Hughes Fowler Carruthers > London, England > Firm Profile
Hughes Fowler Carruthers Offices

ACADEMY COURT
94 CHANCERY LANE
LONDON
WC2A 1DT
England
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Hughes Fowler Carruthers > The Legal 500 Rankings
Private client > Family Tier 1
Clients ‘greatly appreciate’ the ‘user friendly’ style at boutique firm Hughes Fowler Carruthers, which offers the full range of domestic and international finance and children expertise. Frances HughesPractice head(s):
Frances Hughes
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘They care. They are intelligent, mindful, insightful and very respectful of their clients needs and wishes, whilst professionally steering the client through the necessary processes. Informed decision making at all times.’
‘Renato Labi is one of the very best divorce solicitors in London. He has been involved in some of the very biggest cases which have come before the courts over the last few years. He handles them amazingly. I have seem him out-maneuver his opponents and marveled at his tactics. He is incredibly intelligent and fights as hard as he possibly can for his clients, but is always charm personified to his opponents. He negotiates as well as he litigates.’
‘Caroline Park is a stand out for me. A brilliant lawyer and a clever tactician. Never fails to achieve an outstanding result whether by negotiation or in a hearing. My favourite person to work with. Accessible and completely on top of every detail.’
‘Pauline Fowler has great wisdom and judgment. She knows how to find creative solutions that work for real families but isn’t afraid to fight when needed.’
‘The team offers strength in depth across all family law matters, particularly matrimonial finance. HFC have also managed to retain their user friendly style, avoiding becoming the ‘big corporate’ and maintaining focus on the individual client. I believe that this is greatly appreciated by clients.’
‘Mark Harper continues to stand out as a leading practitioner. His experience in international matters and trusts positions him as the ‘go to’ lawyer in these complex areas. His down-to-earth manner is greatly appreciated.’
‘Alex Carruthers is a powerhouse of a lawyer, very experienced and exceptionally good at managing clients who have the highest of expectations.’
‘HFC are the stand out market leaders in family law. Their clients can be 100% confident that they are getting the right advice and that the best team on their side.’
Work highlights
- Represented Natalia Potanina in the landmark cases Potanin v Potanina [2021] EWCA Civ 702 and Potanina v Potanina [2024] UKSC 3, staking the client’s claim for financial relief after a Russian divorce proceeding awarded her less than 1% of her ex-husband’s estimated $19bn fortune.
- Representing a wife in heavily disputed, high-stakes financial proceedings in the High Court, reported as DR v ES [2022] EWFC 62, and related proceedings under the Children Act.
- Successfully acted for the ex-wife of a millionaire hotelier to set aside a consent order from March 2018.
Hughes Fowler Carruthers > Firm Profile
This leading niche family law practice is based in Chancery Lane in central London and specialises in all aspects of matrimonial and family law.
The firm: Hughes Fowler Carruthers has been based on Chancery Lane at the heart of legal London since 2001, and is regarded as one of London’s leading divorce and family law practices. All partners are internationally acclaimed for the exceptional standard of their work, and share a considerable breadth of experience which enables them to offer the full gamut of skills needed to navigate complex litigation, expert negotiation and alternative forms of dispute resolution to suit the individual demands of each client.
Work is conducted with a high degree of professionalism and dedication. All solicitors in the practice are members of Resolution. The firm is part of an extensive international family law network through memberships to the International Academy of Family Lawyers and the International Bar Association. This means Hughes Fowler Carruthers can provide a full international service through the partners’ close connections worldwide.
Types of work undertaken: The firm handles all kinds of family law work but puts a strong emphasis on work with financial complexity and international aspects. Fields of expertise include defending and attacking trust structures, tracing hidden assets, jurisdictional disputes and complex pension issues. The firm handles a large volume of very high-value prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements. The partners also have special expertise in complex children and child abduction work.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Chair of board | Frances Hughes | [email protected] | |
Matrimonial and family law | Frances Hughes | [email protected] | |
Matrimonial and family law | Pauline Fowler | [email protected] | |
Matrimonial and family law | Alex Carruthers | [email protected] | |
Matrimonial and family law | Mark Harper | [email protected] | |
Matrimonial and family law | Renato Labi | [email protected] | |
Matrimonial and family law | Caroline Park | [email protected] | |
Matrimonial and family law | Bryan Jones | [email protected] | |
Matrimonial and family law | Kate Brett | [email protected] |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Kate Brett | Partner specialising in high net worth and complex matrimonial finance work, including… | View Profile |
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Alex Carruthers | Partner dealing with matrimonial finance and children’s work. Most of his work… | View Profile |
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Pauline Fowler | Partner in top ranked niche family law practice; work includes complex financial… | View Profile |
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Mark Harper | Partner specialising in family law matters including financial matters with an international… | View Profile |
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Frances Hughes | Chair of board of family law niche practice and leading figure in… | View Profile |
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Bryan Jones | Partner focusing on high net worth and high complexity matrimonial finance, including… | View Profile |
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Renato Labi | Partner in leading niche practice dealing with complex, high-value matrimonial finance often… | View Profile |
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Caroline Park | Partner dealing with matrimonial finance including complex and high net worth cases,… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of UK partners : 8 Number of other UK solicitors : 13- Private client > Family