution of civil partnerships; jurisdictional disputes and international family law issues; financial remedy proceedings, including unmarried parents, cases involving trusts, offshore assets, and opaque company structures; private law children matters, including safeguarding and relocation; surrogacy, adoption, and modern family issues; and drafting and advising on UK and overseas pre- and post-nuptial agreements, and cohabitation disputes.

Stephen Bence

Dr Stephen Bence is the CEO at Vardags (non lawyer). Stephen is also an expert in financial forensics, having previously contributed his financial expertise to some of the biggest family law cases running through the English courts. Within the remit of financial forensics, Stephen works alongside Vardags’ lawyers to provide integrated financial and commercial advice throughout the proceedings.

Imogen Fallon

Imogen Fallon is an Assistant Solicitor in the Children Team at Vardags, working under the leadership of Caroline Korah. She advises on a wide range of private children law matters, including Child Arrangements Orders (lives with, spends time with), parenting arrangements, international child abduction, internal relocation, moving abroad and leave to remove applications. Imogen regularly works on cases involving safeguarding issues, child protection and complex family dynamics. Known for her intellectual rigour and empathetic approach, Imogen brings a calm, strategic presence to emotionally charged disputes involving children.

Ellie Hagan

Ellie Hagan is an Associate at Vardags, specialising in complex family and divorce matters, often with international dimensions. She is known for her personable, responsive, and attentive approach, expertly balancing intricate legal analysis with clear, client-focused communication. Ellie advises on high-value financial disputes involving companies, asset dissipation, valuation conflicts and spousal maintenance. Legal 500 has previously described her as an “outstanding associate” and “meticulous on top of the papers offering continual strong support to the client throughout”. Ellie was the Associate in the significant post-separation endeavour case of GA v EL (No 2) (Post Separation Accrual) [2023] EWFC 206, where a departure from equality in favour of the respondent husband was found to be justified.

Jemima Kearney

Jemima Kearney is an Associate at Vardags, advising on all aspects of private family law. She is known for her meticulous preparation, strategic clarity, and empathetic client care. Jemima has acted in a number of high-profile and complex cases, including the widely reported Williams v Williams [2024] EWFC 275, where she played a key role in securing a series of robust court orders against a non-compliant spouse in a high-value financial remedy dispute.

Caroline Korah

Caroline, a partner in family law at Vardags, specialises exclusively in family law and most notably on all aspects of children law. Sensitive and tenacious with trilingual capacity, Caroline is well-versed in domestic and international disputes, with particular experience in cross-border disputes. Her expertise spans widely from child arrangements and relocation matters to parental child abduction (Hague and non-Hague), foreign orders, injunctions and protection orders. Coined a ‘rising star’ in her field, Caroline is renowned for her straight-talking, empathetic and unpretentious approach as a lawyer.

David Lister

David is a Senior Partner at Vardags. With over 35 years of experience at the forefront of the profession, David’s practice comprises a wide ambit of family law issues, namely high net worth and ultra-high net worth divorce and matrimonial finance issues with complex legal, financial and factual disputes and international elements. He also takes a strong interest in non-disclosure and enforcement issues as well as nuptial and cohabitation agreements.

Alex McCready

Alex is a Partner and head of Reputation & Privacy at Vardags. She regularly acts for individuals and companies in times of crisis, helping clients manage complex problems sensitively and discreetly. With particular expertise in pre- and post-publication and broadcast issues in libel and bribery, she has worked to defend clients against national newspapers, websites, blog sites, and social media. Alex has also advised extensively on threats from non-media sources such as disgruntled employees.

Simon McKirgan

Simon, Senior Partner at Vardags, specialises in the top end of high net worth divorce. He has particular expertise in managing ultra-high net worth cases involving very complex financial issues and cross-jurisdictional disputes. He has the expertise and command of both broad lines and forensic detail to be in complete command of his multi-billion pound cases. Simon also deals with separation and cohabitation disputes and private children law proceedings, including international relocation. Simon has great experience in representing individuals or their partners from the venture capital, hedge fund, City, banking, entertainment and sporting sectors, and leading entrepreneurs. He has particular expertise in handling the sensitivities around celebrity cases. As a trained collaborative lawyer, he is able to settle cases through conciliatory negotiation as well as through tough litigation.

Gregory Monk

Gregory Monk is a Senior Associate at Vardags, advising individuals, families, and businesses on complex civil litigation, private client matters including contentious probate, and reputation and privacy law and issues. He is recognised for his strategic insight, commercial awareness, and calm authority in high-stakes disputes. Gregory regularly acts for clients before the English High Court, Court of Appeal, and has worked on cases before the Supreme Court. Gregory’s practice spans a wide range of contentious work. He has acted in substantial commercial and contractual disputes involving international enforcement proceedings, complex questions of sovereign immunity, and challenges to arbitral awards. He has gained particular experience working with clients and advisors and advising on high-value claims involving issues of jurisdiction, state entities, and cross-border asset recovery. In the reputation and media field, Gregory has worked on pre-publication and post-publication issues for prominent individuals and businesses. This includes advising on urgent applications for injunctions to protect clients’ commercial interests and privacy rights, as well as in cases of undercover reporters, and on cases requiring swift coordination between legal and media strategies and advisors. He also guides individuals and organisations on managing reputational risks arising from press coverage and publicity. Gregory has handled intricate shareholder and corporate governance disputes, including matters involving allegations of breach of fiduciary duty and board-level conflicts. His experience also includes disputes in the art and luxury asset market, addressing questions of title, authenticity, and contractual performance between collectors, investors, and auction houses. He has successfully issued and served claims on sovereign states and has experience managing multi-jurisdictional proceedings involving sensitive diplomatic and commercial issues. His work frequently involves the intersection of legal, political, and reputational considerations — advising clients through complex disputes that attract significant public or regulatory scrutiny.

Alanah Tannous

Alanah Tannous is a Senior Associate in Vardags’ Reputation and Privacy department, advising high-profile and high net worth clients in sensitive legal matters including defamation, blackmail, and reputational risk. Known for her fierce dedication and strategic precision, Alanah has acted for senior executives, politicians, celebrities, athletes, and cosmetic surgeons. Her practice spans both UK and Australian jurisdictions, and she is recognised for securing high-stakes outcomes in complex, sensitive disputes.

Ayesha Vardag

Ayesha Vardag, Founder and President of Vardags and ‘Britain’s top divorce lawyer’, is known for her ground-breaking family law practice. As the go-to divorce lawyer for ultra-high net worth clients with the most challenging cases, her work often involves complex financial matters, international jurisdictions and other sensitivities surrounding high profile individuals, including managing the press. With an impressive track record of major victories in the English courts, Ayesha is well established as a leader in the field of family law. She is one of the few lawyers called upon to advise heads of state, both on English and international law, and has been involved in many of the cases that have formed the landscape of divorce law in our times.