Vardags

Lucy Bolton

Lucy Bolton is a Partner at Vardags, based in the Manchester office. Lucy practices in both financial and children matters, leading the children offering for the regional offices. She is also the firm’s national Training Principal, overseeing the development and pastoral care of trainee lawyers. Lucy’s practice focuses on complex divorce and children matters for HNW individuals, including jurisdictional disputes, complex business structures, arguments around non-marital assets, serious allegations of harm and parental alienation and international child relocation cases. Lucy also regularly advises on and drafts Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements. Lucy has been praised as “an outstanding family lawyer” who possesses “vast experience well beyond her years.” Clients and counsel alike commend her for her “excellent judgment,” describing her as “a brilliant tactician and a warm presence” and “simply a breath of fresh air to work with.” Her down-to-earth approach and ability to navigate the most complex cases with clarity and warmth make her a trusted advisor in high-stakes family law matters.

Annemarie Bradley

Annemarie joined Vardags Manchester office when it opened its doors in 2016. She was appointed to the Partnership in January 2021. She advises on cases with complex financial settlements, cohabitation issues as well as private children law proceedings.

Nikki Corrie

Nikki Corrie is a Senior Associate at Vardags, specialising in high-value and complex family law matters. With over a decade of exclusive experience in family law, Nikki is known for her forensic mind, exceptional recall, and strategic thinking. She has been described as “a partner in the making”, “a tremendous talent” and an “absolutely exceptional legal brain”. Nikki’s robust practice includes advising HNW clients on financial remedies following divorce or civil partnership dissolution, interim financial matters including maintenance and legal funding, children matters including contested national and international relocation, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and jurisdictional disputes. She handles numerous substantial money cases, and assets of c. £15m are now the norm for her. Nikki’s global client base includes individuals in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, often involving complex business interests, trusts, and pre-marital wealth. She is also commended on her client care skills, being described as “exceptionally efficient and reliable” with “interpersonal skills off the chart” and having clients who “adore her”.

Gareth Curtis

Gareth Curtis is a Partner at Vardags, specialising in complex family law matters for HNW and UHNW individuals. Praised for his “fine legal brain” and “articulate, patient, knowledgeable” approach, Gareth’s practice spans the full spectrum of family law, with particular expertise in financial remedy proceedings, frequently dealing with issues arising from the valuation of businesses, Trusts, complex compensation (income) packages and pension funds. Gareth also has extensive experience in dealing with Schedule 1 claims, and cases involving intricate trust and offshore structures. Gareth has experience in highly contentious children cases. Gareth is qualified as an Arbitrator in financial remedy proceedings. His strategic insight and empathetic client care have earned him a reputation for delivering “reassuringly realistic, pragmatic” advice with a commercial edge. Gareth’s reported cases include FB v PS [2015] 2797, an important and oft relied upon authority supporting the principle that the value in the former matrimonial home whilst matrimonial does not mean a Court is bound to divide that value equally in all circumstances. Gareth has a broad geographical practice, with clients based across the UK, and internationally based in the USA and middle east.

Emma Gill

Emma Gill is the Managing Partner of Vardags, overseeing the firm nationally following her appointment in April 2025. Emma specialises in complex matrimonial finance cases, frequently dealing with issues arising from share valuations, option schemes, trusts, foreign properties and pension funds. Emma also acts in financial claims for unmarried partners and is experienced in children matters, often advising on child contact arrangements and relocation within the UK and overseas. Emma’s tough, pragmatic, but sensitive approach has earned her regular recommendations in legal directories since 2009. Legal 500 has previously described her as ‘quite simply the best matrimonial lawyer in the North’ and ‘a very formidable opponent in the big cases’. In addition to the many cases Emma has handled discreetly and outside the public eye, one of her recent reported judgments, ON v ON [2024] EWFC 379, stands out as a landmark decision. It marked the first-ever application to set aside an arbitral award in family law. With no established procedure under the Family Procedure Rules, Emma devised a new procedural framework herself, which was subsequently approved and adopted by the judge. The case set a precedent and showcased Emma’s innovative legal thinking and leadership in uncharted territory. Accustomed to high-profile cases, Emma’s clients include CEOs of multi-million pound companies, footballers and their spouses, entrepreneurs and business owners. She has a broad geographical practice with clients based in the North West and North East of England but also the Midlands, Shropshire, Wales and London.

Nicola Jones

Nicola Jones, Partner at Vardags, specialises in family law with a focus on complex financial remedy and private children matters. With over a decade of exclusive experience in family law, Nicola is known for her calm authority, strategic insight, and unwavering commitment to her clients. She has represented both victims of domestic abuse and those facing serious allegations, earning praise for her balanced and empathetic approach.

Kate Kempster

Kate Kempster, Senior Associate, is widely recognised for her meticulous preparation, strategic insight, and compassionate client care. Kate has built a strong reputation for handling complex financial and children matters, particularly those involving vulnerable parties and high-profile individuals. She is praised as “a tenacious champion for her clients” and described as “a star” who possess “an uncanny ability to predict to the last pound the outcome”. Kate’s practice includes high value financial remedy cases involving substantial property and business assets, asset tracing and forensic financial analysis, interim maintenance and legal services orders, and sensitive children matters, including cases involving domestic abuse and relocation. She works closely with Vardags’ in-house financial forensics and reputation teams to deliver a multi-disciplinary approach tailored to each client’s needs.

Amie Pine

Amie Pine is a Partner at Vardags, advising on the full spectrum of family law issues, with particular expertise in complex financial matters and children cases. Amie’s practice includes high-value divorce and financial remedy cases involving business assets and farming interests, complex children matters including relocation and safeguarding issues, cases involving serious allegations and vulnerable parties, and strategic litigation and negotiation in emotionally charged disputes. Known as a “ferocious advocate”, Amie is celebrated for her honest, empathetic approach and tireless dedication to her clients, who have praised her for giving them “hope in humanity” and doing “more than just a job”.