Jo specialises in dealing with issues which arise on relationship breakdown, including the financial consequences of divorce or separation; and resolving arrangements for children, including cases involving relocation with children. She also has expertise in advising on pre-nuptial agreements and acting in cases involving unmarried couples.
Although Jo has extensive experience of taking cases to court where required, she is known for her conciliatory, pragmatic approach and desire to settle cases where possible. She is a trained mediator and collaborative lawyer and one of only a handful of lawyers in London qualified to consult with children in mediation. Mediation is a significant part of Jo’s practice and she has mediated both married and unmarried couples, often with complex/high value assets or difficult issues such as one parent wishing to relocate overseas with children.
Jo held the position of Chair of Resolution, the national family lawyers’ association, from 2014 to 2016. During her two year term of office, she led several high profile family law campaigns, met with MPs and the judiciary and appeared regularly on national TV and radio and in the broadsheets. She continues to sit on Resolution’s National Committee and to be active in policy, membership and media work.
Internationally Jo is a founding member of the European Network of Collaborative Professionals and a regular speaker at family law conferences around the world. She has particularly strong links with Australia and Scotland, from where many of her referrals emanate.
Jo is described as a “tireless campaigner who leaves no stone unturned to get the best for her clients. She is the doyenne of the family law world and is a real leader in finding less confrontational routes to solutions whilst retaining a steely core”. Her clients comment that “She is incredible”.
In October 2019, Jo was named Chambers HNW’s “Family Lawyer of the Year” and in 2020, she was recognised in the inaugural Chambers HNW Mediators list. Jo’s reputation as a leader in her field was recognised recently by her appointment as a founding member of the inaugural Tatler HNW address book; a listing she has maintained in the latest Tatler Address Book of HNW Private Client Advisors 2021. Jo has also been ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ in the Legal 500 2023 edition and is top ranked in both Chambers UK Guide 2023 and Chambers HNW Guide 2022. Jo is recognised as a ‘Top Recommended Lawyer’ in the Spear’s 500 2023 directory.