Matthew Humphries > Stewarts Law LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Stewarts Law LLP Offices
5 NEW STREET SQUARE
LONDON
EC4A 3BF
England
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Matthew Humphries
Work Department
Position
Partner in the Divorce and Family department.
Matthew has specialised exclusively for over 25 years in resolving financial and children issues arising upon divorce or family breakdown. He represents high net worth individuals, or their spouses / partners, frequently in cases involving complex financial structures (often with an international element) or in cases where there are disagreements regarding arrangements for children. Matthew also regularly advises upon the negotiation of nuptial agreements.
Matthew is a senior partner in the Divorce and Family department at Stewarts, the pre-eminent divorce and family practice in England that is top ranked in the legal directories. Whilst Matthew is known for his expertise in complex litigation, he is also a renowned negotiator determined to settle cases whenever possible to do so in the best interests of his clients. He is a keen proponent of arbitration.
His practice encompasses high value financial claims, including those on behalf of the children of unmarried parents, as well as resolving areas of disagreement over arrangements for children. He attracts particular recognition for his understanding of clients and their needs, together with his prolific legal knowledge allied with his skills and strategic thinking.
Matthew has conducted significant recent cases before the Family Court including:
- IR v OR [2022] – acting for the wife, achieving an award of over £70m. The case dealt with the treatment of wealth generated before the marriage and from the sale of a family business, as well as the enforceability of a pre-nuptial agreement.
- Fuchs [2022] – acting for a billionaire husband in response to the wife’s application for interim maintenance of £4.2m a year, demonstrating the level of interim maintenance payable in very wealthy cases.
- WC v HC [2022] – acting for the husband in a case involving pre and post nuptial agreements and inherited wealth. The case also considered the relevance of future (significant) inherited wealth pursuant to forced heirship provisions.
- DR v UG [2023] – acting for the husband where the case involved arguments about his ‘special contribution’ and post separation endeavour where the main asset increased in value by a multiple of more than seven times after the date of separation.
Career
Matthew qualified as a solicitor in 1998. He joined Stewarts in 2010, becoming a partner in 2013.
Memberships
Matthew is a long-standing member of the National Resolution’s Cohabitation Committee. He is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) recognising the international elements of his practice.
Personal
His colleagues believe in his spare time he reads the Family Procedure Rules, but whilst he is an avid reader it tends to be more books of a historical theme. He is also a keen rugby union fan, although finding time to watch games is challenging with a young family.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Private client > Family
(Leading individuals)Stewarts Law LLP ‘floats above the stratosphere of the family law world with the largest collection of the highest altitude talent in the sphere’. The group led by Stephen Foster, who is praised for his ‘stellar client management skills’ and for his ability ‘to think incisively’. The bulk of its cases concern large volumes of money, with a large percentage of them involving assets in excess of £500m. Its reported cases frequently have a widespread impact on family law. Debbie Chism has an excellent matrimonial finance practice, while Emma Hatley specialises in complex family cases for high-net-worth individuals, usually with an international dimension. Richard Hogwood is highly recommended for his work on cases involving intricate trust and tax issues, as well as post and pre-nuptial agreements. Helen Ward is highly recommended, and Toby Atkinson has advised on some of the firm’s most significant international cases, often relating to jurisdictional disputes. It has ‘outstanding talent at all levels’, and other recommended individuals include Matthew Humphries, Carly Kinch, and Lewis Powers. Recent team developments include Lisette Dupré joining the practice from Dawson Cornwell LLP and Voirrey Ward’s recent promotion to the partnership.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Insurance > Clinical negligence: claimant
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Private client > Family
- Dispute resolution > Group litigation: Claimant
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
- Dispute resolution > Public international law
- Insurance > Personal injury: claimant
- Transport > Travel
Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Dispute resolution > Competition litigation
- Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Insurance > Professional negligence
- Employment > Senior executives
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Dispute resolution > Public international law