Hughes Fowler Carruthers > London, England > Firm Profile

Hughes Fowler Carruthers
ACADEMY COURT
94 CHANCERY LANE
LONDON
WC2A 1DT
England

Email firm Visit website 020 7421 8383 020 7421 8384

Private client > Family Tier 1

heads a stellar team at Hughes Fowler Carruthers that continues to be involved in a very high number of reported cases. It remains a firm of choice for the huge money cases (in excess of £1bn) and frequently advises on pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements with major cross-jurisdictional aspects. Other core areas of expertise include advising on same sex relationships and children matters such as gender issues, autism, child mental health issues, developmental delay, parental alienation and relocation/abduction. Pauline Fowler

receives a vast array of instructions from the internationally wealthy. Alex Carruthers

continues to act for the ultra-high-net-worth individuals on a wide range of matters. Mark Harper is another prominent member of the department. Renato Labi is frequently involved in numerous high-value and complex international litigation matters while Archie Best was recently promoted to the partnership.

Practice head(s):

Frances Hughes

Other key lawyers:

Pauline Fowler; Alex Carruthers; Mark Harper; Renato Labi; Caroline Park; Kate Brett; Archie Best

Work highlights

In Potanin v Potanina [2021] EWCA Civ 702 the firm is acting in this landmark, multi-billion pound case on the application of Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984.
In Akhmedova v Akhmedov & Ors [2020] EWHC 2257 (Fam) the wife obtained the largest reported award on any divorce in the English courts and her efforts to enforce the judgement have been widely covered in the press. The firm has been instructed by the parties’ son, against whom his mother is seeking orders for disclosure and to recover funds paid to him by his father. The son is challenging the funding arrangements of the wife.
In Crowther v Crowther & Ors [2021] EWFC 88 the firm had obtained a freezing order which was upheld by the Court of Appeal. The final judgment in the case was reported in October 2021. The client received 90% of the capital.

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 was established in July 2001. The firm is led by Frances Hughes, who has been consistently rated as a leading individual in this publication over many years. All partners are internationally acclaimed for the exceptional standard of their work. The other partners are Pauline Fowler, Alex Carruthers, Mark Harper, Renato Labi, Caroline Park, Bryan Jones, Kate Brett and Archie Best. All the partners share a considerable breadth of experience which enables them to offer a wide range of skills from expert negotiation to complex litigation 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 of 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

Department	Name	Email
Chair of board	Frances Hughes	f.hughes@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Frances Hughes	f.hughes@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Pauline Fowler	p.fowler@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Alex Carruthers	a.carruthers@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Mark Harper	m.harper@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Renato Labi	r.labi@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Caroline Park	c.park@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Bryan Jones	b.jones@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Kate Brett	k.brett@hfclaw.com
Matrimonial and family law	Archie Best	a.best@hfclaw.com

Name	Position	Profile
Archie Best	Partner in leading niche practice dealing with complicated financial cases, divorce, pre-nuptial…	View Profile
Kate Brett	Partner specialising in high net worth and complex matrimonial finance work, including…	View Profile
Alex Carruthers	Partner dealing with matrimonial finance and children’s work. Most of his work…	View Profile
Pauline Fowler	Partner in top ranked niche family law practice; work includes complex financial…	View Profile
Mark Harper	Partner specialising in family law matters including financial matters with an international…	View Profile
Frances Hughes	Chair of board of family law niche practice and leading figure in…	View Profile
Bryan Jones	Partner focusing on high net worth and high complexity matrimonial finance, including…	View Profile
Renato Labi	Partner in leading niche practice dealing with complex, high-value matrimonial finance often…	View Profile
Caroline Park	Partner dealing with matrimonial finance including complex and high net worth cases,…	View Profile