‘Probably the best specialist family law team in London’, Dawson Cornwell LLP has ‘an exceptional breadth of talent and skills’, handling international matters, high-value financial disputes, and public children law issues. Russell Bywater heads up the matrimonial department, with particular expertise in international trust matters, while Carolina Marín Pedreño leverages her ’huge depth of expertise and experience’ to lead the children department. The ‘impossibly clever’ Simon Bruce combines high-value international finance work with child custody expertise and experience as a mediator, while Sarah Jane Lenihan is sought after for private law children matters, including those which involve safeguarding concerns. Jessica Reid, also a trained mediator, regularly handles financial cases involving nondisclosure of assets, which is also an area of strength for former commercial litigator Charlotte Conner. International enforcement matters are often handled by Anna Shadbolt, and international children matters are an area of specialism for Forum Shah. Charlotte Image-Flower deals with a range of sensitive public children matters, particularly care proceedings; for adoption, surrogacy and fertility matters, Hilka Hollmann is the go-to name.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Simon Bruce is impossibly clever and hard working. He has a powerful claim to being the best practitioner in Family Law.'
‘Dawson Cornwell are extremely well regarded, particularly in international work, in both the children and financial spheres. They are a well run team and have expertise at all levels suitable for the whole range of cases.’
‘Sarah Jane Lenihan is a pleasure to work with. She is committed to achieving the best outcome for her clients either by negotiation or determination. She is great with clients and gives realistic advice.'
‘Forum Shah is becoming a true legend in her field. Entirely unflappable, she has the nerves of steel that are a prerequisite in abduction cases.’
‘Probably the best specialist family law team in London with an exceptional breadth of talent and skills.’
‘Carolina Marín Pedreño has a huge depth of expertise and experience in both international and domestic proceedings involving children. She leads her very able team and is widely respected by them.'
- 'Charlotte Image-Flower is a public law care specialist of high ability and experience, particularly, in my own knowledge of her, in international public law cases. She is accurate, incisive and forensic in her approach, and is a force to be reckoned with.'
‘A tremendous family law firm with a great range of very impressive individuals (at partner and associate level), with a super team ethic and a real client-focused approach, which is at one and the same time friendly, understanding and highly effective. A firm fully deserving of its tier 1 ranking.’
Work highlights
Acted for the mother in the conjoined appeal with Re D (A Child) [2023] EWCA Civ 1047. Using Child Objections as her defence the mother succeeded in her defence to the return application made by the father.
Successfully acted pro bono for the appellant in Re P – Forced Marriage Protection Orders, a landmark decision regarding the extra-territorial jurisdiction of the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 (FMPA).
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Russell Bywater; Carolina Marín Pedreño
Other key lawyers
Simon Bruce; Jessica Reid; Sarah Jane Lenihan; Hilka Hollmann; Anna Shadbolt; Charlotte Image-Flower; Sulema Jahangir; Floriane Laruelle; Charlotte Conner; Kate Brett; Aysel Akhundova; Forum Shah